For Bess ~ Sz 3 | Charlotte Emma Dress ‘Little Red Riding Hood’ Very Hard To Find Fabric

In a quiet corner of Nestington, where morning light spills gently across cobblestone paths and dew glimmers on the rose petals, a little story begins.

The village is waking. Birds flutter from rooftop to rooftop, Willow the Labrador stretches with a sleepy yawn, and Luna the black cat winds her silky tail around the wooden postbox at the front gate. The smell of freshly baked bread drifts from the bakery by the river. Beyond the cottages, the forest stands tall and mysterious, its secret paths shimmering with possibility.

And there, hanging on a carved wooden hanger in the seamstress’s sunlit cottage, is the Charlotte Emma Dress.

This is no ordinary dress. Its flutter sleeves are edged with dainty white lace, soft as whispered wishes, and beneath the gathered skirt lies a crisp white broderie anglaise lining that peeks beneath the hem like frost-kissed petals at dawn. The fabric is a treasure from distant lands, telling the tale of Little Red Riding Hood in storybook scenes and handwritten letters. Soft blue tones are scattered with strawberries, woodland cottages, and silhouettes of Red and the Wolf, all framed in elegant ribbons and vintage script.

Every stitch carries a tale.

As the sunlight touches the dress, the story it holds comes to life. In the fields just beyond Nestington, Little Red walking gently along the forest path, her basket filled with warm scones and homemade jam. The birds sing above her, and a breeze rustles through the leaves as if whispering secrets only the forest knows. Luna watches from an old stone wall, golden eyes gleaming, while Willow trots faithfully beside her. Even the squirrels pause in their treehouses, and the fairies hiding in the hydrangea bushes lift their tiny lanterns to see her pass.

The forest parts like an open book. Wildflowers bloom in shades of pink and cream. Mossy branches curl overhead like storybook illustrations. Somewhere in the distance, the Wolf watches, though in Nestington, he is not wicked at all. He simply guards the wildwood, making sure no little nester strays too far.

Grandmother’s cottage waits at the end of the path, windows glowing like candlelight in the early morning. Smoke rises from the stone chimney, and the smell of cinnamon and honey drifts through the air. Little Red knocks softly, her heart full of love and courage, just as it has been for generations of storytellers.

Back at the seamstress’s cottage, the Charlotte Emma Dress sways as if it remembers it all — the bravery, the kindness, the hope. It is a dress made for adventures, for berry-picking mornings, forest picnics, and twirls beneath the hydrangea trees.

Handmade in Australia, exclusively for Nurture the Nest.