Pillowcase Dress

y wish for every new-to-sewing crafter who reads this is for your first garment-type project to go as smoothly as this pillowcase dress went for me. Kara, my one niece close enough to spoil on a regular basis, was baptised per her family tradition. Her mom, Jamie, approached me about making the dress, specifically something white with a bold pattern. Find a free tutorial at Prudent Baby. Here's what I did:


Since this dress pattern is symmetrical, I cut two identical fields of white jersey knit fabric, folded both in half, laid one atop the other, measured arm holes, and cut all four layers together.



The use of a self-healing cutting mat and rotary cutter has literally changed my life. These aren't cheap tools, but SO worth adding to your wish list! I measured and cut the patterned fabric that became the bottom hem, attaching right sides facing.



After hemming the top (head hole), I attached one side using a french hem - the term for double-hemming a garment to hide raw edges and provide a finished seam.



Before I attached the other side, I hemmed the bottom of the dress to one even length all around. The last step was to simply run a ribbon through the pocket at the neck as a way to tie the dress closed.



Unfortunately, not everything can go as smoothly. I attempted to make a headband. Simple, one 16" stitched hem, no problem, right? Well, given that I couldn't get the long, narrow band turned right side out after stitching, and given that I attempted three different bands before giving up, no, this was certainly a problem. Aye.