Throwback Thursday: The Little Mermaid Dress of My Dreams

I’d have to say the absolute best thing about sewing your own clothes is being able to make something that is so totally you. You find the perfect fabric, pair it with the perfect pattern, and magic happens. Just the mere act of wearing it can spread joy to others. Or, in my case, make 5-year-old girls completely jealous.

In February 2013, DD and I booked a trip to Disney Land. Now, we grew up in the southeast, so naturally we were brought up on Disney World. This would be our first time setting foot in California Adventure, home of “The Little Mermaid: Ariel’s Undersea Adventure.” If you know one thing about me (other than sewing and chickens), it’s that I LOVE The Little Mermaid. It’s been an obsession since the movie came out in 1989. What little girl wouldn’t want to be a mermaid princess, floating around and having the most amazing hair ever? Oh, and dinglehoppers!

I thought this trip deserved something special, so it was a good excuse to make and wear the dress of my dreams.

Wearing shades cuz my future’s so bright!

My very own Little Mermaid dress! The fabric came from WalMart and the pattern is Butterick B5781.

Invisible zipper FTW

Things I love about this dress:

1. Ariel EVERYWHERE

2. POCKETS

3. Completely appropriate for a grown woman in her 30’s.

Not to mention, it fits in very well at the Happiest Place on Earth!

This was a great trip. DD went the extra mile to book a dinner at Ariel’s Grotto where we dined with the princesses and got to meet Ariel herself!

Total creeper for Ariel right here… check out the fear in her eyes.

If sitting through a dinner in a room full of 5-year-old girls dressed as princesses and getting your meal interrupted every 10 minutes by a new Disney princess for photo ops isn’t love, I don’t know what is. What a guy.

So the trip was soon over and the opportunity to wear my dress without much judgement was over….. or was it?!

Fast forward to June of 2013 for my Bridal Shower. My bridesmaids went all out and did a Little Mermaid themed shower! They’re the best, y’all.

Best princesses EVER

There were TLM themed decorations, including an Ariel pinata! Check out the make-your-own princess crown table!

And the chocolate!

Shells and starfish and chocolate strawberries!

And the cake!

Needless to say, it was the best shower EVER! Everyone had an undersea adventure they’ll never forget. 🙂

So… Disney Land, bridal shower….. where else could the dress of my dreams go?

Where else but to the motherland, of course! After our wedding in October 2013, DD and I took a quick trip to Disney World to celebrate. And now with the new Fantasy Land section open, they have The Little Mermaid ride there, too!

You can’t see them, but I’m totally wearing dinglehopper (fork) earrings!

So this dress has been across the nation, from the west coast to east and in between! It was great for the warm weather in NOLA and Florida. The pockets were great for carrying my phone, ID, and fast passes. All in all, a success.

Now I’m keeping my eyes peeled for more decent Ariel fabric. I think I need to redo my whole wardrobe. Or would that be a little too much…? 😉

Keep on swimmin’ and I’ll catch you next week!

-RED