Tutorial: How To Hack A Baby Dress

One of the mixed blessings of being an avid sewing enthusiast is looking at factory made baby clothes and having the following inner monologue: "Ohhh, I like that...it's really cute...I bet I could make that..". Especially when I look at the prices they ask for some of that stuff. Baby clothes gets outgrown so fast and it take such little fabric that I'd rather try to make some of the cutesy outfits instead of paying as much for a newborn's dress as I do for my own! I discovered Jen at The Thrifty Home, celebrates this kind of thrifty on Penny Pinching Wednesdays and had to join in. So here's my how-to for a cute little dress style I saw in a big box store. Sorry I haven't noted dimensions at this point, but eventually I'll add that in. I wasn't crazy about the store version's fabric (all synthetic) or the blah colored print it was made from, but the shape was cute and seemed pretty easy to put together. I had this cute owl corduroy (snagged for $4) just waiting for the right project too:


1. I determined the dress was made from the following pieces:

Front body (1 cut on fold), Back body (1 cut on fold), Front collar (cut 2), Back collar (cut 2)

I laid out the dress as flat as I could for each section and traced them onto my cheap, but sturdy Ikea paper and noted the placement of the snaps, where the collar pieces met the body pieces and added a seam allowance. (Note: I folded the body pieces when I traced so they could be cut on the fold and therefore perfectly symmetrical).

2. I sewed together & pressed open the side seams of the front & back pieces.


3. I used bias tape to edge the underarm sections.


4. I sewed the flat edge of each front collar to each back collar piece

5. I then sewed, right sides together, the inner curve of the collar and just around to where the snaps will go.
6. Turning the collar right side out, I sandwiched the top of the front & back pieces into the open portions of the collar, folding the collar raw edge under & then topstitched it all around.

7. Then I positioned my snaps where my markings were on the collar and hammered away to set them and PRESTO! It was done! I even had enough fabric left over to make a matching bib. Now I can make this dress in just about any fabric, for any season and can just enlarge the size for a growing girl.

Here's my little lovey modeling my handiwork. It's a little big here, but she's on the small side and just a few weeks old so she'll grow into it soon (and be able to wear it as a top when she's even older!).  When I was in crazy nesting mode I decided to make the coordinating lap shouldered shirt & footed pants from rib knit and now that the cooler weather is here, I'm glad I did!