Wrap dress for girls - a Tulip Hem dress for 5 and 7 years - with thanks to BloomsnBugs

Two to three years ago, I was busy making Tulip Hem dresses from the Blooms and Bugs pattern, designed for c. 3 year olds. (Big thanks to the BloomsnBugs blog!) See my earlier post. But I haven't made any since then, because I haven't had three-year-olds to make dresses for. The Tulip Hem dress is a pretty design, with a wrap over front. Here's one I made earlier for Jane when she was 3.

Although BloomsnBugs fasten theirs with buttons, I used strings (a pair inside and out) to allow for growth widthwise. 

Read on to see how to make one in a larger size (with a new free pattern).


Jane's cousin Fleur has not been enthusiastic about wearing dresses for a while now (this is actually a big understatement.) But she did agree to wear her last Tulip Hem dress a couple of years ago. In view of the four-day wedding of her father's cousin that she would be attending this summer, (and for which she'd be expected not to be wearing her usual shorts!), I thought she might find a new Tulip Hem dress acceptable. And she cheerfully chose the material she wanted for a dress - a Frozen print, and some blue spotty fabric. If she liked the combination, that was the main thing. 

Unfortunately, the BloomsnBugs Tulip Hem pattern only comes in one size, age 3. Fleur is much taller - even when she was three I made hers a good bit longer than the pattern. Although not yet 6, she's in size 7, 8 or even 9 clothes.So I wondered if I could make a larger size pattern for a wrap dress by creating a new pattern. The Tulip Hem pattern consists just of a bodice - the skirt is easy, as you just use a rectangle of fabric and shape it at the bottom.

Fleur chose the fabrics. At least, she chose the Frozen pattern, and the darker blue spotted fabric. I knew there was not going to be enough of either one  on its own to make a dress with a front overlap, so I settled on using both in the one dress. Now I've done so, I'm not 100% convinced they go together as well as I'd hoped. The spotted fabric scraps I used for the lining and the closure strings are a better match really, but I didn't have enough to make the skirt panels. I think the darker blue gives an effect a bit like an apron. Fleur has worn it - we'll see if she continues to like it. However, I now have a new pattern, in sizes 5 and 7. And I'm sharing it with you.
GET THE FREE WRAP DRESS PDF PATTERN HERE.

So, to the pattern. I created a bodice pattern similar in shape to the original BloomsnBugs Tulip Hem dress, but sized it using various other bodice patterns I have. Because this is a wrap dress, there is a bit of leeway in width sizing - tie the strings tighter and it will fit a smaller body, or looser and it will fit a bigger one.)

I cut a bodice from the Frozen fabric, and a bodice lining from scraps of a white and blue spotted fabric from my scraps box. I also used fabric scraps to make 4 strings each about 12" long, sewn up at one end, but with the other end left as raw edges.

If you'd like to make a similar wrap dress, here's how to go about it.

First, print off the pattern pieces and stick them together at the numbered points. For more information about how to use my PDF patterns, see this tutorial. Cut out (or trace) the size you want, and cut out your bodice pattern pieces as indicated on each piece. Seam allowance of 3/8" is included. 

Sew the shoulders on each of the bodice outer and the lining, and press them flat. Pin the bodice and the lining right sides together, and sew round the neckline and the armholes (but not the side seams. In the process of doing this, in the picture below, I added in the two strings that would be on the curved front opening edges, because I wanted a tie strings closure. You need to keep the strings just above the bottom seam allowance of the bodice.  If you plan a different type of closure you obviously don't need to include strings!. 

Before turning the bodice the right way out, trim and clip the curves, being careful not to cut through the seams. You can see this after I had notched the curves. Note the side seams are not yet sewn up.

For a fuller tutorial on how to make a lined bodice like this, and how to attach strings to it, see this post.

Turn the bodice right side out through one shoulder, and press all the edges.

Then I needed to attach the other two strings. One goes in the outside bodice side seam, and the other goes in the bodice lining side seam. In truth, it doesn't really matter much which way you do this, but the convention is that girls dresses overlap right over left. So this means that you put the one on the outside in the left seam, and the one on the inside (in the lining) in the right seam. 

To form those side seams, open them up and pin the front and back of the left hand side of the bodice together, and the same for the lining, matching the armhole seam. Pin the string inside so that the raw edge is towards the seam. I usually also pin the string out of the way so I don't catch it except in the seam. Now do the same on the right hand side seam, except this time, trap the other string in the lining side seam. Sew each seam in a continuous seam from the bottom of the bodice side to the bottom of the lining side.

Here you can see all the strings (on the finished dress).

If you wish, you can edge stitch round the neckline and armholes, between 1/16th and 1/8th from the edge. I usually do this, it holds the edges neatly and stops them rolling. Then you can set the bodice aside while you make the skirt.

On the smaller 3 year-old size in the BloomsnBugs pattern, one width of fabric may be enough to make a skirt. On my size 7, I had to piece it (especially as I didn't have enough of the Frozen fabric.) It will depend on the width of fabric you are using whether you will need to put in any side seams or panels.

The skirt starts as a simple rectangle. Here's how to measure it.

First, measure the bottom of the finished bodice. It should measure about 36"-42" depending on the size you have made. Then multiply this by 1.25 - 1.5, depending on how much gathering you would like. (And how much fabric you have!) Then, measure how long you would like the skirt. Ideally, you would try the bodice on the child and measure the length. Note the bottom of the bodice is a bit above the waist - again, depending on the child's height. I'd say by about a couple of inches. I usually make them about knee length - see below. They've continued to wear them till quite a bit shorter, as a top.

(These two were both made from the BloomsnBugs pattern.)

If you don't have the child present to measure, or can't persuade the parent or guardian to measure, you could work on these lengths. But don't blame me if the child is taller or short than average. I'm just estimating based on my grand-daughters here.

For age 5 - length 14.5" - 15"

For age 7 - length 17.5" - 18.5"

You'll then need to decide whether you can get one large rectangle from your fabric, or you will need to put in side seams. If the latter, divide your width measurement into 3. Then make the back panel 1/3, and each front panel 1/3. Cut out your skirt panels, and join the side seams. Finish the seams as you like. I don't have a serger, so I like to neaten the seams with a zigzag stitch, like the seams shown on this finished dress:

Next, fold it your skirt piece half along the centre back. Draw  a nice curve on the bottom opening edge. I used my bendy curve, but you could draw round a large plate or just eyeball it. On the size 7, I started the curve about 10" up, and 10" along. Cut through both layers.

Then finish the bottom and front edges. On this dress I used some satin stretch bias binding tape, but on the earlier dresses I made, I used ric rac braid. I attached the tape first to the inside, with a zigzag stitch to hold the edge neatly, then turned it to the outside and over-sewed it.

Now to attach the skirt to the bodice. First gather the top edge of the skirt, and pull it up to fit the bodice. I gathered mine more around the back and the sides, so it wasn't so full where the two fronts overlap. Pin the skirt and bodice outer right sides together and stitch together with a 3/8" seam. You don't need to worry too much about finishing this seam as it will be enclosed. Then press under the 3/8" seam allowance on the bodice lining. You can then hand-stitch it to the inside, or, as I did, machine stitch it. (This will show as top-stitching on the outside.)

And you're done!

Back view

Front view

Inside view

And dress in use!

FOOTNOTE: 

I hinted that there are alternate ways to close this dress. I like the strings because they can be loosened as the occupant grows! But the Blooms and Bugs original which inspired this, uses buttons. So if you'd prefer that style, please refer back to Blooms and Bugs.