Sassy and Classy Tutu Dress Tutorial - PART 1: Pattern and Material Prep

The long-promised tutorial for the Sassy and Classy tutu dress. I’ve decided to do the tutorial in four parts since my schedule has started to get a little busier and who wants to read a super-long post anyway. Here’s the timetable we’re looking at:

Part 1: Pattern and Material Prep
Part 2: Bodice

Part 3: Tutu Construction and Finishing

Right now, it’s all tentative.  I’m going to try to get them up sooner than they’re dated, but I wanted to give myself some time just in case.

So here goes.

**NOTE that you can skip Part 1 if you buy a satin fabric that already has the lace affixed to it. It’s pretty expensive, but it saves a little work. Your choice. I'm more frugal and I like the satisfaction of doing everything myself.

Pattern Prep:

You’ll need a pattern or piece of clothing to copy, lace for the overlay, and satin for the underlayer. Don’t forget your matching thread.

To get the look I wanted for this dress, I used a pattern for a longer, hip-length bodice. You can either go out and buy a pattern that has a bodice like this (like Simplicity Pattern 1724), you can create your own from an existing piece of clothing you already have hanging around, OR if you’re one of those gung-ho people like I can be sometimes, you can draft your own pattern from your kid’s measurements.

Now that you’ve got your pattern figured out, drafted, copied, or whatever, it’s time to cut your fabrics and prepare them for sewing together.

Material Prep:

The bodice of this dress consists of three pieces: one front piece, and two back pieces. Let’s cut these pieces out of the lace and then again out of the satin. If your lace is directional, be aware of how you’re cutting it so it’s going the same direction on all the pieces. Fold your fabric in half with right sides together, lay out your pattern pieces, and cut. You should now have 6 pieces.

All the pieces cut out (including the lining)

Take your bodice pieces and lay them right side up. Now take your lace pieces and lay them right side up on the corresponding satin piece. Head over to your sewing machine and with a long machine stitch, baste those puppies together. I like to do it INSIDE the seam allowance, because I hate taking out basting. There’s no special way to do it. As long as you aren’t stretching either of your fabrics, they should piece together just fine.

A back bodice piece with the lace pinned to the satin. Ready to baste.

Prepared bodice pieces with corresponding lining pieces laid on top.

Now that we have our three bodice pieces prepared,we’re ready to put the bodice together! Check back soon for Part 2!

Anything unclear? Post a comment and I will try to clear things up!

The Most Delicious Alfredo Sauce in the World + Steak Enchiladas

One day, dissatisfied with every alfredo recipe in my recipe box (there are at least 4), I went searching the Interwebz for a new one. Requirements? It had to be super-fattening, rich, and better than anything I've ever made myself; something of (higher) restaurant quality. And it had to be a recipe I could use with more than just fettuccine.

After the recipe, I'll share three of my favorite ways to use it. So here it is, the devilishly delicious alfredo recipe that's so good, just thinking about it will ruin your new diet:
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4 T unsalted butter (I use regular salted butter)
3 cloves garlic, finely minced (I used pre-minced from the jar)
1/2 package of cream cheese, softened and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 C milk (use whatever kind you want, here. Fattier is probably more delicious though. ;) )
3 oz. parmesan cheese, grated
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
kosher salt, to taste.

Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Add cream cheese, stirring with whisk until smooth. Add milk, a little at a time, whisking until smooth. Stir in Parmesan and pepper. Season with salt, if needed. Remove from heat when sauce reaches desired consistency. Sauce will thicken quickly.
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Easy, right?? And there's a surprise bonus. I've NEVER had this sauce separate when reheated at a later time. I love to use this recipe not only in chicken fettuccine alfredo with a Normandy vegetable mix (or just broccoli), but I love to use it on Chicken Alfredo Pizza (I'll post this one next week), and especially in Steak Enchiladas.

Steak enchiladas are so flipping good, you'll probably make them once a week.

All you need:
- Alfredo sauce from above
- Wild rice, 2 C (2 cans if you used canned), as much as you want, really.
- 1 lb Sirloin steak, grilled
- Tortillas, about 10

Prepare (or open and drain) your wild rice. If you make it from dry rice, bake it according to pakage directions. That's the best and easiest method and it tastes way better than canned. Prepare your alfredo sauce. Grill your steak to medium rare with whatever seasonings you like and cut it into thin slices. Preheat over to 350 degrees. Spray a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray (just to make it a little fattier, lol!). Take your tortillas and fill with rice and steak in whatever proportion you like. Spoon some alfredo sauce over the fillings, roll up the tortilla and put in the baking dish. Repeat with the rest of your tortillas and fillings. Once they're all rolled up you should still have some alfredo left over. Spread this evenly over the top and sprinkle with a little cheese and/or some parmesan. Bake for 20-30 minutes. Devour.

I hope you give these recipes a shot. The alfredo sauce is definitely worth it. So're the steak enchiladas.Heck, anything that has this sauce in it is worth it.

Liv's Picture Dress

Here's the dress I was inspired to make for Liv's 2nd birthday. She had pictures in it this past Saturday. Best. Photo.Session. EVER!

I realized I didn't have a hair accessory and whipped up the big dimensional flower. It turned out WAY BETTER than I thought it would and looked really nice with the dress. I'll be writing a tutorial on how to make the dress this week. Keep an eye out for it!

In the mean time, what do you think?

~Shameless plug~  if you'd like a dress like this one, see my Etsy Shop to order! ;)
OR
If you want to adventurously make your own, you can follow my tutorial!