Tag Archives: Dress

A summer dress pattern…

little girls easy printed dress

It’s a nice day today, a little cloudy though but enough sun to make some pics of my miniature model.  As always she likes to model her new dresses to any public and I’m smiling as I see her twisting and turning her hips before my camera.  It’s a simple dress in a cute pattern with a contrast binding and some pleating at the neckline.  At the back I made a V-shaped slit and I closed it with a little bow.  It was easy, didn’t took very long and absolutely worth the attempt!

little girls printed dress

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Dresses for girls

 

 

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The sizes mentioned below are for a 4 Year old.  The total length is 56cm, so I started with a rectangle of 56cm (height) and 24cm (1/2 width) After drafting the pattern I added the pleats.  I marked the darts at the neckline and cut into the pattern all the way down to the hem.  I added 1.5cm width for each pleat (only on top, 0cm at hem) , this will increase the neck width but after sewing the pleats it will have the original width again.   As a finishing touch I made a belt of the contrast binding I used for the back.  I hope you have fun when you’re making this!

xxx Made By Me!

tekening voorkant     tekening rugzijde

 

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The little little black dress

tutorial LBD little girl  black buttons

Here it is, (finally, after caught up with work) : ‘the LLBD’.  It started with some leftover black buttons, some yards of black popeline and the urge to combine this somehow.  I know, using black for a little girl is somewhat unusual but this dress looks so adorable on her.  It’s amazing how this easy pattern resulted in such a well fitted dress, and in my mind it’s the LBD ‘Audrey’ would have liked as well.

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IMG_5676      IMG_5677  pattern lbd

The few measurements I took were her tummy, neckline and the length.  I started from a rectangle based on the dress length and the skirt width.  Half way the rectangle I marked the waist and from that point I drew the bodice shaping a smaller rectangle.  Then adding darts, a neckline and armholes.  Easy, no?

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For the back I copied the front pattern, adding 1cm of seam allowance at the centre back.   I made a facing for the neckline and armholes.

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When cutting the pattern I cut into the front part until the dart.

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The  waist is gathered to fit the bodice and sewn together.  Afterwards I sew the darts.

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This looks nice already, doesn’t it?

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I sew the shoulders and facing.  It would have been easier to use a binding to finish the dress but this way I create a more sophisticated look.

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I sew the side seams and hem.  I prefer a hem with enough seam allowance,  5cm for this dress.

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I added loops at the shoulders to narrow the shoulder width. To make this dress more glamorous I sewed on large black buttons around the neck opening.  These buttons never seemed to have found there way back to the original clothes but hey, this is much more fun!

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Love You Audrey, xxx

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Old one out, new one in!

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There are dresses hanging in my wardrobe for ages waiting to be worn again.  I keep pulling them out and hanging them back, wrong colour, wrong shape, wrong something are keeping me from wearing them again.  I never get rid of them and it seams funny somehow in this throw-away society and fast fashion decade.  It’s against my nature and my love for clothes to remove them but keeping things is also holding on to the past.  Sometimes it’s good to let go though, finally I will repurpose this lime dress.  My daughter will look absolutely stunning in this colour.

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I start by comparing all measurements of my dress with her dress.  I think it’s good to keep as many seams from the original.  It will spare me some time but also avoid damage on the fabric.  I decide to keep the original neckline because of the pleating and the back slit.

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The front and backside of the dress are separated by cutting the side seams and shoulders.  As you can see the lining is still fixed at the neckline.

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I cut of at the shoulders to make a smaller neck opening.  From the new shoulder I measure the total length (+3cm seam) I need for the little dress and cut of the hem.

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To make a smaller armhole I have to reduce the width. I’m cutting of at the side seams.

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The neckline was still too big and I resolved this by adding an extra pleat with a topstitch on both sides.  When repurposing old clothes you need to be inventive and find creative solutions because the dimensions will never be perfect.  That’s what’s actually the most fun.  You can never entirely predict your end result.

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The most tricky part is to assemble everything in a beautiful manner.  I close side seams from the outer shell fabric and the lining separately.  After that I finish the armhole by stitching the fabric and the lining together from the inside.

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The neckline was still too wide, I added more pleats at the middle front and topstitched it.

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And finally I make a tunnel at the waist for the fabric belt.  I start by making a buttonhole at the middle front in the upper fabric layer.  Then I stitch on top of both layers (lining + fabric) creating a tunnel.  I shortened the original belt length and pull it trough the buttonhole.  After that I finish the hem of the fabric and lining separately.

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My little girl has a new dress to enrich her wardrobe and it doesn’t seem like there’s something missing in mine.

xxx

Made By Me

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