Lined Pillowcase Dress

Yeah… I couldn’t get to posting this yesterday.  That’s what I get for not making myself write this last week.

I spent a long amount of time online last week looking at pillowcase dresses. I knew the basic concept: square of fabric, cut arm holes, make casing for elastic/ribbon, finish. I made one when munchkin was a baby, but I was disappointed with it.  I thought the fabric was too light, the edges unfinished, the arm holes a little wonky (I didn’t think about bias tape).

Looking last week, I saw a ton of similar tutorials. I wanted something different.

This may sound weird, but I LOVE the feeling of holding a baby girl in a crisp cotton dress. All those layers of fabric! It feels like warm sheets on a summer day… and smells good too. (You know you love the smell of a non-poopy baby.)

So, I thought I would make a LINED pillowcase dress.

Complete with a big bow and scalloped edges. This also looks super finished and cute!

Want to make one too? It’s super easy!

Okay? Here we go!

I measured the length I wanted for her dress.  I believe I came up with 17 inches for my girl.  My material is already folded so I went with that for the width.  I did the same for my lining (a white cotton).

Okay – this is drawn incorrectly. I originally measured it as 2.5 inches in, 3 inches down.  I actually cut it 2.5 inches in, and 4 inches down.  I just “eyeballed” the J shape.  If you really want more specifics, you could use a plate or something to make a perfect circle.

I made sure both pieces were identical.  *recap* I have 4 pieces of identical material – 2 of outside, 2 of lining.

Then, I sewed the sides together and pressed the seams open (either pink the edges or zig-zag/serge the ends before this step).

Then, I pinned the pieces together and sewed the ENTIRE top part.  Then I clipped the corners and the inside of the curve and turned the dress right-side out and pressed.

The good part about making it a lining — no double-folding casing! I folded it over once and ironed it down. Then I sewed it down.

Next, you hem the dress.  Instead of hemming, I scalloped the edges because I’ve been wanting to test it out on my sewing machine. Then, I threaded ribbon through the top.  You can either use 2 pieces and have a bow on each side or you can have one bow by using one longer piece of ribbon. *tip* – Use a safety pin to help thread the ribbon through the casing (like you would for elastic).

Finished!

 I loved the scalloping!

I think she looks cute!

I hope you make one.  It’s nice and full.

Happy crafting!

**One last thing… I KNEW I wanted my white piece to peek out the bottom, so I actually made it a fraction longer than the main piece.  If you want the same result, you’ll either have to do this or you’ll have to hem the original piece higher.