Tutorial: Sundress in Lotus Pond, by Cloud 9

You & your little one will both love this easy peazy dress!  Just a little bit of fabulous fabric and 1-3 hours of your time - and Voila! - a fun dress for the summer!

I used these prints from the Lotus Pond collection by Rae Hoekstra, from Cloud 9:

Meadow Blossoms in White for the dress

Diamonds are Forever in Blue for the border

Fluttering Fields for the straps/sleeves

And, I later embellished the dress with a little pocket, using Lotus Drop in Turquoise & Snail Trail in Gold.

Materials:

The yardage & piece sizing shown are for my 3 1/2 year old.  She wears a 4/4T and is a little taller than average for her age.  See pattern layout to judge if more or less is required for the size you're making. 

• 1/2 yard primary fabric
• 1/4 yard contrast 1 fabric (border)
• 1/4 yard contrast 2 fabric (straps)
• Note:  if you're using the same fabric for the border & the straps, 1/4 yd should work for both
• elastic thread
• 1/2" elastic (I used ~21")
• thread

Fabric Preparation:

Wash and dry fabric, as nearly all fabrics shrink some with the first wash.  It's best to do this to ensure the final dress fits as intended!  I also like to press my freshly washed fabrics before cutting.

'Pattern' Layout & Cutting:

Just 3 pieces and all are simple rectangles!

Dress:  Cut (1) 18" by 20" piece on the fold of your fabric, making a single 18" by 40" rectangle.  

Tip:  If the fabric has a design where orientation matters (e.g., animals in one direction), be sure the design of the fabric is from top to bottom on the 18" part of the strip

Dress Border:  Cut (1) 4 1/2" by 20" piece on the fold of your fabric, making a single 4.5" by 40" rectangle.  

Tip:  Same as with the Dress piece, if the fabric has a design where orientation matters (e.g., animals in one direction), be sure the design of the fabric is from top to bottom on the 4.5" part of the strip

Straps/Sleeves:  Cut (2) 4 1/2" by 15" strips

Assembly Overview:

There are just a handful of steps to assemble these pieces:

1) attach the Dress Border to the Dress

2) stitch the side (or back) of the dress & finish the seam

3) create the casing for the elastic & thread the elastic to size the dress to your little one

4) finish the raw edges of the Straps/Sleeves & gather or 'shirr' the sides to fit

5) attach the Straps/Sleeves to the Dress

6) hem the Dress

That's really it!  Have fun mixing & matching great fabrics for your own creation!

Look for the Assembly Details with photos in my next blog post.