Princess Aurora Disneybound | Simplicity 8383

Princess Aurora – Sleeping Beauty | Dinseybound

Background : When I was working at a fabric store years ago, I came across this faux silk dupioni fabric. It had the most subtle colour shift from pink to blue. Obviously I knew it would be perfect for something Princess Aurora related.
I brought what there was, and unfortunately, there wasn’t quite enough for a full gown like I had hoped so I put it away in my stash where it then sat for a few years until I found this perfect pattern.

Things used :

I found this 1980s prom dress pattern – Simplicity 8383 at my local secondhand store for a grand total of 20 cents. It spoke right away to my Disney loving heart as I knew it would be a perfect base for making some Disneybounds with.

I love vintage patterns! They’re so easy to follow. This one was no exception.

The only issue I ran in to with creating this was that the previous owner had cut the pattern pieces to two different sizes – 12 and 14. I did some trial and error. I scaled up the pattern by adding a half centimeter to the seam allowance, but when I sewed my mock up, it ended up with 6cms of excess fabric. So I then did a mock-up using the size 12 pieces that were cut but sewed them with a 1cm seam allowance rather than the 1.5 that it called for. It was a success and fit like a glove. On to the real fabric.

As mentioned before, I’d had this pink fabric for a few years that I’d been hoarding to one day use for something Aurora related and it’s time had finally come! I just needed to find a matching fabric for the sleeves. The pattern didn’t call for stretch for the sleeves, so I went with an iridescent pink/blue organza that I thought fit wonderfully. After making the sleeves and attaching them to the dress, I very quickly realised I was unable to move my arms. The organza had no give and despite cutting it to the grainline that the pattern required, it prevented me from lifting my arms. So I went back to the fabric store and this time chose a light pink stretch mesh so I would be able to lift my arms high above my head and do all the princess twirling.

Another alteration I made to the base pattern besides sizing was the adding of the bertha and the petals on the skirt. I used some left over glitter tulle from my wedding for this.
I wanted the skirt petals to have five even spaced points which meant I had to do some maths involving circumferences and division but I figured it out in the end.
The bertha on the other hand was very simple, it’s basically a tube that’s gathered in the center front and tacked stitched in place.

I’m very happy with how it all came together and I hope it’s new owner (which could be you!) loves it as much as I do.