Taking dress measurements can sometimes cause people to get a little nervous. We want you to know that it’s not as intimidating as it may seem. Simply follow the method below and you’ll find that taking measurements is much easier than you originally thought. It is our desire to help show you just how easy it is to take measurements.

First find yourself a tape measure. If you don’t have one at home, you can buy one for about $3.00 at Joannes Fabric Store, CVS, or your local grocery store. If you are making your own dress, you may want to read about the different types of fabrics used in commercial flower girl dress patterns by reading Types of Fabrics in Flower Girl Dress Patterns before taking measurements. You can view many different designer Flower Girl Dresses, Communion Dresses or Girls Special Occasion Dresses.

For those who don’t know what a measuring tape is, thats perfectly okay. It can be called a tape measure or measuring tape either terminology is acceptable. All it really is a flexible type of ruler. It can be made of a ribbon of cloth, plastic, or fiber glass. This roll up ruler has linear-measurement markings and can often be found near the thread and needle department at your local grocers.

Secondly, the child your are measuring should take any bulky clothes; she does not have to be completely undressed, wearing undergarments should prove to be just fine.

With a smooth tape measure and obtain the chest, waist and top of the shoulder to floor. Take the tape measure under the arms and go directly over the bust line. Get an actual measurement- do not place your finger or give an inch- you will want exactly what she is in inches. For the waist, you will want to go around her with the measuring tape right at the belly button. Some children have a slight pooch belly, so you will want to measure the widest point of where it sticks out. Most of our dresses should fall mid-calf to ankle so looking at the length measurement is important. You should consider the length measurements of the garment. This is taken from the top shoulder seam to the hem line- this is starting point where you will want to begin measuring from. Take the tape measure all the way down the front of her and see where it falls on the leg, this should be about mid-calf to ankle for a ballerina length.

List of Terms you May Need to Refer to:
Seam Allowance- This will be much easier if you do the following: Turn the dress or any garment for that matter inside out. Next, take a look at the seams (the places where you can tell the garment was sewn together). Note the area between the edge of the garment and the stitching line. The space between the stitching line and the actual edge of the fabric is called the seam allowance. If something you are wearing is too tight and you can create another stitch line, then you can make the garment wider. Most seam allowances can range from 1/4 inch wide (6.35 mm) to as much as several inches. Most commercial patterns like McCalls for home sewers have seam allowances ranging from 1/4 inch to 5/8 inch.

Sewing industry seam allowances range from 1/4 inch for curved areas (e.g. neck line, armscye) or hidden seams (e.g. facing seams), to one inch or more for areas that require extra fabric for final fitting to the wearer.

Seam- A seam, as mentioned above, it is where you can see the stitch line when two or more pieces of fabric are sewn together.

Accessories can often make the difference between having a wedding that looks good versus one that is captivating, impresses the guests at the wedding, and the way the wedding party (who after all represents the bride) stands out.
Little Miss Princess provides accessories for flower girls that give that extra boost that makes the difference between mediocre and magnificence. We provide the finishing touches to all the details to dressing up the little Flower Girl in your wedding.  She is every bit princess but what do you find for the little girl who just about has everything?  Well, the wonderful thing is that if she is young enough to be a Flower Girl then that means she probably is young enough to love dressing up and is sure to enjoy being treated like the little princess she is.  We recommend   some of our accessories, the ones with a lot of frills. Be sure to view this beautiful marabou wand and crown.  It is available in pink, white and lilac.  It has magnificent jewels adorning the crown.  Absolutely delightful for the little princess.

Should I Steam or Iron Dresses?

If desired, we recommend that you steam your dress with a quality fabric steamer using only distilled water. It is important to be certain that your steamer is cleaned, especially if it has not been used in a while.
If you choose to iron your dress(es), you can set your iron on a heat of level 1 for any tulle netting (usually outside layers), mirror or crystal organza, level 2 and for any satin level 3-4. However, please note that not every iron will heat at the same levels, and as such, you must be aware of how to determine your irons settings, If you are not aware, it is then recommended that you take your dress(es) to a local dry cleaner for pressing.

Little Miss Princess does advise “Dry clean only”.

What is exactly is Dry Cleaning and why should I pay for this Service?

Dry cleaning uses non-water-based solvents to remove soil and stains from clothes. Please do not try to hand wash these items, simply because the dress(es) may never look the same as they may shrink and/or warp. Be kind to the dress and have them professionally dry cleaned so they will last for future wearings.

Dry cleaning is necessary for cleaning dresses which would otherwise be damaged by water and soap or detergent. Typically an organic solvent is used.

What about Dry Cleaning products that are sold at local Stores?

There are various commercial products in the marketplace that do provide for some elements of the dry cleaning process to be performed by household machines. However, they do not provide for the complete process that would be performed by a professional dry cleaner, they allow the convenience of home laundry and work for only certain types of garments.

It is important to note that natural fibers such as wool, cotton and silk of lighter colors should not be left in dirty or soiled conditions for prolonged amounts of time, as these fabrics absorb dirt in their texture and are unlikely to be restored to their original color and finish if they are left in soiled conditions very long. If you’re having difficulty determining the material used in your garment, see Different Fabric Types to read about the possibilities and try to narrow down your search.

Little Miss Princess is an internet based company and has a product catalog available online for easy, convenient ordering.