First Day of School Dress

Well it’s here, the first day of school! Saylor begins Preschool this year and was so excited when I asked if she wanted to wear a Pencil First Day of School Dress! Luckily I have a few years left of dressing her up in silly outfits without her saying no. I’m sure when she’s 16, she’ll want to wear a pencil dress again but it probably won’t look like this!

The Dress

First, I made the dress by just combining a few free tutorials for the skirt and added my own embellishments like the silver elastic (which is so perfect, I squealed when I saw it at Joann’s). And I knew I wanted it to have ruffles (of course) so I really just pieced it together from my own vision. It definitely had to look like a pencil so please tell me if you don’t get that visual! It’s probably my #2 favorite DIY to date…get it, number 2 pencil? 🙂

The Bow

I have a stock of plain barrettes in my craft room for when inspiration strikes. And in keeping with the school theme, I thought a measuring tape would add fun learning detail. I just bought a cheap measuring tap at Joann’s and made several loops. Then did the same with ribbon just a bit smaller. Last, I glue gunned all the pieces and finished it with a button!

The Shoes

The shoes make my heart smile and I hope they make Saylor happy when she’s at school during the day. I found the shoes on Amazon and then I cut designs using iron-on vinyl. If you decide to make something similar just remember to face the design toward the child so they can ready it throughout the day. Having her be able to read the sayings was more important than having others read it from their perspective. It’s a quick way to make plain shoes special!

The Sign

I’ve seen so many adorable First Day signs that I think I’ll try to make a different one every year! For this fresh beginning I thought, what could be more precious than an apple, so voila! I used the Cricut to cut out the letters and attached the dowel with tape. Easy peasy!

Most importantly I hope Saylor feels very loved when she wears this outfit. I wanted her to have confidence on her first day meeting new friends and I think it might be a funny conversation piece amongst little four-year-olds! So here’s hoping everyone’s first days are great and that our little ones turn into loving, caring people with big hearts and minds!

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