New Grandma Wants to Sew!: A Little Pinafore Dress

Saturday 21 September 2019

A Little Pinafore Dress

This summer, Rose, 4, said she would like a pinafore dress to wear with T shirts. I had made one in a tartan pleated style for her cousin eighteen months earlier, using an adaptation of the Ikatbag shortalls pattern, but that pattern was too small for Rose now. I needed to make it in a 5-6. So Rose's grey and floral pinafore dress below was from my own pattern. (If you need a size 2-3, then by all means use the Ikatbag pattern.) You'll find my free tutorial and pattern at the bottom of this page.

Rose had chosen the 100% cotton material herself from my stash. Of which there wasn't really quite enough, only half a metre. She was adamant a skirt wouldn't do. I managed (just) to get a slightly short front and back, and two outer straps, out of the floral fabric, and luckily in the stash I had a pale green polka dot material which was either polycotton or fine lawn. Here you can see that I'm a bit short of fabric on the front and back, so I knew I would need to add a hem or binding. (It might just have been ok for length now but it wouldn't see her through the autumn. Ideally I would have had a hem I could let down as she grew.)

Here are the cutout pieces including a lining of the green polka dot, and pieces for an extended hem of the green polka dot.

I had just enough fabric to make a small pocket (lined with green polka dot) for the front, and two straps (the outers - again lined with green polka dot). For more information about adding pockets, and some free templates, see this post.

So after cutting out (and before doing anything else) I made my small pocket and attached it a little below waist level. Next I added the hem extension. You wouldn't need to do this if you had enough fabric. I sewed to the front and back separately. Below you can see the wrong side, with the seam pressed open. I didn't finished this seam because it would eventually be enclosed.

I made the two straps by sewing the outer and linings right sides together, except for the wide end.

Next I trimmed the corners or the straps, and turned them right side out (using a narrow chopstick to poke out the corners). Then I basted them onto the outer of the back, with the outer side facing the right side of the back, placing them so they just crossed. This was just to hold them in position so they didn't slip about when I attached the lining.

I then sewed the side seams of both the lining and the bodice, and pressed the seams.

Next, I pinned the lining to the outer, right sides together, from the back (with the straps attached), so the straps were inside, all the way round the armholes and front. (Sorry no picture of this step.) I also pinned the straps down to stop them getting in the way. I sewed round this seam, then clipped and trimmed the curves, and turned it all the right way out, pressing it again. Et voila! The straps were now in position on the outside.

To complete the top, I made button holes near the top corners of the front, and sewed buttons on to the straps (having measured Rose). It had been my intention to put on two sets of button to allow room for growth, but I'd somehow lost a couple of buttons and have had to buy some more. So they will get attached later.

Then I turned up the hem on the outer, encasing the seam that joined the hem extension to the skirt, and also turned a hem on the lining to make it about half an inch shorter than the outer.

Finished front