a dress for barbie

Malcolm is attending a classmate's birthday party so I needed to come up with a gift. 
My favourite thing to give - especially to a child - is a book. But I wanted to include a little something for play as well. I was told the birthday girl loves anything Barbie, but I figured she likely has lots of Barbies already. 

Every girl likes a new dress every once in a while, right?
So here it is, Barbie's new outfit:

I searched the internet for a pattern and found this cute one here. I altered it a bit by skipping the straps (for a more formal look), and by stitching the back closed - about halfway up from the bottom. I stitched in just two snaps on the top (at the back) and made a rolled hem with my serger.

Of course, a girl never has enough accessories either so I made Barbie a handbag as well:

Barbie's Handbag

I didn't need a pattern (just eyeballed it). I made it out of leftover vinyl and some coordinating cotton fabric for the rosette. And voila.

Barbie is ready for a night on the town.