wrap dress pattern

Here is the promised pattern for a wrap-around dress to fit a 2-3 year old, approx. Please keep in mind that I am not an expert dressmaker, nor do I have perfect bias-tape skills, but I thought I would share the general guidelines for making a dress like this, in case you have a small girl who would like one.  

**Disclaimer** When I was making measurements for this pattern, I realised I shuffle and adjust the pieces a bit while I am sewing until the dress 'sits right' and/or fits the child properly. The wrap design is a forgiving one! So don't worry if your pattern is not exactly like the one in my drawing- it should still turn out fine. Maths and measurements are NOT my forte- I like to think of myself as an 'intuitive' sewer- so please, treat my pattern as a 'guideline' only.

This dress was inspired by a combination of two different dresses owned by my daughter: one store-bought, and one I made with guidelines from the vintage Japanese craft book 'Cute infants outgrow clothes quickly' (Kamakura Shobo Publishing Co, Ltd, 1984). It can be worn either way around- with the crossed part at the front, or the back, as shown above.

It's great in summer by itself, or in cooler weather worn over leggings or trousers and warm tops. As your child grows, the dress will become a wrap-top, but it should be easy to adjust for a bigger child- just cut the patterns out longer.

*Please note* 1/4" seam allowance is included. Other measurements are in cms.

You will need: 

*paper, pen, ruler and scissors for making your pattern

*sewing machine and thread

*a piece of fabric approx. 90 cms wide, and 55 cms long. I use a medium-weight, cotton/linen blend fabric when I make this dress. You could also use linen, cotton, gingham (I made a green gingham  version here), lightweight denim or corduroy.

*either store-bought or home-made bias tape- about 610cms long.

1. Make your bias tape. You will need two pieces that measure approx. 28 cms for the front sides, two pieces that measure approx. 35cms for the armholes, and one long piece measuring approx. 2.5 meters for the rest of the dress plus ties. I make double-fold tape using my rotary cutter and ruler- cutting strips of fabric that are the same width as the ruler (7.5 cms/3"). If this is your first time applying bias tape, you might find this easier to use than the narrower store-bought type. A tutorial on making bias tape is here. I like to use vintage cotton sheets - it's a great way to recycle them, and the old patterns look great with a plain-coloured dress. (There is another way to make bias tape, as shown here. You can also buy cool little gadgets that make the tape for you.)

2.  Make yourself a pattern based on my drawings below (soon to be replaced with clearer ones- sorry!). Adjust the length if necessary. Fold fabric, right sides together, and place the 'back' pattern piece along the fold. Pin both fronts and back pieces to fabric, and cut out.

 

Front pieces- (place fabric right sides together)

 

Back piece- cut 1, on fold.

3. Sew shoulder seams. Zig-zag or overlock (serge) to finish.

4. Sew down ONE side of the dress to join. Now finish the seam, and finish both unsewn edges of the other side of the dress. Now sew this side together, but leave a gap about 7cms down, measuring about 2.5cms. This is for the tie to pass through.

Now it's time to apply the bias tape. You'll need a steam iron and lots of pins near by. I'm no expert when it comes to doing this, but I find that with practice, the technique gets easier. There are some online tutorials to help if you're new to this- here's one: Basic application of bias binding

5. Apply bias tape to the straight sides of both front pieces. Don't worry about finishing the edges- they will be covered later.

 

6. Apply bias tape to the armholes.

7. Apply the long piece of bias tape to the rest of the dress, starting at the half-way point on the neck. The neck and front trim and ties are all in one piece. As you go, cover the raw edges of the dress fronts, like so:

8. Zig-zag/overlock the hem edge. Then press up a hem and sew in place.

9. Press dress and trim loose threads. Pass one tie through the interior opening, wrap it over at the back, and tie in front. Voila!

I added a pocket to this one, cut from the leftover piece where the neckline is cut from the fabric.

Have fun (and good luck.)

Comments

[Jessicah]

How lovely. I have a wrap dress in the making- I made a couple of patterns from a friend's dresses the other day- they are so easy with no shaping elements- even for big girls! Great tutorial.

[Nikki]

Thanks so much for the tutorial Melissa! Can't wait to make one for the Devil Child.
I always seem to attempt to make the things you create anyway, but so much easier with a tutorial :) (P.S. I promise to come up with my own ideas one day soon!)
xo

[Linda]

Thank you for you daily inspiration! I always want to rush out and create omething after reading your page!!

[M.Carmen]

thank you very much to share!!!Your blog is always soooooooooo inspirating!!!!
(I always have breakfast with you, Greenwich time advantage ;P )

[Sarah]

The wrap dress pattern looks great, I can't wait to make one (or rather 3), although it might be a few weeks before I get round to it... we had another little girl on Tuesday morning, Beatrice Rowan, another beautiful homebirth, with Lyndell's presence very much felt. We will miss you at the market, its always so nice to see you there, your new ventures sound ever so exciting though. You are so inspiring, it was so nice to check your blog after missing it for a few days.

[Zelia]

You are so kind to put out the tutorial, i might try it for my nieces:)

[cyndi]

Oh so cute! wish i had daughters...in addition to my two adorable sons that is :)

[kirsten]

awesome! thanks, melissa!

[lori]

waaaay too cute Melissa! :o)

I will give it a go in fall colors and possibly an appliqued flower I have been tossing about in my mind for the past year. LOL!

by the way...I had my first customer at my shop online...woohoo for me!!! heeheehee

Lori

[amy]

argh! I want a sewing machine, so i can make this... (even if i have no children and no female little kids in my immediate vicinity)

[cloth.paper.string]

yay! can't wait to give it a go. thanks so much to taking the time to create a tutorial for sharing!

[Chara Michele]

So nice of you to share this! :) I don't have any little ones to make it for, but I think I will bookmark it in case I need a gift for someone.

[Lindy]

perfect timing! It will the perfect project to test my skills on!!

[mary@andsewtosleep]

HELP Melissa! I'm too old for another baby and my children aren't ready to produce (I think?) but I so want a tiny so I have an excuse to make this dress pattern. As always with your makes - it's just lovely. Good luck with your new ventures - with your talent I'm sure you will do well.
Mary

[Kate]

Great dresses and thanks for sharing the pattern!

[esther croak]

perfect and lovely! i can't wait to try it, and try it i will:) i love the possibilities that making your own bias tape has to offer. also- you are so clever to figure out a pattern from a japanese craft book! well done!

[Felicia]

What a pretty little dress. Thanks for the pattern!

[jen]

Thanks for the pattern. I adore your etsy shop and am a regular lurker of your blog.

[kawaii crafter]

cute dresses! I just might bring out the sewing machine for this one.

[Kelly]

Thank you for the pattern, these are so adorable. I can't wait to give them a try! -kb

[suzanne]

My Mum used to make most of my clothes when I was wee - none as cool as these though! Good Luck with all your new ventures!

[Bree]

Very cool! I'm gonna give this one a try.

[isoinpapu]

Thank you so much for the pattern! I will try to make one or two for my daughters.

I really like your dresses.

[Claire]

Merci pour ce tutorial
i will try!!!!
claire

[Libby]

I made one! See it here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/crunchypeas/1424608436/
Thank you so much for the pattern. I used knit fabric. I think that it made it a bit more difficult. But all in all a great little design! Try it!