In case you missed it, last week our family enjoyed a fantastic trip to Disney World. And as any sewist knows, Disney trips are the perfect excuse to fire up the ol’ sewing machine and create some cute photo-worthy outfits!
I absolutely love sewing pillowcase dresses for my girls, because they lend themselves so beautifully to customizing and embellishing in so many different ways. Not to mention, they are incredibly easy to sew! Truly: if you are a beginner wanting to try your hand at a totally do-able sewing project, give one of these dresses a whirl. For these dresses, I used the pillowcase dress pattern from Whimsy Couture.
A while back while be-bopping through Pinterest to find ideas for Disney dresses, I came across some absolutely darling dresses available through Wee Whimsy Couture. I fell in love with the oh-so-Minnie red polkadots (of course!), but what I loved most was the darling Minnie Mouse applique with bow. Using that design as a springboard for my own dresses, I tweaked the color scheme by adding some yellow to the mix, and I also added two layers of kicky ruffles to the bottom for extra spunk.
To add even more pizzazz, I used a trick I learned from my friend Lindsay at The Cottage Home: By stitching a piece of grosgrain ribbon over the front casing, you can add a little ruffled neckline accent to any pillowcase dress. There is no need to gather this piece, as it will become “ruffled” once the tie or sash is fed through the casing. How smart is that?
I used the same grosgrain ribbon from the neckline for Minnie’s sweet little bow. Confession: I actually attached the bow to the dress with a safety pin so that I can remove it for laundering later on.
Once I had my little Minnies covered, it was time to make something for the Mickeys in my life. I have to say one of the things I love to sew more than anything are little rompers for baby George. The Reversible Romper Pattern from The Scientific Seamstress fits beautifully, is a breeze to construct, and, just like all of her patterns I have tried, is impeccably written and so easy to follow. I highly recommend it!
For George’s outfit, I used a tiny black and white gingham lined with a lightweight red broadcloth, to ensure he wouldn’t be too hot in the blazing Florida heat.
A layered Mickey applique is the finishing touch. Awfully cute, if I do say so myself. 
My 6-year-old son is hitting that tough stage where he is still small enough to want something handmade, too, yet too big to tolerate anything remotely “babyish.” I created two different tees for him that he wound up loving, though. Mission accomplished!
The first was a monogram mouse ear tee. The color scheme and design reminds me a lot of the movie The Incredibles. I made a little version of this tee for George, too.
The second was my take on a Pirate Mickey theme. He liked this one best. 
To coordinate with Jack’s first tee above, I created a feminine version for the girls, which I shared a photo of in my Silhouette rhinestone post last week.
Polka dots and a happy little yellow bow are the perfect girly touch!
I’ll be sharing the templates for each of the applique designs above next week, so stay tuned!
I had so much fun sewing each of these outfits, but I have to say my favorite part was watching the kiddos wear them as they had the time of their lives during their first trip to the Happiest Place on Earth!
Our entire family, on our first day at Magic Kingdom…
The little ones, just before we left for the park that first morning…
My three oldest monkeys, giddy with excitement at seeing the REAL Cinderella castle!
And one tuckered out little munchkin after a full day of Disney fun.
I am currently working on a post with my tips for a successful Disney vacation, from the perspective of a mom of young children. If there are any questions in particular you want me to address, feel free to let me know!
Thanks so much for stopping in!
Amy @ Positively Splendid
Having grown up in a home brimming with sewing notions and paintbrushes, Amy has a deep love for all things creative. On any given day, you'll find her knee-deep in her latest creative endeavor, with projects ranging from sewing and crafts to home decor and kid-friendly ideas. Amy believes that everyone, regardless of skill level or experience, possesses the ability to create something beautiful, and Positively Splendid was born of her passion for helping others harness their innate creative potential.
@splendidamy
Mama of four, creative enthusiast, craft & DIY blogger. Find me knee-deep in my next project at http://www.PositivelySplendid.com!
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Im in Disney heaven. Seriously, this is just soooo incredibily cute and it looks so easy to do (even though I cant sew at all) and as a disney fan (our next trip is sept 2013 for 3 weeks) I really want to make this – maybe I should start now for our future children lol
I am so envious of your sewing skills! After seeing all of the adorable outits in and around Disney, I feel like some kind of cute custom tee or something is a must from now on. You did a great job! (and reminded me that I still need to do a Disney recap on my blog!!)
These are absolutely adorable!!
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lovely dresses & the family photo:)
m a fan of disney characters too and this post reminds me of my tee.
Wow, you did a fantastic job and the kids look so cute in their outfits!!
Very cute! I also love Whimsy Couture’s patterns. I never would have thought about adding that little ribbon to the top for a ruffle. Did you cut fabric and manually applique? I would love to find an actual computerized pattern for the mouse head applique
This is absolutely darling!
These outfits are super cute and super adorable!
My favorite is the skirt and I wouldn’t mind wearing this myself (hehehe)
These outfits are so adorable! I especially love the Minnie Mouse dresses!
Love this and added it to my Disney Craft Link post! I am really new to sewing and want to attempt one like this but am nervous about the ruffles. Guess I need to jump in and do it!
Becca, don’t be intimidated! My best advice is to grab some tester fabric that doesn’t cost a lot and practice making the garment once before you use pricier fabric that you really like. You can often find great deals in the clearance or remnant sections at places like Jo-Ann. By doing a trial run, you’ll know the process and be more comfortable with it when you are working on the final outfit. Thanks so much for stopping by, and have fun sewing!
Came across this on pinterest. Just wondering where I can find the link to ur Mickey appliqué patterns. Thx
Hi, Tina! Here is the link to the templates: http://www.positivelysplendid.com/2012/08/mickey-minnie-mouse-templates.html
Wish I knew how to sew.. This is absolutely beautiful!!
Thanks so much, Jeannette! It’s never too late to learn!