Easy toddler dress

Special occasion getting close, we couldn't find any dresses in the right colour for Little Ms. K. So, I made one. If you too have an evening time and some basic (I mean, basic) sewing skills, this tutorial is for you.


You will need fabric for the dress and for the lining, depending on how big your kid is, generally under 1m, buttons or snaps and sewing supplies. No pattern required, just a dress/ top that fits the lucky girl.

Start by cutting on fold your front and back pieces, following the line of the dress that already fits. Remember to leave some seam allowance. In the end, your pieces should look like this:

Put the main fabric and the lining right sides together. Join the front and back pieces in the shoulders. Then sew the neckline and arms. Turn. Only now join the sides. Picture below shows how NOT to do it:

I got carried away and joined the sides too early. What you actually want to do is this:

After trimming my quite optimistic seam allowance, here how the back looks like:

Now, you will need to join a loong rectangle for the skirt. Joining the bodice together with the skirt is usually a disaster fo me, until I found this little trick:

Yes, that is correct! Join all the layers on the outside, then cover them with a band:

Hem your dress and add some snaps or buttons to close the back:

You're done! Now you just have to convince Little Ms. to try it on. :)
Happy sewing!