Hello and happy Monday! My weekend was full both with pleasure and productivity. One of the tasks that I checked off my list was making progress on Elora’s flower girl dress.

A few weeks ago I posted a round-up of dress options, which I also shared with the bride-to-be (that’s Aria) and with Elora. Aria narrowed it down to the Chloe and Isabel dresses. I was really keen to sew the Isabel, but Elora had a big preference for Chloe. And she loved it in color! Since Aria prefers a white dress, we’ve compromised on a green skirt and a white bodice, inspired by this photo from Violet Fields Threads, the dress designer.

Ok, pattern - check. Colors - check. Time to shop for fabric!

The Chloe dress uses a lot of fabric, even with the tea length version. If you use tulle for the skirt, it involves two layers of tulle, a layer of netting and a layer of lining. Wow! Another option is to use chiffon, which will feel softer and possibly look more elegant. Violet Field Threads points out that a knit chiffon is advantageous to a woven chiffon. That’s because the knit chiffon won’t need hemming. Since we’re talking about over 6 yards of the stuff, not having to hem makes quite a difference.

Unfortunately, my favorite quilt shops don’t stock chiffon. So this weekend Elora and I browsed online for flower girl fabrics. Want to see?

First I found these fancy chiffons from Yes Fabrics, here in The Netherlands. Both are a nice, soft green, which I imagine would be lovely with a simple white bodice. The only problem is that they are woven chiffons and would thus need to be hemmed. Hmm.

Knit chiffons are much harder to come by. I finally found a store in The Czech Republic who offers knit chiffon in an array of colors. The green option is an emerald green. That’s actually Aria’s favorite green!

I sent Aria photos of satin fabrics in white, silver or gold, as bodice options, as well as the eyelet cotton Madeira. I was glad that Aria chose the Madeira, my favorite and certain to be easier to handle than the slipper satins.

So, we’ve ordered the emerald chiffon and the madeira, as well as some white chiffon as an alternative. The Chloe chiffon skirt is intended to be two layers of chiffon and a lining. I am going to compare two layers of emerald chiffon with one layer emerald/one layer white, to see which pleases Aria most. She is afraid that two layers of emerald might be too dark. I have no idea if combining the color with the white is a good idea, but it seemed worth a try.

Now I am itching to start sewing, once the fabrics arrive! Aria’s wedding is August 2nd, so we have loads of time. But you know, I also want to make a wedding quilt, so it seems wise to get started.