10-Minute Easy Patternless Girl’s Dress

I have very basic sewing skills. As a result, I find myself just creating things from scratch in the simplest way possible. I usually make quilts and tote bags. But one day my daughter’s play school report said she really enjoyed playing dress up. Things started to click, even though I am not a girly-girl, my daughter loved whenever she got to wear a frilly skirt, sparkly clothes, or items adorned with princesses.

We had no real play clothes at home, so I decided I would make her a simple little dress. After all, no one would see it. Therefore, it did not matter if it came out screwy. I headed to Walmart to buy some fabric I saw plenty of times before but never had the courage to buy. It seemed like the fabric would do all the work and hopefully hide my mistakes.

Using any dress fabric, you can easily replicate this really simple girl’s dress. It requires very little time and effort. This is a great patternless project for beginner sewers like myself.

Before you buy the fabric, have an idea about how much you will need. You can take a shirt of the person you are making it for to help measure the fabric at the counter. Or you can use measuring tape an measure around the chest. Also keep in mind that when buying girl’s or women’s dress fabric it is measured from the bottom. So all the rouching at the top of the fabric is not part of the measurement. The cutter will flip the fabric, smooth out any ruffles at the bottom and then measure and cut.

• Dress fabric
• Fabric, bias tape, or similar for straps
• Basic sewing notions

Feel free to add any embellishments to this basic design. You can add buttons, rickrack, bows, ribbons, and so on.

1. With wrong sides together, pin and then sew the two raw edges together, creating one long seam.
2. Keeping the dress inside out, use a zig-zag stitch to attach the straps. Make sure the seam is to the back or side of dress.
3. Try the dress on the recipient.
4. You are done!

• It should look like a tube top dress after Step 1.
• Base the placement of the straps on how broad the recipient's shoulders are.
• Since this fabric comes with a finished hem, you do not need to worry about sewing a hem line. You just need to pin the fabric right in Step 1 so that the hems match up well when you sew the main seam.

• In making this design without a pattern, I had to remeasure the straps a few times. It was tough imagining how much needed to be cut based on holding it up to her body and how much the allowance was going to take up.
• Do not pre-wash the fabric. I actually let her try it on and wear it around the house a little before washing it. The rouching part looked like it shrunk after washing, but it stretched right back out when worn.

Stephanie Bradberry is a freelance writer and editor. She is an educator, herbalist, and naturopath who runs her own home-based business, Stephanie J. Bradberry, LLC. One of her favorite pastimes is DIY arts and crafts.