Sewing a Little Girl’s Tunic or Dress – Free Pattern

I recently wrote a blog post about getting started with sewing, and in it I included some beginner projects. For this post I am sharing my process of the free dress/tunic pattern that is linked there from the blog Made by Toya. I would definitely recommend this pattern! It’s a free pdf and very simple. There are 2 sizes available, 18-24 months and 2T (or at least that’s how I translated the sizes she described).

It seemed appropriate to do something budget friendly, seeing as it’s January. So along with the free pattern, I used some thrifted fabric. I’m actually not sure what the fiber is. At first I thought it was 100% cotton, but as I worked with it I started to think there might be some polyester in it. Anyway I think it’s an adorable print for this time of year, and although I didn’t manage to get a picture of it, it also looks super cute under a cardigan. My daughter loves it!

I chose to make the tunic version in the 2T size, seeing as my daughter has a lot of dresses and not a lot of tops.

Toya’s instructions are really clear, so if you follow them you shouldn’t have a problem! But I thought I would expand on some things and add a few tips that I found helpful. I’ll also share some pictures of my process. I did some of the steps a little out of order, just because I’ve made a lot of dresses and know there are some ways of doing things that I find easier.

Supplies and materials

• Sewing machine
• Woven fabric (like linen, quilting cotton, poplin, old sheets, etc)
• Matching thread
• Iron and Ironing board
• Interfacing (I use this and it goes a long way)
• Snaps or buttons
• Scissors
• Pins
• Seam ripper

Prepping

First, prepare your fabric. Wash, dry, iron.

Download the pattern and print it out. Then tape it together. I don’t usually trim the edges off because I can see through the paper well enough to line it up properly. Then cut out the pattern. A cutting mat and rotary cutter make this part so much easier, but of course you can also use scissors. As Toya states, she got the markings to indicate the sizes mixed up. But seeing as there are only two sizes, it’s kind of hard to go wrong. Either cut the bigger one or the smaller one!

Then cut out your fabric pieces. The skirt and front bodice pieces are cut on the fold. I also find it easier to cut the back bodice piece on the fold, and then just cut down the fold. That way if you do have a print where the pattern needs to match (like stripes or plaid), it will. After I cut my pieces out, I cut 1/4 inch notches to make the following marks:

Skirt: center front top, both sides on the top (halfway between center front and the back seam)

Front bodice: side seam ends (indicated on pattern) center front neck, center front waist

Back bodice: side seam ends (indicated on pattern)

Make sure to do this!

One thing the instructions don’t include is to interface where the buttons or snaps will be. I was in a hurry and didn’t think about it at this point and wish I had! So to interface, you need to cut 2 strips of interfacing that are 1 inch wide and the length of the back bodice center (or you can make it 2 cm shorter so it doesn’t go into the seam allowance and create extra bulk). Then iron it to the inside of the main fabric, 1 cm from the edge. Make sure you’ve got the plastic side down and use a press cloth.

Sewing the bodice

First, you sew the shoulders together. I like to iron the main and lining seams different ways. So, I press the main seams to the front, and the lining seams to the back. I think this is easier and stronger than pressing them open, and doing them different ways minimizes bulk.

Then sew the armholes and back/neck as instructed and trim down the seam allowance and notch the curves. I didn’t bother to trim the seam allowances on the arms because I didn’t want to mess with the seam allowance for the side seam part that I hadn’t sewn yet.

Then I turned it right side out and ironed.

Then I sewed the side seams together. I actually mixed this part up because I wasn’t paying enough attention and had to seam rip. But if you do exactly what her instructions say, you’ll be good! There will be a small hole in the armpit which will be reinforced with the top stitching. I top stitched the arms and neck at this point, because I find it a tiny bit easier to do before adding the whole skirt.

Then I ironed up the lining by 1 cm to the wrong side. This is for later when the lining will be hand stitched to the skirt, I just find it easiest to do now.

Sewing the skirt

Then I followed the instructions to prepare the skirt. I hemmed the skirt at this point because, again, I find it easier. I couldn’t see the hem allowance written anywhere, so I just folded up by 1 cm twice. But I will say, the next time I make this pattern, I’ll do it about an inch shorter. I think it’s just a bit long for a top.

Then I sewed my gathering stitches. I always use the longest stitch length (5 on my machine) and turn the tension way down to about a 2. Then I sew on the right side. When it’s time to gather, I will pull on the bobbin threads. Because the needle tension is turned down (it’s loose), it will make it a lot easier to pull on the bobbin threads. I sew two lines of gathering stitches, one a little less than the seam allowance and one a little more. That way when I’m actually sewing the two pieces together, I will be sewing between the two lines of gathering stitches.

Attaching the skirt to the bodice

This is how it goes together, skirt inside out and bodice right side out.

Making sure the lining was out of the way, I pinned my center front notches together, side notches to side seams, and back edges together. Next I pulled my bobbin threads to gather until the skirt fit the bodice. Or you can eyeball it and gather before pinning, but you will still have to do some adjusting. I added some more pins to really keep everything in place.

Then, I sewed together. I always make sure to sew with the gathers facing up. Here is a piece of advice I really don’t think you will find anywhere else: you can sew over your pins! Sometimes I do it when sewing gathers or to get seams to match up perfectly. I do take it slow when I get to a pin. I’ve been doing it for a long time and I’ve only broken one needle, so to me that’s worth it!

Then I check to make sure everything looks fine from the right side. As long as it is, I pull out the bobbin threads out by their long tails. I use my seam ripper to cut them in the center to make this part easier.

Sewing the lining to the skirt

Next I pinned my lining in place. I placed pins every 1-2 inches, making sure it was lined up with the stitching line I had just made.

Then I used a slipstitch to sew it in place. Here is a youtube video showing how to slipstitch. I take from just inside the seam allowance of the skirt. This is my favorite part, it’s so relaxing and I love that you can hardly see the stitches!

Then I put snaps in and that was it! Here is how the placket looks if you’re curious.

My little cutie! She calls this her fancy, fancy shirt. I always find that dresses or tops look longer in pictures. It is a bit long, but not as long as it looks.

I’ll definitely be making this pattern again. I think I’ll do it in a linen and add some ruffles to the neck and sleeves, as well as some cute little pockets. Is this pattern something you would try? Have you made clothes for your kids from thrifted fabric? Let me know in the comments below!