How to Make Dresses From Onesies

Turn a simple infant bodysuit into an adorable dress.

Transform a plain infant body suit into an adorable little dress for your child. Add a skirt just beneath the underarms, made from your choice of fabric. Create a ruffled, sheer skirt for the dress for a lightweight summer outfit, or make the skirt from thick velvet instead for a dress that will help to keep your baby warm during the winter months.

Things You'll Need

• Soft tape measure
• Fabric of your choice
• Sewing machine
• Thread
• 1/4-inch-wide elastic
• Safety pin
• Straight pins
• Elastic thread
• 1-inch-wide ribbon

Instructions

1. Measure the baby's chest circumference, just beneath her arms. Add 3 inches to this measurement and draw a line of this length across the fabric of your choice.

2. Measure from just beneath her arms to the length you would like the dress; add 1 inch and measure down this distance from the line on your fabric. Multiply the chest measurement by two and draw this line across your fabric. Connect the ends of the lines on the right and the ends of the lines on the left and then cut out the shape for the skirt.

3. Fold the skirt fabric in half lengthwise and sew a running stitch to join the sides. This will be the dress' center back seam.

4. Fold over 1/2-inch around the top and bottom of the skirt fabric and sew a running stitch to make smooth edges. Leave a 1/2-inch-wide gap in the seam at the top narrow end of the skirt.

5. Cut a piece of 1/4-inch-wide elastic to match the circumference of the baby's chest. Slide a safety pin through one elastic end and slide the safety pin into the hole in the top seam. Slide the elastic around the top seam and sew the ends at the gap. Sew the gap closed.

6. Slide the elastic skirt over the bottom of the infant bodysuit and up to just beneath the arms. Pin the fabric to the bodysuit and use elastic thread to sew a running stitch all the way around.

7. Multiply the baby's chest circumference by 2.5 and cut a piece of 1-inch-wide ribbon to this length. Fold the ribbon in half and pin the fold to the front center of the dress, over the skirt's top edge. Sew the ribbon over the skirt's top edge to the back of the dress and tie the ends of the ribbon in a bow.

References

• "Little Girls, Big Style"; Mary Abreu; 2010
• "Carefree Clothes for Girls"; Junko Okawa, et al.; 2009