Search This Blog

Translate

Tuesday, June 25, 2013

Detailed Tutorial---How to Sew a Pinafore Dress




Using the pattern draft I have posted here, cut the pattern pieces. I lined the straps, body, and yoke, because I used a lightweight fabric for the main pieces. 

Straps (main and lining)



Yoke pieces (front and back, main and lining)





Body pieces (front and back)

    Main Fabric


    Lining Fabric


Ruffles




1. Prepare the straps:

Place the main and lining fabric of the strap with wrong sides facing, fold them in half lengthwise with the right sides of the main fabric meeting together, and join the raw edges with a 0.25-inch seam allowance. Turn it inside out, and here you have the strap. Move the seam to the middle and press.






2. Attach straps to the yoke pieces:

With wrong sides facing, place the straps on the yoke lining piece leaving 0.5 inch at both corners of the lining piece (circled in the image below).

Place the main fabric of the yoke above this with its wrong side down.
Pin the arm curves and the top side of the main and lining pieces (see image below). Make sure you  catch the straps as well with the pins.

Stitch them in place.

Repeat the step for the back yoke.





Turn them inside out, and the yoke part of the dress is ready.





3. Attach the body pieces:

Attach the body lining piece to the yoke lining piece, and the body main piece to the yoke main piece (front and back).



4. Join the body pieces:

Before joining the body pieces, I wanted to decorate the front piece. However, this is optional. I made a strip and attached it across the front piece and added on some fabric flowers. To prepare the strip, take a 2-inch-wide fabric. For length, measure across the body piece where you need to attach the strip.


Fold the edges (0.5 inch from both sides) toward the center. Fold again and join the open sides.


Pin the strip to the front main piece.


Once you are happy with the positioning, topstitch both edges of the strip.


Join the sides.


Sew on some fabric flowers in the center.



Serge the bottom hemline.




5. Sew the ruffles and attach it to the dress:

With right sides facing, join the ruffle edges widthwise, and then fold down 0.25 inch of the bottom edge. fold again and hem.





Here you see the ruffle fabric with the finished hemline.


Serge the top edge. I hand-rolled it. Now, to make ruffles, set your machine to the largest stitch. Sew two straight rows of stitches leaving at least 8 inches of thread at the beginning and end.



Gather the fabric by gently pulling the extra thread you left.


Gather the entire top edge of the fabric to match the circumference of the dress' bottom hemline.





Pin the ruffles 0.25 inch above the dress' hemline.


Sew the ruffles in place, removing the pins as you go.




Now you have a lovely pinafore dress. This dress can be worn over a matching top and leggings during winter or worn alone during summer. This is fourth in my me-made spring-summer dress series.






If you do make a pinafore dress using this tutorial, feel free to send me a picture of it. You can find my e-mail address at the end of the "About Me' section on the right column of my blog. I would be happy to share the picture on my blog.

I will soon meet you all with yet another tutorial.

I have posted a free PDF  printable sewing pattern of this dress in kids' size 1 year at this link. Please check.

You can find lots of free PDF printable sewing patterns on this page on my blog.

You can also click the Free Sewing Patterns Page at the top of this blog page (under the blog title) to find more free sewing patterns.

Click the below links to have a browse through the pattern drafting and sewing tutorials on my blog.