How to sew a ruffled maternity dress – DIY nursing dress – No pattern

This detailed sewing tutorial will teach you how you can make a maternity dress with nursing access from stretchy/knit fabric, using one of your dresses or shirts to get the pattern started. It has 2 panels on the front, one underneath with an opening for nursing, and one to cover it that pulls up. The sleeves have an elasticized hem with a ruffled effect, and the skirt has an exposed ruffle.

Because this is a longer tutorial, I decided to divide it into two parts. This part will complete the whole dress except the exposed ruffle. For part 2 with the exposed ruffle, click here.

Supplies and materials

• Sewing machine
• Serger (optional)
• Stretchy knit fabric (I used this cotton spandex jersey), 2.5-4 meters/yards
• Matching thread
• 1/2 inch braided elastic, about 2-3 meters/yards
• Stretch sewing machine needles
• Clips or pins (I love using clips for knits, seeing as it’s easy to poke holes in knit fabric with pins)
• Scissors
• Seam ripper
• Wrapping or packaging paper, or scrap paper taped together
• Two different colored pens for making your pattern
• A stretchy/ knit shirt or dress to make the top of the pattern from. I chose a dress that I really liked the way the top fit. The bottom doesn’t matter because we’ll be calculating those pieces.

Step 1 – Creating the paper pattern pieces

First try on your shirt or dress and take note of where you want the waist to be. It should be at the top of your belly, just barely below your chest. Mark with chalk or a safety pin. Also take note of the sleeve length you want, whether you need to add or subtract length.

All of the adjustments and calculations I’m making are simple, so feel free to adjust them according to what you want. For example, you could make the sleeves, skirt, or ruffle more full by simply adding more width.

The bodice

Find the center of the bodice and lay it along the edge of the paper. Trace all around. For the curved armscye (armhole), front neck, and waist, poke all along with a pin. When you remove the dress, there will be little pin pricks that you can connect with your pen.

Using a different colored pen, add in a 1/2 inch seam allowance. Don’t add any at the neck. You can make separate pieces for the front and back, but I just do it as one and cut the neck in the front lower. Picture below!

The sleeves

Repeat with the sleeves. There will be more adjustments here. I added 1 1/2 inches of width along the fold, for a total of 3 inches width per sleeve. Then I went straight down from the underarm for more fulness at the wrist. I added 8 more inches length, plus another 1 1/2 inches for the hem allowance.

Step 2 – Calculating the skirt and ruffle dimensions

There are going to be lots of simple measurements and calculations here, so make sure to write everything down!

Skirt

For the skirt width, you need to measure the width of the waist on the paper pattern. Because I was cutting everything on the fold, I measured on the fold too. Double this number to get your skirt width.

For the length, you can measure a dress that you like the length of, or from the top of your belly to where you want it to end.

Then you need to consider how long you want the ruffle to be and subtract that length from the main skirt.

You also need to add 2 1/2 extra inches: 1/2 for seam allowance at the waist, 1 for seam allowance for the bottom (the exposed ruffle uses a wider seam allowance), and 1 because of the way we will be cutting the skirt for the nursing access to work properly.

Exposed Ruffle

For the ruffle width, I made mine 1.5 times the width of the skirt.

For the length, decide how long you want it to be and add 1 inch seam allowance for the top and a 3/4 inch hem allowance.

A few notes before you start making your maternity dress

If you are new to working with knits, I recommend checking out my Guide To Sewing With Knit Fabric here first.

Here are some super quick best practices:

• Always wash and dry fabric first, the way you will wash the final garment, to avoid shrinkage.
• While cutting, keep in mind grainline. The grainline should always be going up and down your body, and the cross grain should be going across it, for the most stretch.
• While sewing, always use a stretch stitch such as a narrow zigzag or lightning bolt, unless otherwise noted.

Step 3 – Cutting out the pattern for your maternity dress

Paper pattern parts

Cut the sleeves according to the pattern, notching like this:

Cut the back and front bodice, as well as a 2 inch strip that is the same width as the waist. This will be the front bodice binding.

For the nursing access (underneath the front bodice), you need to set the pattern from the edge 1/2 inch (this is because there will be a seam here). You also need to make the waist 1 inch shorter than the pattern. In the picture below, I hadn’t cut the neck according to the front yet.

Here are the pattern pieces. Make sure to notch. The notches on the neck need to be less than 1/4 inch deep, because the seam allowance is only 1/4 inch here.

Skirt and ruffle

Cut the skirt and ruffle according to the dimensions that you calculated.

Then, for the skirt, we are going to make it 2 inches narrower at the top. This gives it a more flattering shape. These 2 inches on four edges amounts to 8 inches all around. I wouldn’t recommend angling it any more than that, because then you will really be changing the shape and need to make more adjustments. Angle straight up from the bottom. Then you need to make the center front 1/2 inch shorter than the edge, using a curved line. And then curve up along the bottom 1/2 inch to the edge.

Then you need to cut 1 of the pieces 1 inch shorter along the top edge, maintaining the curve you just made. This will be the back skirt piece.

Step 4 – Preparing the nursing access for your maternity dress

Cut 2 pieces of 1/2 inch elastic 3/8 inch shorter than the nursing access center seam. Position your elastic along the edge 3/8 inch from the top. Use a wide zigzag stitch and go forward and back at the start to secure. Once it’s secure, stretch the elastic slightly and sew to the end. I barely stretched mine, but I actually wish I had a little more. I had about 1/4 inch extra at the end, but I think it would have been better to have about 1 inch.

Now place your pieces right sides together and sew with a 1/2 inch seam allowance, 1 inch at the top and bottom. Make sure to back stitch really well, as this area will have a lot of strain.

Then open up your seam and use a wide zigzag stitch to sew the seam flat on either side. Here is your nursing access!

Step 5 – Elasticizing the sleeves

Measure around your arm where the hem of the sleeve will sit. Take this number and add 4 inches and cut your elastic to this length. This will give 1 inch ease, 1 inch seam allowance, and 2 inches extra elastic to make this step easier.

Iron the bottom of the sleeve 1 1/2 inches to the wrong side. This will help with hemming later, but you can unfold for now.

Match up and pin or clip the center of the sleeve and elastic along the wrong side of the bottom edge. Position the elastic so that it hangs over both ends by 1 inch.

Using a wide zigzag stitch, secure the elastic, going forward and back at the beginning. Once it’s secure, you will be stretching it to fit. Sew, using the elastic behind the presser foot to help guide/pull it through. Check as you go to be sure that the edge of the fabric and elastic are still aligned.

Optional: Reinforcing the back bodice waist with elastic

This step is totally optional. I just don’t like when knit dresses pull away from my back and sag at the waist.

Cut a piece of elastic the same length as the waist.

Lay it on the wrong side, 1/2 inch from the bottom edge and secure with a wide zigzag, going forward and back to secure. Once it’s secure, stretch the elastic very slightly. Not enough to gather, just to add a tiny bit of tension. Sew to the end and backstitch.

Step 6 – Gathering the skirt pieces of the maternity dress

For a detailed gathering tutorial, you can check out my post here.

On both skirt pieces, sew a gathering stitch (longest straight stitch, needle tension low, no backstitching) 5/8 inch from the top edge with the right side facing up. Usually I do 2 lines of stitching, but I find with knits I can get away with only one, so that’s what I did for the skirts and sleeves.

Step 7 – Attaching the skirt pieces to the nursing access and back bodice

Match the shorter skirt piece to the back bodice, and the longer piece to the nursing access. This way, they will be even once sewn together. Pin or clip, matching center notches and sides. Pull bobbin tails to gather and add more pins or clips.

Sew in place with a 1/2 inch seam allowance and finish the seam. Pull the bobbin tails to remove the gathering stitches, then pull away the thread from the front.

Step 8 – Preparing the front bodice of your maternity dress

Take the strip that you cut earlier for the front bodice and iron in half along the length, wrong sides together. Lay it along the bottom edge of the bodice, right sides together and raw edges aligned. Sew to begin, and once it’s secured, stretch the binding very slightly as you go. Not to gather, just to add a tiny bit of tension. Finish the seam if not using a serger.

Iron the seam allowance up towards the bodice and trim the excess binding from the side.

Step 9 – Basting the front bodice to the nursing access

Lay the bodice over the nursing access/skirt, with right sides facing up on both. Pin or clip all around the bodice. The bodice should be 1 inch longer than the nursing access. Baste in place (just sew 1/2 inch from the edge to keep everything in place for the next steps).

Step 10 – Sewing the shoulder seams together

Lay the back and front pieces together, right sides facing and sew the shoulder seams only together, and finish the seams.

Step 11 – Gathering the sleeves

Sew a gathering stitch between the two notches that you made on the sleeve caps, 5/8 inch from the edge with the right side facing up.

Step 12 – Attaching the sleeves to the dress

Pin or clip the sleeves to the dress, right sides facing. First match the shoulder seam to the center notch, then go from the under arm to where you notched the sleeves (there are no notches on the bodice, just match everything up without stretching either piece).

Then pull on the bobbin tails to gather the sleeve cap so that it matches up with the armhole. Sew in place and finish the seams.

Step 13 – Sewing from the sleeve down to the hem of the maternity dress

Now we are going to sew our maternity dress together! Carefully pin the seams at the sleeve elastic, underarms, and waist, so they all line up perfectly. The back waist seam should match up with the bottom of the front bodice binding. Add a few more pins or clips to keep everything in place.

Sew. If you’re using a serger like me, first use your sewing machine to baste the sleeve elastic, underarms, and waist, carefully sewing over the pins to make sure you get the seams perfect. Otherwise it’s quite difficult to get them to line up perfectly at the serger.

Now you can finally try your dress on! Make sure everything is to your liking and make small adjustments if necessary (I made the neck a little wider).

Step 14 – Hemming the sleeves

Fold the sleeves 1/2 inch to the wrong side, and then 1 more inch and pin in place. The fold that you ironed earlier will help.

Sew from the inside of the arm. Use a wide zigzag stitch, stretching the elastic so that the fabric is flat as you sew.

Step 15 – Preparing the neck binding

Measure all around the neck, 1/4 inch from the edge (this will be the stitching line). Take the number and multiply by 0.85, then add 1 inch for seam allowance. Then cut a 1 1/4 inch strip of fabric that length.

Sew the short ends together with a 1/2 inch seam allowance, with right sides together. Trim the seam allowance. Notch the center and quarter points with very shallow notches, seeing as the seam allowance will only be 1/4 inch.

Step 16 – Attaching the neck binding to the neck opening

You will be attaching the binding to the inside of the neck, with the right side of the binding to the wrong side of the neck. Match the neck binding seam to the notch on the back of the neck, and the center notch to the front of the neck. Then distribute the binding evenly along the neck. Use the quarter notches for reference to make sure both sides are even, but they won’t actually match up to anything. You will need to stretch the binding a bit.

Sew with a 1/4 inch seam allowance. I use the sewing machine for this part, even though I have a serger.

Next, fold the binding 1/4 inch to the right side of the neck, and then another 1/4 inch. You will basically be wrapping the binding around to the front. The seam allowance of the dress will not be folded down, and you will just barely be covering the stitching line that you just made.

Edgestitch as close to the edge as you can, from the right side.

That’s a wrap for part 1 of your maternity dress!

To sew the exposed ruffle, follow this link to part 2. Thanks for following along so far!