Girls Summer Sundress Tutorial

October 22, 2013

Girls Summer Sundress Tutorial

This is a super easy sundress tutorial!

You can easily steal a quick hour and have this done.

Actually it would probably only take 20 minutes of child free time but I am guessing you don't have that right?!

To make these two dresses for the girls I pulled apart my summer sundress I used for the adult tutorial HERE!

I just love this fabric!

The dress is light and great for summer - trips to the beach - playing in the backyard - and many other fun adventures!

The measurements used in this pattern will suit ages 3-5.

Materials

Light weight cotton fabric - cut out one rectangle measuring 21 inches by 24 inches (height)

Elastic Thread

Cotton / Polycotton Thread

Method

Sew the rectangle together at the centre back (or cut in half and sew at the side seams as below)

Overlock or ZigZag raw edges.

Sew the top and bottom edges.

I used a 1/2 inch seam folded over twice for the top and a 1 inch seam folded over twice for the hem as you can see below.

Now it's time to add the shirring!

Wind your elastic thread onto your bobbin. I do this by hand but you can also use your machine to do it. Thread the upper machine with normal thread and insert your bobbin wound with elastic thread.

Ensure you sew yours lines of shirring with the right side of the fabric up on the machine!

Now simply sew straight lines around the top of the dress. I used 5 lines of shirring 1/2 an inch apart.

You can add more or less as you desire.

For example, Clementine's has 4 with a larger gap in the middle.

Now if you like the dresses as is...you can finish them right there...

...or add straps!

I chose to add straps because the girls kept pulling them down and it was just easier for me!

For Clementine's dress I added 4 white ribbon straps sewn in position halfway between her neck and the edge of her shoulder on both the front and back of the dress as shown below:

For Amelie's dress she wanted the straps to look like a necklace so I stitched a V-Pattern on the centre front and then it ends as straight straps on the back!