Sometimes summertime brings on crafty ideas, we are fans of Project Runway and the other day we were watching a marathon show and decided we need to make something too! We have made these dresses before but this one turned out pretty cute, and then we made one for Franny's Jess Brown doll so the whole project was elevated to MUST BLOG ABOUT status!
So here is what you need:
-sewing machine
-pillowcase or approx. 1 - 2 yards of fabric (depending on the size you are making)
-contrasting thread or matching..??
we started with the jess brown doll size - just to practice and find out what you want to do... she is kind of the shape of the dress so it's easy! If you use a pillowcase it's fine to just use the rectangle but we used fabric so we cut out a kind of semi-rectangle/triangle. sew up the sides 3/4 of the way and then make your armholes. Foldover the top to make the tube for the drawstring.
I use an iron the whole way along to make sure everything looks nice and pressed, it always looks more professional when you press along the way. AND it's a good way to make even the worst mistakes look okay. I think it also makes the sewing easier.
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| just rip the strips about 1" wide and then press them and they look great! they will unravel with wear but just keep pulling them off... it will keep getting better and better as they come off! |
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| pull on of the threads to make your ruffle |
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| keep pulling until you have ruffled the whole strip |
now you pretty much have your dress made and this is where it gets fun, rip off some strips of fabric, you will probably need 1- 2 strips the width of the fabric for the doll ruffle and then 3-4 for the kids dress ruffle. stitch on your machine with a wide stitch down the center of the strip. pull one of the threads to make your ruffle.
Now you are ready to stitch these onto the bottom of the dress (or wherever you want them!). I used contrasting thread just for fun on the doll dress and matching on the big girl dress.
Now you are ready to make the tie at the neckline. I thought the big girl dress looked kind of boring so we added a floral tie (which we just cut off the bottom of a hem on a dress that was too small and we were finished with it). You can either use one of your ripped strips or you can make a nice sash and use that... I suppose you could even use a scarf! that would be VERY cute!
I know these are very loose instructions... but I think you all know what I mean and you can do your own thing with this!
good luck!!
