Pretty Girls strapless dress tutorial

Hey everyone!

So i designed this cute little dress for my daughter as I was getting tired of straps on dresses. Now she is almost walking I thought it would be nice to have a dress without straps to slip on and off. This is so handy if you want to jump a little skivvy and tights underneath or a perfect covering for a hot summers days. It's incredibly simple and is so adjustable you can make it look however you want.

I have these dresses for sale over on my page.

I made this as a size 1 - 1/2 year old. I just took the measurements of my 14 month old.

This is my first tutorial so please don't judge it too harshly and definitely have some fun with it. If you make it please jump a photograph up so I can see how well you did  :)

Step 1:

3 assorted fabrics that will go together:
I used plain pink cotton fabric for the under skirt piece,
A pink spandex, leotard material for the skirt covering.
And a purple design thicker material for the top foundation piece. (That was in my fabric storage :))

If you are looking for cute printed material for your dress, I found the most gorgeous little fabric shop online- Berry Patch Cottage and I love their FQ's

You will also need;
elastic (I used knitted elastic)
A sewing machine
Scissors
2 buttons
measuring tape
Pins - lots of pins

Step 2: 

Measure your wee darling!! Haha I hate this bit!

So you'll need the measurements:

from the armpit to the 'under bust line' (A-U)
From the 'under bust line' to Just above the knee (U-K)
Round the body under the armpits then half this for the width (W)

Seam Allowances --- I left 2 inches  on the top of the bottom skirt (U-K) and 1 inch on the bottom of the skirt (U-K)

And I left 3 inches at the top of the top piece (A-U) and 1 inch at the bottom of that.

Then I added 1 inch on all sides of both pieces (W)

Here are the measurements for the Size 1 clothing that I did. You will need to add the seam allowances as mentioned above to this :)

Step 3:

Iron and Cut the fabric:

You will need 2 pieces of the top (A-U) Fabric cut 

4 pieces of the bottom skirt (U-K) cut. 2 with the under skirt material and 2 with the over skirt material.

Step 4:

Take a piece of the over skirt material and sew a line down the (W) width of the fabric.  About an inch from the edge. Use a wide stitch (I used a 5 stitch length) and Do not backstitch on either end. 

--- Hint--- if you have a slippery skirt material hold the both threads behind the the machine as you sew the strip.

 

Grab the bottom thread from both ends and pull to shirr the fabric to an appropriate and even ruffle. Don't stress if it looks a little rough it won't be seen anyway. 

Step 5:

Once you are happy with the shirring, lay the the overskirt onto the underskirt both right side up. Now lay the top material (A-U) right side down onto the skirt and pin it to the skirt.

Sew a straight 2 inch seam being careful that the overskirt does not catch on the seam. Now sew a zigzag stitch between the seam and the outer edge of the fabric to stop it from fraying in the wash.

Repeat Step 4 & 5 to make the other side of the dress. 

Step 6:

Decide which side will be your front and sew two buttons onto the top material allowing for the 3 inch top seam allowance for the elastic.

Step 7:

Put the 2 completed sides together, right sides together. Pin the seam and sew 1 inch from the edge, then do a zigzag stitch between the edge and the seam line. Repeat on the other side. 

Step 8:

Fold and press a quarter of and inch hem on the bottom of the dress. Fold another 1 inch turn, press and pin, make sure the overskirt is included as well. Sew a pretty looking zig zag or overlocking stich around the edge of the hem starting from one of the seams.

Step 9: (Lacking photos due to full memory card at this point)

Grab your elastic and measure it around your babies bust area just below the armpits and mark it exactly. You will need half an inch either side. Fold your top down half and inch and press. Use your elastic as a guide and fold again and press (Watch your button, it tends to be a little hard to work around). Pin it and sew around the edge of it starting from the back middle and leaving a few inch gap when you come back around. Use a safety pin attached to the elastic to push it through. Adjust it according to your mark. Then sew the elastic together, pop a little ribbon tag in the back and sew the elastic in! :)

I'm quite stoked with my effort of a hard days work and the best bit is when she grows up, this will turn into a cute wee skirt!!! :)