How to Make a Ribbon Dress For Girls
Ribbon dresses, sometimes also called pillowcase dresses, are adorable, simply made outfits for little girls. Repurposing beautifully embroidered pillowcases, or cases where the "mate" has been damaged, is a great way to create simple fashion at a fraction of retail cost. There's no reason to simply toss those high-quality fabric cases anymore. In under an hour, even a novice seamstress can turn a simple pillowcase into a beautiful top or sundress for a little princess.
Things You'll Need
- Pillowcase
- Ribbons
- 1 yard rickrack
- Elastic
- Thread
- Sewing machine
- Sewing pins
- Pencil or chalk
- Scissors
- Safety pin
Instructions
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1
Wash the pillow case. Starch, then iron the case to ensure crisp, clean seams.
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2
Measure the short seamed edge of the pillowcase against the girl's collarbone. The open, wide hem of the case will serve as a hem for the dress. Mark the case at the desired length, and add 1 inch.
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3
Mark a "J" shape on the back of the dress by each arm to create arm holes. Depending on the girl's size, these should be 3 to 4 inches long.
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4
Cut the arm holes, and the top of the pillow case. Fold the cloth at the edges of the openings with a 3/4-inch edge. Pin and iron the open edges to the folded over cloth. Be careful not to pin the openings closed.
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5
Stitch along the edge of the fold, about 1/2 inch from the edge. This creates a casing for the elastic or ribbon.
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6
Cut two pieces of 6-inch elastic. Clip one end of a piece to the safety pin, and run it through the neck casing while holding the other end. Pin the ends to the inside of the casing, then stitch the elastic to the casing.
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7
Stitch the casing closed. The elastic will create a gathered neckline. Repeat the process for the back of the neck.
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Pin a piece of ribbon (10 to 12 inches) on each side of each arm hole, leaving 1 inch connected to the case, and the rest extending outward to tie at the shoulders. Stitch the ribbon to the arm hole, and stitch the armhole edge down for a finished edge.
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9
Sew ribbon, rickrack and other embellishments to the bottom, or other areas of the case for a decorative, one-of-a-kind dress.
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Tips & Warnings
You can make the dress reversible by using two pillowcases, one sew inside the other, giving two looks with one simple technique.
