How to Make a Baby Dress Out of a Blouse

Turn the blouse at the back of your closet into an adorable dress.

Create an adorable summertime baby dress from an old button-up blouse for a recycling savvy project and a trendy baby fashion essential. Transform the blouse into a sleeveless dress that buttons from the back. You can adjust the size of the dress to accommodate your preference for length and then embellish the finished dress with a ribbon trim beneath the skirt's hemline. Make the dress for your own child, or show off just how environmentally friendly and crafty you are by making the dress for a special friend's new baby instead.

Things You'll Need

• Seam ripper or scissors
• Sewing machine
• Thread
• 1 1/2-inch-wide ribbon
• Straight pins (or safety pins)

Instructions

1. Cut or rip open the stitches along the left and right seams of the shirt. Do the same to remove the sleeves.

2. Lay the back of the shirt in front of you and draw a line across the top, from the top of one armhole to the other. Cut off the fabric above the line. This is the front of the dress.

3. Fold the remaining back of the shirt in half. Measure from the new top of the dress to the length you would like. Add an extra 1 1/2 inches for seam allowances. Measure inward from the armhole 1 inch and draw a curved line from the 1-inch mark to the outside edge of the shirt, at the length you would like the dress. Cut along the curved line. Cut a straight line across the shirt to the fold line to make the bottom of the dress.

4. Do up the buttons on the front of the blouse. This is the back of the dress. Lay the cut out shape from the back of the dress on top and trace around the shape. Cut out the shape from the front of the blouse.

5. Lay the two pieces together right sides in and sew a straight stitch along each side seam with a 1/4-inch seam allowance.

6. Fold the bottom of the dress over 1/2-inch and sew to make the hemline. Fold the top of the dress over 1/2-inch and sew to make a smooth edge for the top.

7. Cut two pieces of 1 1/2-inch-wide ribbon. Make each piece about 20 inches long.

8. Sew a 1/2-inch-wide straight stitch down one side of each piece of ribbon and then pull on the thread to gather the ribbon.

9. Try the dress on the child inside out. It buttons up in the back now. Pin one end of one ribbon to the top, front of the dress, just inside her shoulder. Repeat for the other piece of ribbon. Gather the ribbons by pulling the threads and pin the ends to the top, back of the dress at the left and right sides.

10. Remove the dress carefully. You can use safety pins instead of straight pins to attach the straps to that there is no chance of pricking as the dress is removed. Sew the ribbon ends to the dress and remove the pins.

References

• "Little Girls, Big Style"; Mary Abreu; 2010