Shirred dress for girls and women

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1 By: Jorth A simple shirred dress made in gorgeous Liberty Tana Lawn. This is such an awesome dress that I ve put together a tutorial on my blog, Jorth! So come on over and check it out and don t forget to let me know how you get on! The tutorial provides measurements for girls aged 2 to 14 years, and women XS to XL. Materials Liberty Tana Lawn from "Tessuti Fabrics": Step 1 Step 1 Things you will need: Fabric of your choice (I suggest a lightweight cotton, as you don t want anything too heavy for a shirred dress) Elastic thread 1cm wide elastic Matching thread 1

2 Firstly you need to measure how much fabric you will need. I measured around Grumble s torso, and then multiplied that measurement by two plus seam allowances to get the total width of the dress. The shirred part will stretch over to fit the bust nicely, without feeling too tight. Here are the standard torso measurements for children, based on Australian Standards: Children s Measurements Size Age Height Chest years 92cm 56cm years 100cm 58cm years 108cm 60cm years 115cm 62cm years 120cm 64cm years 125cm 66cm years cm 68cm years cm 74 80cm years cm 80 86cm years cm 86 90cm years cm 90 95cm years cm cm Or, if you decide you d rather make a shirred dress for yourself, here are the standard women s measurements, based on Australian Standards: Women s Measurements Size Bust Waist Hip XS 75 80cm 56 61cm 84 88cm S 82 87cm 61 66cm 88 93cm M 92 97cm 71 76cm cm L cm 81 88cm cm XL cm cm cm Firstly you ll need to figure out your torso measurement, and then double that. For example, Grumbles had a torso measurement of 68cm. Multiplying that by two gives you 136cm. Adding seam allowances of 2cm to each side makes it 140cm. You ll be cutting out a front and a back, so divide that figure by two to get the width of each piece. In this case it is 70cm. I decided that I wanted the dress to be mid-calf in length, so measured Grumbles once more. The resulting measurement was 65cm, from top of bust line to mid-calf. Adding 5cm for seam and casing allowances gave me a final figure of 70cm. So my final pattern piece for both front and back was 70cm wide and 70cm long. Once you ve figured yours out, cut two of these. Hooray! The maths part is over. Let s move on to some actual sewing! Step 2 Step 2 Step 1 Step 1 2

3 Once you have cut out your pattern pieces, overlock or finish all edges. Step 3 Step 3 Sew one side seam together, leaving the other side seam open. Step 4 Step 4 Create the casing for the elastic. On the wrong side turn over the overlocked edge and press, then turn over again to create a 1.3cm wide casing. Press. Stitch the casing close to the edge. Oh, and try not to laugh at my daggy ironing board. Step 5 Step 5 Step 2 Step 2 3

4 Before you begin to shirr, you ll need to have changed your normal bobbin for one that has been tightly wound with elastic thread. If the elastic thread isn t tightly wound onto the bobbin, then the elasticised effect will not occur. Now let the shirring begin! On the right side stitch a foot width away from the casing stitching. As you sew the elastic will cause the shirred part to bunch up behind your machine foot. It s pretty exciting! Step 6 Step 6 Repeat the shirring a foot width away until you have done 10 rows, or until you have shirred for your desired amount. If you are large busted you may want to shirr more than 10, or if you are making it for a very young child you may want to shirr for less than 10 rows. Figure out what you ll be most comfortable with, and go from there. You will probably need to re-wind your bobbin with more elastic thread every few rows. As you shirr, straighten out the fabric it helps you keep a straight line. Step 7 Step 7 Once the shirring has been completed, insert the desired length of 1cm wide elastic (measure it around the torso to see what length feels comfortable) into the casing at the top of the dress, tacking it to each end to keep it in place. Step 5 Step 5 4

5 Then with right sides facing sew your other side seam together. I like to sew over the shirred part twice, just to reinforce the elastic thread. We don t want any of them wriggling loose now! Then hem the bottom of the dress. Step 8 Step 8 Measure out how long your shoulder straps will be, then cut a two 3cm strips of fabric this length. Folding the strips in two with right sides together, sew close to the edge of the strap. Trim seam allowances, then inside-out the strips. Attach the shoulder straps to the inside of the back and the front of the dress in your desired position. I find with Grumbles that the straps don t slip off her shoulders so much if I cross them over at the back. Now pat yourself on the back and do a happy dance you ve completed a shirred dress! Step 7 Step 7 5