Easy little girl dress patterns?

I'll be stalking this for sure too Renee!!! I was searching for this the other day too and Alivia is finally into wearing dresses:)  I would love a few for her to play around outside in this year!

I think I'm going to make a pillowcase dress and a T-shirt dress to start with. 

Yes, that's the one!  Super simple, casual, and comfy. 

She also has pillow case dresses (that style) and adds a ruffle to the bottom. I like that too. It "dresses" up the simple dress. 

Awe Sarah those patterns are soooo cute!!! Alivia would love them!!

Yes yes!  I have a few super cute free dress patterns saved.  Some of the first things I sewed for dd so they are pretty easy. 

Edited by Nuttygirl - 26 Mar 2012 at 1:31pm

Renee that link you put is the same one I have as my second button shirt on on my post.  I do love it.  I like it better in some ways than the one with sleeves but both are pretty versatile ideas.

moonangel12 wrote: Sarah2106 wrote: They are not free, but I am loving these patterns - they are easy and fast and simple too. No special notions - just some elastic. I don't care that DD plays in them or gets dirty because they were fun and easy to make but they also look really nice too. If I get the fabric on sale it is around $8-10 for a dress, which I am good with for being a play dress too I have made some t-shirts into dresses and they work, but DD now like "pretty dresses" and she loves mixing and matching fabrics so it is fun to make them for her How do her patterns compare to online tutorials? I have a 5 for $25 special in my cart, but don't want to regret the purchase.

For the dresses you actually get a pattern to cut out for the bodice and sleeves (you don't have to "wing it") and then it tells you the size of pieces to make the bottom of it. She also gives step by step. I like having a pattern and something in hand I can print. She also gives you how much material to purchase, so I had less waist. I got the 5/$25 and have not been disappointed in any of the patterns. There was a goof in one of them I noticed and she sent me a corrected one and a free pattern too

I have drafted a few of my own patterns before so I don't have too much problem winging it but the apron dress tutorial actually provides a bodice pattern in two sizes to print and cut.  I used the size 3/4 one and it fit my dd at 2 and would still fit fine now I would just have to lengthen the skirt part.  But I would make the 6/7 one now so she has more room to grow.

() the dresses I have been making
() skirt I made from her pattern. I also made one for my niece for her 3rd birthday with scrap fabric
() ruffle pants

hummm I don't have a picture of the ruffle pillow case dress I made that was also super easy.

I then used the ruffle pants to make the shorts (int he dress thread) I just tweaked them a bit and added elastic to make something more like "bloomers". I am also thinking about using the bodice from the dress pattern and then using a large single panel to make more of a tunic style instead of the layered ruffles. They are very adjustable!!

Yes they are the Oliva pattern and I have made the Mia

I want to make the Penelope, but it is similar to the Mia (just 2 ruffles instead of 1) so I think I can figure that one out from the Mia pattern

I am almost done with the one from the craftster site and it is really cute!! But as of now ODD has declared she doesn't like it and won't wear it . She told me to give it to Lily... I'm hoping i can convince her to wear it to church if DH wears his blue and white striped shirt that matches. I did pink accents so her crocs will match since she'll likely live in them this summer . I'm using the sleeves to make bloomers (hopefully). I just did wide straps instead of the flutter type sleeve since it was a little easier for my first one. It's taken me a while to get this one done, but a lot of the time has been spent making decisions on size, where to cut, what to add (accents), how to do different parts, etc. 

I did get her to try it on for me... the sides were way too big (I was making it last night after she was in bed. I knew they would be, but didn't realize it was quite so bad) so I took them in a bit on each side. Looking on the bright side, as she gets older I can let it back out for a shirt or something later on. The straps are a bit long also so I will probably take them up a little.

The back (before I took in the sides) - I'm hoping once I wash it the stitching will soften up so the top hem will lay a bit better. If not how can I fix it, or just leave it?



Goofy girl (this is after taking in the sides. I took the pocket off of the front of the shirt (now the back of the dress), added the pink and sewed it back on).



Close up - a bit wrinkled from being in a bag headed for Goodwill. Can I just say that sewing itty bitty stripes can make your head spin? Whew!

Very cute!!

That came out REALLY cute! I'm so excited I'll have a little girl to make dresses like this for!