FEEDSACK DRESS TUTORIAL

You’ll need:

fabric (I used one yard and had just enough for my 2 yr old) feedsack print is optional, but adorable! 

single fold bias tape (one package was just enough for me)

buttons

lightweight iron on interfacing

muslin for lining

thread, sewing stuff

I have the pattern I used available here to download. For free, of course! It’s only available in a size 2/3T. 

To get started, make a simple bodice pattern by tracing an existing shirt, or printing off my pattern. You’ll want the neckline to dip down in the front a bit more than the back.

Then, cut out your pieces-cut 2 of your front bodice on the fold, one of main fabric, one of your muslin (or other fabric) lining.

Cut four of the back bodice, two of MF, two of lining.

Then, right sides together, pin and sew the shoulder seams together. Press seams open-do not finish them!

Now to make the Peter Pan collar-(or use the pattern) lay out your bodice piece like so, and trace around the inside. Note that I moved the fabric away from the line for the picture, it should follow the edge.

 

Didn’t get a pic of this, but then draw a PP collar shape around that tracing. With this style, you don’t have to add any seam allowance, since it will be trimmed with bias tape. Then cut out 4 pieces of muslin from this pattern.

It should look something like the picture below. 

Also cut out two pieces of interfacing (I used medium weight), and iron them onto the backs of two of the pieces. Make sure the pieces are facing the right way so they won’t be “off”. (ie, slightly different ends of collar on different sides) I’m so bad at explaining these things.

Then, make sure you have the collar pieces facing the right way. then:

1. Baste together on the outside, wrong sides together.

2. open up your bias tape, and pin it to the round part of your collar.

3. sew it to your collar, making sure your stitches follow the crease.

4. flip the bias tape around the edge, pin, and top stitch close to the edge.

Now place your collar pieces like so…I ended up trimming a little bit off of the front bodice piece to make it fit. I overlapped the front a little bit so that when I sewed my seam allowance the pieces would just barely touch. On the back, I left 1/2″ of room for my zipper.

 Then I laid my lining piece right side down on top of that, and pinned around the neck.

Then I sewed around the neckline only, clipped the curves like so, turned right side out and pressed well.

Then I made and cut out my sleeve piece, pretty basic. I cut an angled piece out of them in the middle (this is already done in the pattern piece I uploaded)

 Then I cut some bias tape to fit the sleeve edges, sewed them like so…

Then flipped them around and sewed them just like the collar.

Now for the ties: 

1. Pin the bias tape open around the bottom of each sleeve piece.

2. Sew to the edge of the sleeve, then back stitch a little at the end. Flip the bias tape around, and sew down the tie-all the way down the tie, folding the edge under 1/2″ before sewing it shut.

3. Then lay the sleeve pieces at a slight angle, and baste them together at the top.

4. Gather if needed, then pin to your arm holes and sew together. Finish the seams.

Pin and sew the sleeves and sides, right sides together. Finish your seams.

 

 Then I laid my bias tape down til I liked the spacing and pinned it to my dress, folded side to the shirt.

 I made sure it lined up in the back, then sewed it onto the bodice.

 I didn’t take pictures after this point, but it was basically cutting a rectangle (selvage to selvage) of fabric to the length I wanted, sewing it into a tube, hemming one side, then gathering the other and sewing it to the bottom of the bodice. Then I put my zipper in, sewed on the buttons, and was done. 

The Military Bias Dress Tutorial

  What you will need for the dress:
-A Knit Fabric (make sure you have enough so it all can be cut with the stretch horizontal)
-Coordinating Extra Wide Double Fold Bias Tape (you can make your own too; I almost used another knit, but I couldn't find one that coordinated well enough)
-6 Coordinating Buttons

Creating the Pattern:

Need: Paper, Pencil, Marker, Ruler, Childs T-Shirt, & possibly Tape

1. I started off by taking one of my daughter's t-shirts. I folded it in half across and then folded it up to about where I wanted the top of the dress to be. I placed it on paper and drew around it with a pencil.

2. I then went over it with a marker and added where the fold would be.

3. Then I created another piece the same size, but dipped the neck down for the front of the dress. Just make sure to make the neck hole big enough for the little one's head to go through, but even if you don't, you can always re-cut it at the end.

4. For the bottom, start by making the top of it as wide as the top piece would be.

5. Then draw lines straight down to how long you want it.

6. Draw a straight line to the left on the left side (I did 2.5"). Do the same on the right side. Now draw a line from the ends of the top to where you just added on the sides. This creates an a-line. The larger the size, the further out you want to go and vice-versa.

7. Choose a size for the middle panel and draw that (mine was 4 inches). Then the pockets, and the sides.
*PLEASE NOTE: THESE DO NOT HAVE SEAM ALLOWANCES ON THEM. YOU CAN REDRAW THEM AND ADD IT, OR JUST REMEMBER TO ADD IT WHEN CUTTING IT.

**IN hindsight, I would have created another pattern piece to make the back piece one whole piece instead of cutting it all up like the front.

8. Create pockets. Just make sure they are the same width as the two panels they will go on (with the extra added at the top for gathering) and shorter.

Cutting the Fabric:

1. Make sure to cut all of your pieces so that the fabric stretches horizontally. This is very important! Place your top pieces on the fabric fold and cut them out.

2. Then cut out the bottom pieces and pockets, making sure to add the 1/4" seam allowance to the sides that will be sewn together. These are all the pieces you should have:

the front

the back
(but again, in hindsight, I think I would have just made the bottom part all 1 piece for the back)

Preparing the Pockets:

1. Take the pockets and baste along the top, then gather it in until it's the same width as the rest of the panel.

 

2. Then take your bias tape and open it up. Place the top of the pocket inside of it (right side up) and sew it to the back side of the bias tape only.

3. Then fold over the front of the bias tape to the front of the pocket piece and sew in place.

4. Pin the pockets (right side up) onto the panels (also right side up) they will go onto.

**IN HINDSIGHT, I RECOMMEND DOING #6 FROM Putting it All Together RIGHT NOW INSTEAD.

Sewing the Bottom:

1. Start sewing all of your pieces together from one side to another. I started with the left front side. Pin the triangle piece to the pocket piece, right sides facing. Sew together and finish raw edges seams if you like.

2. Keep doing this with all the pieces until they are all sewn together.

3. Repeat for the back if you did yours in pieces too.

Putting it All Together:

1. Take the front top piece and the front bottom piece. Pin together, right sides facing each other.

2. Sew together and finish raw edges if you like.

3. Repeat for the back top and bottom as well.

4. Pin the front piece to the back piece, right sides facing.

5. Sew together down the sides, leaving enough room for the armhole. I always like to leave mine a decent size. Sew together at the top shoulders as well. Finish raw seams if you like then turn the dress right side out.

6. Sew on three strips of bias tape to the middle front top. **Again, in hindsight, I recommend you do this before sewing it all together. IT would be way easier.

Finishing Touches:

1. To finish the raw edges around the neck, arms, and bottom, you could do a few things. You could turn it in and sew it down with a double needle which would give you the look like professional knit shirts in the store usually have. You could serge the edges or v-stitch over them. You could add a fabric band, or do it this way: Cut strips of fabric about 1 inch wide and long enough to go around the neck and arm holes, again making sure the stretch is going the same way as the length of the strip (horizontal).

2. Pin one piece around the neck hole, right sides facing. When it comes to the place where then connect, turn one side over a little.

Then pin the other side over it and cut off excess.

2. Sew around, close to the edges.

3. Turn up and inward. Sew in place and trim to make it look nice and neat on the inside.

4. Repeat for the arm holes.

5. For the bottom, I just serged it then folded it up towards the inside and sewed it in place.

6. OPTIONAL: I also added a little bit of shirring to the back to help bring it in a bit because it was a little big. But, since it stretches out, my daughter will be able to wear it for a while.

7. Sew on the buttons

T-shirt to Toddler Dress

  

What you need:
-T-shirt (mine came from the Dollar Store)

-Scissors
-Sewing machine, pins, all that stuff to sew it together
-Child's dress

Ring Around the Rosies Toddler Dress:
1. Lay out your t-shirt and fold it in half so that the front is facing you.

Lay the dress on it, also folded in half to find where you need to cut. If the dress is tight on child, try and allow a little extra room in the cut for a seam allowance. I try to make as little as possible for myself to do, so I always have the bottom of the dress on the bottom of the shirt. I didn't cut mine exactly this dress shape, but used it to find the basic shape I needed. Also, since my girl is tall enough now, I was able to line up the neck with it too, leaving the front already done for this one.

2. Cut out dress pieces.

3. Place the two pieces right sides together and pin in place.

4. Sew down the sides, making sure not to stitch where the arm holes are. You can finish them up if you would like to give it extra hold (I use a v-stitch and sew the inside edges together).

5. Sew the top of the shoulders together and finish seams. Turn right side out.

6. Optional: If you are blessed and have a serger, you can serge the edges. If you don't, you can use a v-stitch to finish the edges (if you have enough, fold the edges under a bit while sewing it. It looks smoother). Or, just leave them raw.

7. Cut the two sleeves off the part of the shirt that is left.

Cut in a little bit at the bottom of one sleeve and begin cutting the edges.

Continue in a circular motion all around the arm sleeve, as long as you can. I keep the width of the strips pretty thin, but you can do larger if you like.

 

The little piece on top is what I had left over.

8. Cut the two now long pieces in half. Three of the pieces will be used to make the roses. The other will be used to make the hair bows.

9. Start with the rose in the middle. Make a circle from the end part and pin in place.

Continue winding the piece in circles around until you reach the end.

Tuck the end underneath. Pin.

Beginning at the bottom, sew with a smaller stitch setting (the length on mine was 3.0). Make sure to backstitch a bit before and after sewing. Sew in circles around until you come to the middle. Backstitch when finished.

10. Do the same with the other two, placing them on opposite sides of the middle one.

Stitching from the back

Hair bows:
Take the long piece of leftover and cut in half.

Cut two small pieces from the other leftovers as well. You will need it to tie with. Wrap one of the halves around your hand.

Tie it in the middle with the small piece you cut.

Cut the loops on each end open and trim/pull the pieces until you achieve desired look. Sew them onto a hair clip.

Ruffles:
Make the dress the same way as in parts 1-6. I used a different dress to cut out the shape for this one. It was shorter and the neck was more of a scoop. Cut the long strips to ruffle from the sleeves, or any other way from the leftovers after cutting the shirt out. You want to cut five pieces. The middle will be the longest, the two beside it will be the same length (but shorter than the middle), and the last two on the outside will be even shorter.

There is no definite width or length. Just do it to your liking. Baste down the middle of each strip.

*If the fabric doesn't feed through well at the beginning, help it along by pulling the tail.*

This means, no backstitching at all. Leave a long tail at the beginning and the end. Make sure the stitch is set to a large width (I put mine at the highest, which is 5).

To create the ruffle, pull the bottom thread (this is the thread that came from the bobbin).

To help me out, I tie a knot at one end, and do the pulling from the other. It helps keep the ruffle in place for me. Then, pin the middle one on the shirt. Make sure it is directly in the middle of the shirt. Sew it on. Then, add on the two that go beside that, ending with the smallest ones beside those. I sewed them close together (I had to lift up the side of the one already sewn on so I wouldn't catch it in the stitch).