This is a very pretty dress that any little girl would be happy to wear and it is quite simple to put together using two pieces of fabric – one for the front and one for the back – which are gathered at the top using a technique known as shirring.

The shirring effect is created by putting elastic thread in the bobbin and regular thread in the needle and it works really well on lightweight fabrics. I made this for a seven year old, but to determine how much fabric you need, measure the child around the chest and from under the armpit to the desired length.

I like to double the chest measurement to give the dress a nice fullness and use 1½cm seam allowance on both sides. There is a double fold hem on the top and the bottom.

Read pattern through from beginning to end before starting to sew

List of requirements

  • • Fabric (will depend on the age of the child)
  • • Matching thread
  • • Elastic thread (for shirring)
  • • 2 buttons
  • • Tailor’s chalk
  • Measurements

    Based on example for seven-year-old pictured: Chest: 70cm. Length: 70cm.

    Cutting

    For the front and back of the dress, cut two pieces of fabric 73cm wide (70cm + 1½cm+1½cm seam allowances) by 76cm long (70cm+2cm+4cm double fold hem).

    For the straps, cut two pieces 9cm wide by 47cm long.

    Directions

    1 Prepare fabric. Neaten both sides of front dress using the zig-zag stitch or any of the overcasting or finishing stitches on your machine. Repeat for the back.

    2 Turn under, press and sew a double fold hem 1cm + 1cm along the top of the dress front and back. To mark placement for the straps, fold the dress front in half, fold in half again and finger press. Open out. The straps will be placed at the first folded mark in from the edge. Mark with tailor’s chalk. Repeat for the back.

    3 You now have two pieces of fabric (front and back) hemmed at the top and neatened on both sides.

    4 Take the front and, on the right side of the fabric, mark the first row of shirring by drawing a straight line across the top 1cm down from the finished edge. Continue marking rows for shirring until there are 10 in total, all parallel to each other and measuring 1½cm apart. Do the same for the back.

    5 Shirring: Wind the elastic thread onto the bobbin by hand, stretching it slightly as you go. Be careful not to wind it too tightly, or it will not have the desired effect. Place your bobbin in the machine. Thread the top of your machine with regular thread as normal and then pull up the bobbin thread elastic ready to start. Place the fabric under the machine, right side up, and set the machine to the longest stitch length.

    6 Sew your first row of shirring. It may not look very gathered at this stage, but be patient, the more rows you sew the more gathered it will become. To secure each end of row, bring both threads through to the back and tie off using a knot.

    7 When sewing the next row, keep the fabric flat and taut by pulling the previous row out to its original size. It’s important that you keep the fabric flat as you sew.

    8 Repeat until all 10 rows of shirring are completed and securely tied off at each end with a knot. Make the back of the dress in the same way.

    9 Place the front and back dress pieces right sides together and sew down each side seam.

    10 Make the straps (follow diagram): Fold strap in half lengthways right sides together with raw edges meeting. Sew 1cm seam, then open and place seam allowance in the centre back and press. Sew a round curved edge on one short side (see figure 1). Trim around curved edge. Turn right side out and press. The curved edge will be placed on the front of the dress with a button sewn on top. Neaten the other short side of the strap by folding the fabric back inside the strap and hemming in place. Repeat for second strap.

    11 The straps will be crisscrossed at the back to prevent them from slipping off the shoulder. Place straps on the back using markers as a guide and pin in place. Making sure that they are crossed over at the back, bring them around to the front and again pin in place. This would be a good time to try on the dress and make any adjustments necessary.

    12 Turn under, press and sew a double fold hem 2cm + 2cm along the bottom of the dress front and back.

    Time-Saver

    If you don’t have enough time to make a dress, make a skirt instead, using the waist measurement and leaving off the straps.