Advice needed: sewing a first communion dress

[alicewyf]

I need advice on sewing a 1st holy communion dress. I have a pattern picked out: http://www.olabelhe.com/shop/Colleen.html

I am concerned about fabric. I would prefer cotton (we live in a warm climate) but I would also like to not have to iron much! I am open to suggestions. The dress has an underskirt and I'm wondering if making the underskirt cream and the overskirt pure white would look good. I don't know if I want just white throughout.

I am wanting to start now, but worried about sizing. My daughter will grow between now and next Easter. The dress is sleeveless (I will be knitting a shrug) so I'm not worried about sleeve length, but I am worried about the skirt length. My daughter is very slender so I'm not worried about the waist measurement changing much.

I'd also welcome ideas about head dresses. I wore flowers in my hair for my first communion (daisies) so I was thinking of replicating that somehow. I wore freesia in my hair at my wedding so we may do that. Not sure yet. But I also want her to wear a veil. This is hard!!

Any advice you have would be great. Thanks!

[MundaCorMeum]

Length is probably the easiest to accommodate. Just don't hem it until closer to her communion date....leave it on the long side, and hem later. The pattern is precious!  I love the ruffle peaking out from underneath. If you did the underskirt in an eyelet lace, instead of whatever solid you picked out, you could match true white to true white, I think.  You could also weave some thin, blue ribbon through the eyelets, in honor of Our Lady, which would help set off the white on white.

For the veil...you could you attach a veil to the wreath of flowers.

[verenaerin]

I would stick to either white or cream for the whole thing. If you mix the cream may come across dirty or stained white.

Dont hem till closer to Easter.

You could try a dupioni silk. This is a coarse silk, and cotton for the under skirt. Or I would stick with cotton. You are going to have wrinkles, but it will be cooler. You can throw it in the dryer so the wrinkles fall out.

I would go up a size, you can always take it in if she is swimming in it.

I made my daughter's head dress. It was a head band with flowers glue gunned on and a veil sewed on. There is a pic of her on here somewhere.

[alicewyf]

Mundacormeum, I love the idea of an eyelet layer! Thank you!

I have sewn plenty of clothes but they were all to be worn immediately so I've never had to worry about the size issue before. I appreciate the tips!

I still haven't seen a veil/flowers combo that I loved. I'm going to have to figure it out. I guess I have time.

I will post progress pics here. I'm so excited. She is my oldest and the whole thing makes me so sentimental. I think we are going to start having her go to adoration with her Dad on Thursday nights in preparation. I really want this to be so meaningful for her.

[MundaCorMeum]

I can't wait to see your pictures!  I like to live vicariously through other crafters finished projects