How to Make a Pillowcase Dress (for a Child)

Summer means weddings, and not only are brides' dresses expensive, but so are the dresses of everyone else in the wedding party -- including the flower girls. Create your own flower girl dress so that your little ones can look adorable at the wedding, without breaking the bank. Surprisingly, all it takes is a pillowcase and a little ingenuity.

Things You'll Need

• Sewing pins
• Sewing machine
• Iron
• 1 yard of extra fabric
• Pillowcase
• Elastic
• Measuring tape
• 4 ribbons (3 x 14 inches)
• Scissors

Instructions

1. Lay out your pillowcase and iron it flat. This will help in making sure your dress is even.

2. Turn the open side of the pillowcase facing towards you. Measure from the sewed side down 2 inches, and cut a straight line along the 2-inch line mark all the way across the sewed edge. You should be cutting the entire top of the sewed edge off.

3. Make an armhole template. It needs to be about 2 1/4 inches in and about 5 1/4 inches up.

4. Lay the template on your pillowcase and trace on each side. Then, following your traces, cut the holes out. Set your pillowcase to the side.

5. Get out your extra yard of fabric. Cut a 2 1/2 inch-by-45-inch-long strip of fabric.

6. Fold both sides of the strip to the middle, then in half again. Pin about every 3 inches. Iron the strip flat.

7. Take your pillowcase and lay it flat on the armhole. Then take your strip of fabric and place the armhole in the inside of your folded strip. Pin it about every 2 inches or so.

8. Take your pinned armhole to the sewing machine. Sew along the side as close as you can get it. Repeat the same step with the other side as well.

9. Fold one side towards you (towards the inside of garment) about 1 1/4 inches at the top of the garment, then again. Pin it on both sides and in the middle. Repeat on the other side. Then iron flat. Sew each side along the bottom of the fold.

10. Take out the four ribbons you have cut, and the elastic. Estimate how long the collarbone is on the child you are making the dress for. The average length for a 9- to 11-year-old is 7 inches; for a 6- to 8-year-old, it's 6 inches; for 2- to 5-year-olds, 4 inches.

11. Take one ribbon and one piece of elastic, and place the elastic in the middle of one end of the ribbon. Fold both sides of the ribbon in and sew down. Then do the same to the other side of the same elastic. Repeat with the other piece of elastic.

12. Take one of the pieces of elastic and ribbon and put a safety pin on one side. Then thread it through the top of your garment. Repeat with the other. Once you have them threaded, pull the ribbon out until you can feel the elastic at the edge of the side. Sew it there to hold it in place. Repeat on each side.

13. Tie a bow on the shoulders and one around the waist with the ribbon.

Tips & Warnings

• Use the closest straight stitch you have on your machine

• Always be safe when handling and iron and a sewing machine

• Use any fabrics!

• Have fun!

• Mix it up and go crazy!

• Remove all your pins before sewing over them! (lol)

• Take your time!