DIY: Ruffle-Sleeved Sundress!

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1 DIY: Ruffle-Sleeved Sundress! Every year, Dresses for Haiti donates unique, handcrafted dresses to victims of the devastating 2010 earthquake in Haiti. This tutorial is for those who would like to contribute to our mission and make dresses for young girls in Haiti. While you make yourself or a loved one a gorgeous new dress, consider making one or a few for young girls in Haiti. This overlaid, ruffle-sleeved dress does not require a pattern and can be styled in many different ways. Make a sporty statement with jersey-on-lycra, go ballerina-glam with organza-on-satin, or stay classychic with lace-on-cotton. We d love for you to join our effort and follow us in this simple tutorial as you create a stunning, boatnecked sundress for a Haitian girl! Junior s dress: Macy s

2 Materials 1) Dress Fabric: Lightweight cotton/cotton blends You may use stretch fabric (i.e. interlock, cotton lycra) if desired. Don t use silk, satin, or anything slippery unless you feel comfortable using these materials. Remember, matching seams can be difficult with certain prints (plaid, stripes, etc.) so take this into consideration when choosing your fabric. 2 ) Overlay Fabric: Lace, organza, tulle, jersey-lycra, transparent cotton Use sheer fabric. The dress fabric is supposed to show underneath the overlay. 3) Sewing Machine All sewing machines are not created equal. Our settings simply serve as guidelines; please experiment with your own machine to find your optimal stitch lengths and tensions. 4) Serger (optional) 5) Thread to match your fabric 6) Elastic Thread 7) Fabric Scissors 8) Ruler 10) Scrap Paper 11) Fabric Marker

3 Cut 2 of overlay fabric 13 inches 18 inches 18 inches Sizing The following chart gives a rough guide for fabric dimensions and sizing. It s okay if your measurements aren t exact. We don t know who we will be giving the dresses to yet, and we can utilize any sizes. Measurements for babies 3-24 months old Ages (months) Height (inches) Chest (inches) Hip (inches) Recommended fabric length Recommended fabric width Recommended sleeve dimensions Measurements for girls 2-16 years old Age (Years) Height (Inches) Chest (Inches) Hip (Inches) Recommended fabric length Recommended fabric width Recommended Sleeve dimensions Follow the diagram below for cutting your fabric. 3 in. These dimensions are for a 3-6 month old baby adjust yours accordingly. (Note: The figure is NOT drawn to scale.) 17 inches 17 inches Cut 2 of Dress Fabric Cut 2 of Overlay Fabric

4 _3 inches_ I_6 inches I I_6 inches I Cut Arm and Neck Holes Use a piece of scrap paper to draw a pattern for the arm and neck holes. 1. Draw a circle for the armhole with the measurements below. 2. Draw an oval for the neck hole with the measurements below. 3. Follow the diagram to cut the openings. 4. Cut the front and back of the fabric at the same time. 5. Cut the front and back of the overlay at the same time. Measurements for babies 3-24 months old Ages (months) Armhole diameter of circle Neck hole oval dimensions 5 X 3 5 X 3 6 X 4 6 X 4 6 X 4 Measurements for girls 2-16 years old Age (Years) Armhole diameter of circle Neck hole oval dimensions 6 X 4 6 X 4 7 X 4 7 X 4 8 X 4 8 X 4 8 X 4 9 X 5 9 X 5 9 X 5 Follow the diagram below for cutting the neck and arm holes. These dimensions are for a 3-6 month old baby adjust yours accordingly. (Note: The figure is NOT drawn to scale.) 5 inches 6 inches 6 inches 1 8 I N C H E S 17 inches

5 _2.5 in. 7 inches 18 inches Measure the waist 1. Measure from the top of the fabric down to the indicated back waist length measurement on the chart. 2. Use a colored pencil or fabric marker to mark a horizontal line across the fabric. 3. Mark another line 5/8 below the line you just drew. 4. Repeat step 3 twice. 5. Repeat steps 1-5 for the back of the dress, front of the overlay, and back of the overlay. You will refer to these lines when you create the cinched waist. Measurements for babies 3-24 months old Ages (months) Back Waist Length mark on fabric Measurements for girls 2-16 years old Age (Years) Back Waist Length mark on fabric Follow the diagram to the right for drawing the waist-lines. These dimensions are for a 3-6 month old baby adjust yours accordingly. (Note: The figure is NOT drawn to scale.) 5/8 inches wide 5/8 inches wide 5/8 inches wide 17 inches

6 Hemming and serging 1) Overcast or zigzag stitch around all fabric edges. (Or use a serger. On the sewing machine: set both your stitch length and zigzag width at about 4. Adjust this according to your machine and/or your preferred stitch widths and lengths. 2) Hem the bottom edges of all 4 pieces of fabric with a 1/4 inch seam. If your machine cannot zigzag stitch and you do not have a serger, do a double-folded hem on the bottom only (See figure below.)

7 Attach the overlay 1) With the right sides together, sew the shoulder seams together. 2) With the right sides together, sew the side seams together.. 1) With the wrong side of the fabric facing the right side of the overlay, stitch the dress fronts and backs together at the neckline and armholes. 2) Flip the overlay inside out. 3) Press the armhole and neckline seams with an iron. Stay-stitch around them with a 1/4 inch seam.

8 Elastic shirring A) Loosely hand-wind the bobbin with elastic thread You may be able to machine-wind the elastic thread. However, some machines cannot feed stretched-out elastic thread through the plates. Experiment with your bobbins and thread on a scrap piece of fabric. B) Load the bobbin normally. For Brother Machines only: Many Brother machines require different shirring settings. (I use the longest stitch length and a tension of 6.) I recommend using this video s method: Disclaimer: I do not discourage you from purchasing a brother machine. I use a limited-edition Project Runway Brother machine, and it works wonderfully. C) Set the stitch length and tension according to your machine s shirring capabilities. (This will probably be a medium tension and the longest stitch length.) D) Stitch across the original waist-lines you drew but do not backstitch!

9 Make the sleeves At this point, you should have two pieces of overlay fabric for the sleeves. 1. Hem all 4 edges of the overlay fabric with a 1/4 inch hem. If you used a serger to overcast the fabric, you can skip this step. 2. Sew the sides of the fabric together with a 5/8 inch seam. 3. Gather the ruffles with non-elastic thread. 4. Match the top-edge of the ruffles to the armholes, with the right sides of the fabric together. Stitch in place with a 5/8 inch seam. 5. Topstitch the sleeve in place.

10 You re done! Finished! If desired, add extra trims and embellishments. Go to dresses-for-haiti.tumblr.com and submit a picture of the dress you made. We will feature some of your amazing outfits on our Tumblr! We also will promote any blogs that will do the same for us in return. If you would like to donate the dresses you sewed to a young girl in Haiti, send an to info@dressesforhaiti.org detailing how many dresses you will be donating. We will you some information, regarding the next steps. Congratulations! You ve just completed your boat-neck sundress! Stay tuned for more tutorials. ericalin.dressesforhaiti@gmail.com if you have any questions regarding sewing or styling.