Spring Dresses Tutorial

So this isn't a very detailed tutorial. I have a tendency to start pretty good, then forget to take pics later down the road. I saw a dress on etsy that was so cute and I thought I'd give it a try. Of course my sewing abilties are not up to par, but the dresses turned out well enough for Easter.

Take a basic A-line skirt pattern, or you can try doing it with no pattern like me. I measured the waist and length. Then divided them in half. Cut two pieces of fabric (I used two different patterns), with a small curve on the bottom. One of the pieces is going to have the ruffles.

Mark where you want your ruffles to be. I had 5 rows, not including the row around the bottom, so I needed 5 sections. Make sure to leave a seam allowance at the top and bottom.

Cut lengths of fabric measuring an inch wider than you need them to be, and twice as long. Hem along one side.

Sew a basting stitch along all of them. Hold onto one thread and slide the fabric along it to create the ruffle.

Pin the ruffles upside down on the right side of skirt. (Remember to leave the seam allowance on top and bottom.) The hemmed part of the ruffle should be toward the top of skirt at this point.

Sew the ruffles, then flip the ruffles down so the hemmed part is toward the bottom of the skirt. Sew again.

Pin the two sides of the skirt, right sides together. Sew.

Measure around bottom of the skirt. Cut a strip of fabric twice that length and the same width as the others. (You might need to sew pieces together to get that length.) Hem one edge. Sew right sides together.

Flip it and sew again.

Add an elastic waist and the skirt is done.

For the top, I used one center piece and two matching side pieces. You could just use one piece if you wanted. Measure from arm pit to arm pit. That's how wide the top needs to be, not including seam allowances. If you do the three pieces, the middle piece needs to measure half that amount plus an inch for seams and the two sides measure a quarter plus an inch for seams.

Measure from arm pit down to waist and maybe add an in or two, then double it. That's the length. My tops ended up being too short, so I had to go in later and add a few inches. Sew the side pieces to the center, then fold in half. This picture shows before I folded it.

For the back, measure arm pit to arm pit around the back, then double it. That's the width. The length is the same as the front. Fold in half and sew a few thin elastics along the length. Pin right side of front to right side of back, and sew. Hem the bottom.

For the sleeves, I measured from collar bone to arm pit for the front of the sleeve and a little shorter for the back. Then meaured up over the shoulder and doubled it for the length.

Hem both long sides and add elastic. Pin right sides to inside of top then sew. All done.