How to make a Smocked Sundress {It's so easy!}

January 24, 2022 Post a Comment

In today'south mail: Acquire how to plow pre-smocked fabric into an adorable sundress.

Every twelvemonth when I see pre-smocked fabric striking the textile stores I know information technology'southward summer. Smocked sundresses are and so cute, and they are amazingly easy to sew. In fact, if y'all aren't worried about adding straps, you can make 1 by sewing only 1 seam! Check out my one seam maxi dress correct hither.

However, when it comes to a dress for an active little girl, straps are pretty much a necessity. Today'south sewing tutorial shows you how to add ruffled straps to a smocked sundress.

Note as of June 2020: I purchased this fabric last summertime at Jo-Ann. When I visited my local Jo-Ann concluding week they only had a few bolts left of concluding twelvemonth'south pre-smocked fabric left in their clearance section. I asked an employee who said they haven't gotten any new summer textile in this yr – possibly due to supply line back ups. So it might be harder to detect this fabric right now, but hopefully it will be dorsum shortly! I have besides seen smocked textile at Walmart and other arts and crafts stores in the past, so it might exist worth looking around when you lot are out OR bookmarking this tutorial for later.

This is what pre-smocked material looks like. It's made with a cotton blend cloth that does not stretch. However, the tiptop portion of the textile is gathered up with elastic thread, which make the top panel stretchy. The bottom of the textile ends up about twice as wide as the top, which makes for a actually cute, easy to sew sundress.

Because the fabric is all gathered at the top, it tin can be hard to cut straight. Measure as much as you lot need along the smocked (gathered) edge of the cloth and cut directly down through information technology. When y'all cut through the terminal gathered sew together, straighten the cloth back out and carefully cut straight downwards from there. You lot tin also rip the bottom portion of the fabric – it should tear in a straight line.

How much smocked textile will I need?

To notice out how much fabric you need to make a smocked sundress, mensurate the child you are sewing for around the chest, just under the arms. That measurement is the length of textile you demand to make the Clothes. You will too need an additional 1/4 yard – or 9 inches – of smocked fabric to make the STRAPS. Finally, considering this fabric is cotton fiber and volition probably compress a chip, I would add 3-4 inches to the full length only to make certain yous don't end up brusk.

Chest measurement + 9 inches for straps + iii inches for shrinkage = full length of smocked cloth to purchase

NOTE: If you similar, you may likewise make the ruffled straps out of a contrast material instead of using additional smocked textile. Buy 1/4 1000 or a fat quarter of additional fabric to make the straps.

NOTE #ii: The strap blueprint I'm including in this post was mean for a size 10 wearing apparel, only information technology should be adequately like shooting fish in a barrel to conform for smaller or larger sizes. In fact, if yous are making 1 size smaller or larger you shouldn't need to conform it at all. If y'all are making the dress for a teen or adult, cutting the straps and ruffles a few inches longer than shown. And if yous are making it for a few sizes smaller, just print the pattern slightly smaller (peradventure ninety% or then).

Download the straps pattern

Click here to download the blueprint for the ruffled straps. Print it out at 100% or full size and be certain the examination square measures one inch. This is what the pattern looks like:

How to Make a Smocked Sundress

Wash and dry out your textile before you lot brainstorm.

Begin by measuring the person you are sewing for around the chest, just under the arms. This measurement is how much of the smocked cloth you will employ for the dress. Measure along the gathered side of the fabric and cut at that measurement.

Then fold the smocked cloth in half with right sides together, and sew the two raw edges together with a 1/two inch seam allowance, as shown by the dots below. If you take a serger I would use it for this seam; if non, sew with a straight seam then finish the seam allowance with a zigzag and then it doesn't fray. This will go the center dorsum seam of the dress.

Try the wearing apparel on. Because information technology can be hard to measure this fabric, the clothes may be too roomy at this point, and you may need to take upwards to an inch out of the back seam. The proficient news is that once yous've gotten the fit right, the primary office of the dress is done!

How to brand straps for the sundress

Now we'll make the straps. On each of the ii strap pieces, fold in the long edges 1/4 inch and press. Then fold the strap in one-half lengthwise and press over again.

On each ruffle piece, turn the curved border in one/four inch twice and press, then stitch to hem.

Along the straight edge of each ruffle piece, sew two rows of gathering stitches.

Pull on the bobbin threads of the gathering stitches to gather up the straight border of the ruffle. Gather information technology until the ruffle measures nearly 9 inches in width, and be certain to evenly distribute the gathers.

Next, sandwich the gathered edge of a ruffle in between the two layers of a strap, every bit shown below. Place the ruffle so it's nearly an inch abroad from ane short edge of the strap (in my photo it's about two inches away, merely 1 inch would be meliorate). Identify the ruffle and so that the gathering stitches you sewed are completely covered past the strap, and pin well.

Then stitch the strap to itself, close to the edge. This will close up the strap and secure the ruffle into information technology.

Now it's fourth dimension to try the dress on again and effigy out where yous desire the straps to sit. Make sure the seam is going down the center back of the clothes. I chose to have the straps criss cross in the back of the dress. Pin the strap placement in the front and back of the clothes, making sure straps are equal distances away from the center back seam.

I sewed the straps to the wearing apparel using a straight sew that follows the existing gathering stitches on the wearing apparel fabric. I sewed across each strap along two rows of stitching, and so trimmed the excess.

At this betoken, all that'southward left is to hem the dress.