Step by Step Sewing Tutorial - How to make a Dress!

So I love LOVE Lil Blue Boo. Have you visited their page? If not, you TOTALLY should.

I love their Racerback dress but really wanted something with sleeves. So I combined my skills and Ashley's measurements and came up with my own version of what I'd been looking for. I think I came pretty close.



To start, cut out your pieces.

You will need two for the body, one front one back, they're both identical. Two skirt pieces, two sleeves and a neck piece.

Next you will need to attach the skirt to the bottom of the body. I like the exposed seam look with the serger so I put wrong sides together.If this isn't what you prefer, make sure to put right sides together as you sew.

You can use a regular sewing machine as well, just use your zigzag stitch. 

Once both skirts are attached we're going to need to attach the sleeves. The first time I did this I was SO confused, And I have no idea why, because now that I know it seems pretty silly. You're going to keep the fabric right sides together and line up the arm of the sleeve to the body of the dress.

You're going to then attach the other sleeve to the other side of this body. Right sides together.

Now the tricky part, or at least for me, you're going to line up the other ends of the sleeves to the second body of the dress, right sides together. You see when I did this the first time I put the body on backwards. And if you know me, you know I have a bad relationship with a seam ripper. So I basically got discouraged and tossed my project :( Sad day in this house I tell you...

Thankfully it all makes sense now.

Once this is done, put the dress right sides together, and sew up the side seams, from the bottom of the skirt all the way up the sleeve. Make sure not to close up the arms though (another mistake I may or may not have made once)

do you remember how I said I'd let you know if I figure out how to sew with three kids underfoot?? Well this is how! NAPTIME!!!

Ok back to sewing. Once you've done that, make sure to Iron all of your seams. This is important even though it's so time consuming and all you want to do is see your finished project.

Now I serge along the bottom of the skirt, this is because Knit tends to curl, and I'm way to OCD for that to happen. But then I'm also too lazy to fold that all under and Hem, plus the hem may weigh down the skirt and not allow it to twirl as easily. We all know every little girl needs to twirl.

Then we attach the neckline. This is TRICKY, it's smaller than the actual cut of the dress which gives it that shrink. So you're going to need to mark the 4 corners of the neck piece as well as the 4 corners of the dress with a washable ink pen. Then we'll pin the points together and stretch and wiggle and sew.

Hem up the arms and then put the dress on your little girl.

And there's my very quick, non expert opinion on how to put together a little dress for your favorite little girl.
This is Miss K. She's a 7yr old sweetheart.