Dora...Dora...Dora the Explorer!

One of my best friend’s daughter turned 3 and the theme of the party was Dora the Explorer. Well, any good Mom knows that you can't have a birthday party without having a perfectly coordinated outfit. So a tutu it is!

She found this adorable appliqué online. Turns out I could have made it for her myself, but the price was right and it became the inspiration for the party.
 

When I originally started writing this post, it was a tutorial.

Screw that... I don't want to give step-by-step instructions. I want to talk about what the inspiration was and what the final project looks like. Simple, right? The only problem with that strategy is that when you don't give the details of the project, there really isn't much to say...

Uh Oh......

Ok, so who am I kidding? I have plenty to say.

I started this project with the following supplies: Pink & blue tulle cut into 6" x 20" strips, 1" elastic to fit for the waistband, blank white shirt & the iron appliqué.

First, I measured the elastic and stitched it closed. Then I put the elastic around a container (I like to use a gallon size paint can) to hold in place while I tie each tulle strip to the waistband with a slip knot.

Of course I can never wait for a finished project, so midway through I had to lay it out to see how it was coming together.

Once I had all of the tulle on, I went back through and tied a variety of different size ribbons alternating colors throughout. Finally, I added a big bow at the waistband and the skirt was done.

Oh, wait... because I can't leave well enough alone... I added glitter fabric glue to all of the white areas in the appliqué. You can't really tell in the pictures, but it added just the right amount of sparkle. Who doesn't love a little sparkle? I also added little bows at the ends of the sleeves. Umm...super cute!

And of course, no outfit is complete without a big fat matching hair bow. The bigger the better I always say.

Here is the completed outfit. Love it! I couldn't wait to show my BFFL!

As if this was not sweet enough, check out her little girl on her birthday sporting the outfit. The shirt is a bit big, but still adorable!

She said Taylor kept jumping around all day saying "it's my birthday, it's my birthday"! That kind of excitement is what it's all about!

 

Go ahead girl... get comfy, relax on your birthday!

I just love this sweet little pic of Taylor opening her gifts with her cousin and friends.

Happy Birthday Taylor!

I hope you had as much fun twirling around in this little tutu as I did making it.

I mean, I wasn't twirling around in it when I was making it... I just mean I had fun making it... you know what I mean, right?

~Sheila

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