Trendsetter Easter Dress

I finished Em's Easter Dress way ahead of time this year!  (You can check out last years Easter dress HERE...still one of my favorites! and the year before that HERE)  This year, she will be wearing the new Trendsetter dress from Little Lizard King.

When I first saw this design I thought it was screaming for some embroidery on the bodice, and I had just the thing.  I did this hand embroidery a while ago for a different project and didn't end up using it.  It just happened to be the perfect size for the bodice and in perfect Easter colors...it was meant to be!  

Just like the Perfect 10 shirt Cassie also designed for Little Lizard King, this dress has lots of options!  I did a simple version with a double layer skirt.  There is also a single layer skirt and options for a fancy dress with fabrics like chiffon, lace, or tulle.  

And it has a couple of strap options.  I did a simple strap, they snaps in the back...or you can do some neat criss cross straps that tie in the back or add a little ruffle to the straps.

This PDF pattern has no pieces so no pages to print, you get to save your paper and ink!  All of the pieces are rectangular shapes and there are charts in the pattern with cutting dimensions.  

Em was pretty impressed with the twirl factor on that double skirt.  

I really don't often sew a pattern more than once, but I have already made two Trendsetters (you can catch a glimpse of the other one in last weeks post).  They are so quick and easy!

Thanks for stopping by!  Did you make an Easter dress this year?  What did you make?

Tutorial: Continuous Bound Plackets (and how to sew buttons instead a zipper)

My kids have larger than average heads (I am chalking that up to the giant brains they have in there!) Trying to squeeze a dress over my wiggly toddler's oversized head can be real challenge. Because I don't like wrestling with her every morning, I have started adding continuous bound plackets to a lot of the dresses I make her.  

A continuous bound placket is basically just a slit in your fabric that is finished with bias tape, but it is not visible from the outside.  It can be used at the back of dresses to extend the opening of the bodice down into the skirt a little making dressing and undressing those wiggly toddlers about 100x's easier! It is especially helpful on dresses with a short bodice and gathered skirt. 

 

A continuous bound placket can also be used if you want to switch a zipper in a dress pattern out for buttons.  Zippers usually extend down into the skirt a bit so you can’t always slap some buttons on the back instead.  I used a continuous bound placket on the Nautical dress I made Em last month.  I subbed buttons for the zipper on the Caroline Party dress by Mouse House Craetions, worked great!  I am going to use it as an example to show you my method for adding the placket to a dress, but this method can be used to add a continuous bound placket to any dress with a bodice and gathered skirt that closes in the back.

Another great thing about this method is your seam between the bodice and skirt gets enclosed inside the bodice.  So you end up with a nice clean finish without having to use a serger!

How to sew a continuous bound placket:

You will need...only about 10" of double fold bias tape!

If the dress pattern you are using already has buttons to close at the back and you just want to extend your opening a bit, cut your pattern pieces according to the pattern. 

If the dress pattern has a zipper closure and you want to change over to buttons and a bias placket, you will have to make a few changes.  First, you will need to add ½” to the back of the pattern.  With the zipper the back sides meet in the middle with the zipper in-between, we need some overlap for the buttons and button holes.  You can do this but cutting a ½” strip of paper and taping it onto your pattern before cutting your fabric.

 

Also, if your pattern calls for a zipper, it probably directs you to cut 2 rectangles for the skirt back.  We only want one.  So instead of cutting according to the back skirt measurements, cut the back of your skirt exactly like the front.  You will now have 2 long rectangles; one will be used for the front of the skirt and one for the back.

Start by sewing your bodice pieces together at the shoulders like you normally would.  Then put the lining and bodice right sides together and sew around the arm holes.  Sew the back and the arm holes, but don’t sew about 3” at the bottom of the bodice back as shown in the photo below. 

Then line up the underarms and sew to complete your bodice.  Put your bodice aside.

 

Find the center of your back skirt piece and cut a slit about 3”- 4” (cut 3” for smaller sizes and 4” for larger sizes. 

 

Open the slit so it forms a wide V shape.  Unfold the bias tape and pin the raw edge of the bias tape to the slit of the skirt with right sides together.  At both ends of the slit, the edge of the bias tape will line up with the edge of the slit.  In the middle of the V, the fold will be just below the slit.  Sew along the fold of the bias tape, just catching the skirt fabric at the bottom of the V, it will literally just be a few threads of the fabric holding on at the bottom of the V, that's all you need!  

 

Refold the bias tape, folding it up and over the skirt fabric to encase the raw edges.  Pin and sew in place.  Cut off any extra bias tape.

 

Fold your skirt along the placket, so the skirt is right sides together and the placket is sticking out.  Sew the placket together at the bottom at an angle, this helps it from coming open while your garment is being worn.

 

Press the placket to one side and baste the side of the placket to the skirt so it stays folded under when you attach the skirt to the bodice.

 

If you want, you can also topstitch along the folded edge of the placket, I like to do this to help keep that side folded under, but is not necessary.

Sew your skirt back to the skirt front along the side seams, then gather the top of the skirt.

Move your lining out of the way so you can pin the gathered skirt to the outer bodice.  Pin the skirt so the back sides of the bodice stick out ½” past the placket on both sides.  Sew the skirt to the bodice.

 

Put center back sides of outer bodice and the lining right sides together and finish sewing the back of the dress with a ½” seam allowance, sewing just to the side of the skirt. 

 

Tuck the raw edge of the lining under and pin in place.  Sew the lining in place either by hand or by topstitching along the bottom of the bodice.

Finally, mark placement for your buttons and button holes at the back.  The button holes will go on the side wher the placket is folded under so they end up on top.

That's it! Now you have a dress with a continuous bound placket, you will be so happy to have it when you go to put that dress on your wiggly toddler!

Tutorial: Bias cut bodice stripes

After I posted about the Caroline Party Dress I made last month, I had a few people email me asking about how to do the stripes on the bodice.  I decided to put a quick tutorial together to share my technique for cutting bodice stripes on the bias.

I love sewing with stripes, you can play with the orientation of the stripes to give your garment a totally different look.  As soon as I saw The Caroline Party Dress by Mouse House Creations, I knew I wanted bias cut stripes on the bodice to accent the faux cap sleeves.

This technique for cutting your bodice will give you perfectly aligned bias cut stripes on the front and back of your dress as well as lining up the stripes over the shoulders too.

*You may need to buy a bit more fabric than the pattern calls for to have enough for cutting the pattern on the bias.*
This technique can be used on any basic girls bodice pattern.

Most bodice fronts are cut on the fold.  Because the front will have a seam in it, you will need to add a seam allowance to your pattern.  I did this by cutting a strip of paper 1/2" wide and adding it to my pattern piece.

Draw a line on your pattern at a 45 degree angle from the straight side of the pattern.  You will want the line to intersect the shoulder.
I wrote "yellow stripe" below my line so that I know to line my pattern up with a yellow stripe below that line.  That is not so important when you only have one color stripe but can be helpful if you are working with a fabric that has several different color stripes.

Lay your pattern piece on top of your fabric with the line you drew lined up with the stripes.  Cut one front bodice piece.

Next take the bodice piece you just cut and lay it on top of the fabric, line up all the stripes and use it as a template to cut your second front bodice piece.

Now you have 2 mirror image front bodice pieces cut on the bias!

Place the 2 bodice fronts right sides together and sew along the center with a 1/2" seam allowance to create your bodice front.  Press the seam open.

Line up the shoulders of your front and back pattern pieces.  Make a small mark on the back pattern piece where the bias line from the front pattern piece.

Draw a line at 45 degrees from the center back intersecting that point at the shoulder.  Label it with the same color stripe you used for the front.

Cut your back bodice pieces just like you did the front pieces.
You now have your bodice pieces and are ready to sew your dress!

Cut all your lining and skirt pieces and sew your dress as directed in the pattern.  Make sure you remove the extra seam allowance from the pattern front or fold it under when you cut your lining pieces.