Girls’ dress made with pattern 172 is a festive children’s design that combines the main fabric, a decorative fabric, and lining. The bodice is double-layered: made from the main and decorative fabrics, with an open back and neat narrow straps. The dress is waist-seamed, and the top skirt is a half-circle skirt with gathering at the waist.
An elastic waistband is provided at the back waist, ensuring a comfortable fit and allowing the dress to be put on without a closure. Inside, there is a voluminous underskirt made of several panels and two ruffles (one from lining and one from decorative fabric), creating a full silhouette without excessive stiffness. The model is designed for girls approximately 74 to 136 cm tall.
Main fabric: lightweight cotton and suiting fabrics with no stretch or minimal stretch, for example:
Decorative fabric: eyelet, embroidered batiste, or another textured fabric compatible in thickness with the main fabric. If desired, you can sew the dress from a single fabric, using decorative pieces as contrast only through print direction or texture.
Lining: thin cotton batiste, cotton lining fabric, or another skin-friendly fabric that holds fine gathers well.
Required notions:
You need: 2 cm wide elastic.
| Supplies / Size (height) | 74 | 80 | 86 | 92 | 98 | 104 | 110 | 116 | 122 | 128 | 136 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Main fabric 1.5 m wide | 0.65* | 0.65* | 0.70* | 0.70* | 0.75* | 0.75* | 0.80* | 0.85* | 0.90* | 0.90* | 0.90* |
| Decorative fabric 1.5 m wide | 0.60* | 0.65* | 0.65* | 0.70* | 0.70* | 0.75* | 0.75* | 0.80* | 0.80* | 0.85* | 0.85* |
| Lining 1.5 m wide | 0.75* | 0.80* | 0.85* | 0.85* | 0.90* | 0.90* | 0.95* | 1.00* | 1.05* | 1.05* | 1.05* |
| Elastic 2 cm, cm | 18** | 19** | 19** | 20** | 20** | 21** | 21** | 22** | 22** | 23** | 24** |
* material consumption is given without allowances for shrinkage, print direction, nap, plaids/stripes, skewing, gaps, and other production losses.
** elastic length is approximate and depends on the density and stretch of the elastic.
Step 1. Preparing the bodice from the main and decorative fabrics.
On the main-fabric bodice pieces, sew the side seams from the armhole to the control notch along the bodice hemline, using a 1 cm seam allowance. On the decorative-fabric pieces, sew the side seams from the armhole to the bodice hem. Press seam allowances open. Stabilize the bias-cut edge of the open back at the notch with fusible stay tape, without stretching the fabric.
Step 2. Joining the bodice to the decorative layer; finishing the armholes and neckline.
Place the main- and decorative-fabric bodice pieces right sides together. The armholes, neckline, and back edges on the decorative layer are made slightly smaller—this is necessary to form a neat turn of cloth. When sewing the armholes and neckline, match the edges according to the decorative piece, without pulling the main fabric, leaving a slight “ease” on the main layer.
Sew the armholes starting about 3 cm from the shoulder seam, with a seam allowance of about 0.5 cm. Sew the neckline and back edges in the same way. Sew the center-back seam (on the decorative layer) as well, keeping the allowances even. Turn the bodice right side out through one armhole or the neckline and press carefully, forming a clean turn: only the main fabric should be visible from the right side, with the decorative layer slightly “hidden” inside.
Step 3. Finishing the shoulder seams “in the round”.
At this stage, the shoulder areas remain open for a few centimeters from the armholes. First, place the main-fabric shoulder edges right sides together and sew with a 1 cm seam allowance. Carefully turn through the neckline, pull out the decorative-fabric shoulder areas, and place them right sides together as well. Sew the decorative-fabric shoulder seams with a 1 cm seam allowance.
Turn the bodice right side out and press the shoulder seams. Then close the open sections of the armholes near the shoulders: starting from the previous backstitches, stitch on each side to close the openings. Turn the bodice right side out again and press the armholes and shoulders—this should form neat narrow straps with a clean finish inside.
Step 4. Securing the bodice center back.
For easier assembly at the waist, overlap the right and left back bodice sections along the marked center line (by the seam allowance width) and secure with hand stitches or a short machine tack at the waistline. The open-back portion remains above.
Step 5. Preparing the elastic waistband.
Place the main and decorative waistband pieces right sides together and stitch along the long edges with a 0.5–0.7 cm seam allowance. Turn the waistband right side out, square the corners, and press on edge, ensuring the contrasting fabric is not visible from either side.
Fold the waistband in half lengthwise to form a casing for the elastic. Stitch about 1 cm from the fold, creating a casing for 2 cm wide elastic. Cut the elastic according to the supply table (adjust as needed for the child’s waist), thread it through the casing, distribute evenly, and secure the ends with backstitches at the waistband edges. Then fold the waistband into a pleat so the finished width matches the elastic width, and secure the pleat with short stitches near the edges.
Step 6. Top skirt from the main fabric.
The top skirt piece is a half-circle skirt with one seam at the center back. Place the piece right sides together and sew the center-back seam with a 1 cm seam allowance; finish the edges and press the seam open. Finish the skirt hem and sew it using your preferred method (double fold hem, narrow hem, or a decorative hem for lightweight fabrics).
Along the skirt waist edge, sew two parallel gathering stitches (0.5–0.7 cm apart). Pull the threads to match the dress waist measurement (the seam line where the bodice joins the waistband), distributing the gathers evenly across the entire skirt width.
Step 7. Lining panel 1 (top section of the underskirt).
Sew the “panel 1” lining piece at the side seams; finish edges and press seams open. Sew two gathering stitches along the top edge of panel 1 and pull them to match the dress waist measurement (the waistline before the elastic is inserted into the waistband). If needed, measure and write down this length in advance—it’s easier to control the gathering after the waistband is drawn in by the elastic.
Step 8. Sewing the waistband into the waist seam.
The waistband is attached along the back waistline. First, insert the waistband ends into the side seams of the dress, matching the center of the waistband to the center back. Place the waistband right sides together with the back bodice waist edge, stretching the elastic to the waist length. Stitch with a 1 cm seam allowance and press seam allowances toward the waistband.
Step 9. Attaching the top skirt to the bodice and waistband.
Place the gathered top skirt right sides together with the bodice and waistband, matching the skirt seam to the center back and the side notches to the dress side seams. Distribute gathers evenly and stitch the skirt to the bodice and waistband in one seam with a 1 cm seam allowance. Press seam allowances upward; optionally secure them with a 0.1 cm topstitch on the bodice or waistband.
Step 10. Preparing the lining: panels 1, 2, 3.
The underskirt consists of three panels: panel 1, panel 2, and panel 3. Sew each panel into a loop at the side seams (each piece separately), finish edges, and press seams open.
Overlock/finish the lower edge of panel 2 and hem it with a small fold. Sew gathering stitches along the top edge of panel 1 (as in Step 7) and along the top edge of panel 3, then pull to the required lengths according to the scheme (panel 1—to waist length; panel 3—to the seam length where it joins panels 1 and 2).
Step 11. Preparing the ruffles from the decorative fabric and lining.
Prepare two ruffles separately: one from the decorative fabric (decorative ruffle) and one from the lining. Sew each ruffle into a loop at the side seams, finish edges, and press seams open. Finish the lower edge of each ruffle using your chosen method: narrow hem, rolled hem, or overlock with topstitching.
Sew two parallel gathering stitches along the top edge of each ruffle and pull them to match the bottom edge of panel 3, distributing gathers evenly.
Step 12. Attaching the ruffles to panel 3 (lower section of the underskirt).
Place the decorative ruffle and panel 3 right sides together and stitch to the bottom edge of panel 3 with a 1 cm seam allowance. Finish the seam allowances. Then place the lining ruffle against panel 3 wrong sides together, aligning edges and gathers, and stitch along the same seam so the seam allowances are enclosed between the two ruffles. Press the bottom edge of panel 3, turning the ruffles downward—these ruffles create the desired volume of the underskirt.
Step 13. Joining panels 1, 2, and 3 into one underskirt.
Turn panel 2 wrong side out. Insert panel 3 (with the attached ruffles) into panel 2 wrong sides together and stitch along the line indicated by the pattern, matching side seams and notches. Then place panel 1 right sides together with the top edge of panel 3 and stitch them together. Finish the seam allowances—these remain inside the underskirt.
You will get a multi-layer underskirt: panel 1 on top, panel 2 in the middle, and panel 3 at the bottom with two ruffles.
Step 14. Attaching the underskirt to the dress.
At this point, the dress is assembled: bodice, elastic-back waistband, and top skirt. Insert the underskirt inside the dress, wrong sides together. Turn the dress waist seam allowances upward. Place the top edge of panel 1 against the inside of the bodice at the waistline, matching side seams and center backs.
Stitch the underskirt to the bodice along the waist seam with a 1 cm seam allowance, then finish the seam allowances and press them upward. In the finished garment, the underskirt attachment seam is hidden inside, and only the clean waist seam of the top skirt and waistband is visible on the outside.
Step 15. Final steps and pressing.
Check strap symmetry and the evenness of gathers at the waist and along the ruffle hems. If desired, you can additionally tack the straps to the waistband by hand so they won’t shift during wear. Remove all basting.
Press the dress one final time: first the bodice and waistband, then the top skirt and the underskirt ruffles, using a pressing cloth for delicate fabrics. The Pattern 172 dress is ready—full, light, and comfortable thanks to the elastic-back waistband and the multi-layer underskirt.