Making Barbie's “Perfect Day” Dress + Cute Accessories

1. The fabric

Mackenzie started working on the dress the day after the trailer for the Barbie movie was released in April 2023. She shows the fabric she ordered, a pink Buffalo plaid polyester lining fabric.

To demonstrate her sewing progress, Mackenzie shares the footage she recorded on the day the fabric arrived, coinciding with the Barbie trailer release.

She says she's super excited about the opportunity to use the fabric for two dresses she spotted in the trailer!

2. Creating the dress

Jumping into the creation of the Barbie dress, Mackenzie explains she uses a muslin fabric for pinning and draping, although she realizes it's unnecessary due to the fabric's grid pattern.

She measures and counts the squares on the fabric, referring to reference pictures of Barbie actress Margot Robbie wearing the dress.

She carefully outlines the seam lines with a straight edge and pencil before sewing the pieces together. Mackenzie emphasizes her focus on learning to line garments properly.

She then proceeds to show the construction of the dress's back, including the heart-shaped design. Mackenzie carefully cuts the back to create an opening for a button closure.

She then moves on to the skirt portion, explaining her decision to make it as a dress tunic rather than a true 50s playsuit.

She demonstrates how she cuts and hems the skirt, creating scallops using a stencil and sewing them into place.

3. Adding the final touches

Mackenzie shares her process of making bows for the belt and discusses the challenges she faced while creating the hat for the costume. She uses a purchased hat as a base and sews a fabric case for it, following a sun hat pattern she found on Etsy.

She attaches the brim and completes the hat, adding decorative stitching along the inside.

The video concludes with Mackenzie discussing her struggle to find seashell jewelry for the costume, specifically pink shells. She had initially attempted to create her own using resin and silicone molds but later found pink shell beads online.

Mackenzie rounds off the video by showcasing herself wearing the completed Barbie costume.

Making Barbie's “Perfect Day” Dress

The end product is gorgeous! Be sure to watch Mackenzie’s video and try out this Barbie sewing project for yourself.

You can also find Mackenzie on Instagram: @costumekenz