Molly's Sketchbook: Tiny Triangle Dress
When I tell other parents that I’m expecting a baby in June, they always tell me what a great time of year that is to have a baby. You can get outside and enjoy the weather with your new little one, and then down the road you can have fun outdoor birthday parties. This all sounds nice, but I’ve got to say, I’m not convinced.
As a native northern Californian I have never gotten used to New York City summers (or winters either, but that’s another story.) The classic East Coast heat and humidity combo is both totally foreign and totally unbearable to me, and I’m worried that I’m going to have an equally uncomfortable kid.
This super simple Tiny Triangle Dress is an attempt to help my daughter-to-be beat the NYC summer heat! It’s inspired by a traditional pillowcase dress and made out of Liberty of London Tana Lawn, which is just about the coolest and breeziest fabric ever made. The pattern is such a snap to sew that I’m planning to make a bunch of them in my favorite Liberty prints. So even if my baby’s hot, she’ll still look cute! --Molly
Materials
To make one 3-month sized dress:
- 1/2 yard of Liberty of London Tana Lawn. I used Betsy in Light Blue
- 2 yards of 14mm cotton twill tape in raspberry
- 100% cotton thread to blend with the fabric. I used color 1040
Cutting
Cut two rectangles 18-inches wide by 14-inches tall from the Tana Lawn.
Fold one of the panels in half lengthwise wrong side together. This will result in a rectanlge 9-inches wide and 14-inches tall. Orient it as shown above, with the fold on the left.
Measure 4-inches to the right of the fold at the top edge. Cut from this point diagonally down to the bottom right corner thus cutting off the right side of the folded rectangle.
Unfold the piece and press it flat.
Repeat the proceeding steps on the second rectangle to make two identical triangle-ish cut pieces.
Sewing
Press the diagonal sides of each piece 1/4-inch towards the wrong side twice.
Pin the pieces together along their diagonal sides, right sides together, stop pinning 5-inches from the top as shown above.
Sew the pieces together along the pinned sides with a 1/2-inch seam allowance, backstitching at the beginning and end of each seam. The top 5-inches will remain unsewn as shown above. You will not be catching the 1/4-inch folds in this seam.
Press the dress in the opposite direction so the seams are on top of one another. Press the 1/4-inch folds down flat once again and pin them into place along the entire side, including the unsewn top sections.
Edgestitch the 1/4-inch folds down.
Press the dress back into its original orientation, with the diagonal sides at the right and left.
Press the top raw edge 1/4-inch of the top panel towards the wrong side.
Then press it again 1-inch towards the wrong side and pin it down.
Edge stitch this fold down.
Repeat this for the second top raw edge.
This creates the channel at the top where the ribbon will be threaded through.
Hemming
Turn the dress wrong sides out.
Snip off the extra fabric at the bottom side seams.
Press the bottom raw edge of the dress 1/4-inch towards the wrong side twice and pin it in place. Be careful to keep it neat around the side seam area.
Starting at a side seam, edgestitch this hem down all the way around the bottom edge, backstitching at the beginning and end of this seam.
Adding the Ribbon
Cut two 24-inch lengths of ribbon.
Thread one length through the front top channel.
Thread the second one thrrough the back top channel.
Tie the ribbons together at each side in bows and you're all done!
May 20, 2012
Reader Comments (23)
Thanks so much. Despite my lack of math skills I am definitely inspired! :o)
Thank you so much for your enthusiasm about this pattern. We don't have a chart available but it should be pretty simple to adjust the pattern to any size you'd like. Here's how I'd do it:
Figure out how long you'd like the dress to be. You can either measure your child or a garment that fits your child to figure this out. This is the length.
Measure the bottom of skirt that fits your child. This is the bottom width.
Measure your child across the chest above the armpits, where you would like the top of the dress to sit. Add a few inches to this measurement for the gathering (I'd try 2 inches for a baby, 3 or 4 inches for a larger child.) This is the top width.
Cut two rectangles that measure the length + 1 3/4-inches by the bottom width + 2-inches.
Fold the rectangles in half lengthwise. Orient them so the fold is on the left. At the top raw edge make a mark that is half of the top width + 1-inch to the right of the fold. Cut a diagonal line from this mark to the bottom right hand corner, thus cutting off much of the left side.
Follow the directions for putting the dress together as detailed in the pattern, adjusting the depth of the separation of the two panels at the top to be a bit larger and cutting longer lengths of ribbon for the ties.
I would do this in muslin or scrap fabric before embarking on the actual project. It is a very quick sew so it shouldn't take too long to mock up a sample beforehand and take note of any adjustments you'd like to make for the final pattern.
Good luck everyone and let us know how it goes!
Thank you!
Molly
If you have any problems or questions please let us know- and good luck!
Molly
Ahem. Missed that. Any idea how to open up those sleeve holes? Hee hee.
This was the perfect thing for a piece of Liberty I had waiting around for inspiration. I, too, was about to a sort of pillowcase top. I'm glad I saw this -- just in the nick of time!
Unfortunately if you've already sewn the sleeves to shallow you'll just have to rip out the seam and start again. Since this piece has so few seams it shouldn't take too long! Good luck!
Molly
Maybe it's just me being over cautious, but the long drawstring ribbon top looks a bit of a strangle hazard to me. I think I shall do the gathers with elastic and sew short ribbons fixed in place to tie up the straps.
See number seven here http://multivroon.blogspot.nl/2012/06/ieniemienie-poppenkleertjes-met.html.