Babies are the cutest when they are not yet one and not yet on their feet. The faces they make lying on the bed, seemingly helpless, are priceless and can melt the hardest of hearts. This tutorial is for making a sleeveless dress for a baby who is not yet one – in the category we call infants – from sometime after birth to one year.
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Mark pattern for the yoke part of the dress
This is marked on a folded fabric of about 6 inch height and 15 inch width. The A-B is variable according the chest round of your baby. So change accordingly. A-B is taken as 1/4 of the chest round plus 1/2inch.
Mark on the fabric and embellish
Do any kind of embellshments like the embroidery I have done before cutting the pattern. The infant dress is tiny and you will have a hard time handling the fabric if the pattern is already cut.
Cut out back and front bodices
The back bodice is cut in the same pattern.
You can also cut a lining if you want in the same pattern or a facing of the top edge.
Cut out fabric strips for straps
Cut out 2 fabric pieces 2 1/2 inches wide and 8 1/4 inches long to make straps for your dress.
Sew them into straps
Sew them into tubes by keeping each of them folded by the middle and sewing the edges – turn them right side out.
Bring the seam line to the back
Bring the visible seam line to the back of the strap and press in place. Now top stitch along the edges to complete your strap
Sew strap to front bodice
Keep the straps right side down on the front bodice (rightside up)
Keep facing on top
Keep the all-in-one facing you have on top of the bodice as in the picture above and sew in place.
Turn the facing the back
After turning the facing (you may have to use a pointy tool to poke the corners straight) sew the facing in the back with small hand stitches with a needle and thread. Machine stitching is also an option.
Attach the back bodice
Keep the other end of the straps on top of the back bodice (right side up); keep the facing on top and sew in place. As in the picture above.
The Straps are attached
Cut out the skirt
Cut out two fabric pieces 11 inches long and 22 inches wide
Fold by the middle
Fold each of the fabric by the middle and sew a straight line 3 inch from the fold . The fold is made according the bodice and that is according to the chest round of your baby girl. The portion left after the stitching line should be half of the bodice bottom edge- it should be the same or else you will fall short when you sew.
Fold into box pleat
Form a box pleat by folding the stitched folded fabric as in the picture above.
Attach the skirts to the bodices
The top edge of the skirt portion and the bottom edge of the bodice should be the same – if not, you will have to adjust the pleat accordingly.
Attch snaps to the sides
Add snaps to one of the side seams – just 4 inches on the sides. Sew the rest of the side seams closed.
