Hi, friends! I am excited to share with you a precious little number that is a must have in every little girl's closet! You've likely heard of it before -- the essential pillowcase dress, also known as peasant dress. I dressed my baby girl, who's now 13, in pillow case dresses made of vintage fabrics I found at resale shops way back when, and now our Pinterest stream is full of images and instructional how-to's. For good reason - they're downright simple, feminine and leave plenty of room for your little one to play without feeling confined or uncomfortable. Not to mention they can suit most any occasion; they can be casual or dressed up with some fancy ribbon.
- Lay pillowcase flat on table with open edge closest to you.
- Cut off the top (closed short edge) of the pillowcase. Determine how long you would like the dress before cutting. Note: The cut edge will be the top of the dress.
- Next, cut the arm holes 3-4 inches deep on each side of the pillowcase, at the cut edge. The arm holes should be J-shaped. See diagram above for clarification.
- Take the top cut edges and separately fold each side 1/4” down (towards the inside of dress), and then again another 3/4″ to create a finished edge. It may help to iron these folds to help keep them in place.
- Stitch along the first folded edge to make a “tunnel” or casing. Repeat this for both the front and back of dress.
- Now, there are 2 ways to finish the pillow case dress: A: Take 2 long ribbons and insert one into each of the tunnels you created. They will tie at the shoulders to hold up the dress (see photo). B: Insert 6 inch elastic strips into the tunnels you created and sew ends of the tunnel closed. This creates a stretchy neckline and eliminates possible choking hazards of ribbons.
- Seal off arm holes by closing with stitching on binding. If you chose to use Option B above, leave about 10″ of excess binding on each end of the arm hold to tie together and use as dress straps.
- You may decorate the dress anyway you like. A little rick rack sewn across the pillowcase seam is usually a cute and easy addition!
