If you’ve been following my blog from the start, you know we’ve mastered quick and easy kids’ dresses and other clothing. Now, let’s elevate our skills!
I’m excited to share a delightful girl’s dress pattern, The Charlotte Dress, featuring a charming bib-front detail. This design is a canvas for your creativity, allowing you to experiment with different fabrics and embellishments to create truly unique dresses.
The sleeves can be made short or long, and you can add one or two layers of ruffles around the bib. Consider adding trims along the hemline and sleeves too—the possibilities are endless!
Get ready to transform simple patterns into stunning creations!
The Charlotte Bib Dress Pattern for Girls
Materials Required:
1) Medium weight cotton fabric for the bodice, skirt, sleeves and bib- requirement specified in the table- 3 below.
2) 4 pairs of KAM snaps in matching color (or if you know how to sew buttonholes, you may use ordinary buttons too.
3) Sewing Notions.
4) Lace with a width of 1- inch or more as preferred- requirement specified in the table- 3 below.
5) 3/8- inch elastic- requirement specified in the table-3 below.
6) Pattern pieces. * Enter your e-mail address and click the subscribe button to download the template automatically.
I suggest you read the entire pattern once before starting to get a general idea
All the fabrics used here are of 44/45 inches width.
The fabrics shown here are only for illustration purposes and as such may vary from the original.
The seam allowance is 3/8 -inch unless otherwise specified.
Size Chart
*****Pinch to zoom the tables
Table-1
Approximate Finished Measurements.
Table-2
Material Requirements.
Table-3
Measurements
**The dress is supposed to hit below the knee. Change the length of the skirt piece, if you would like it shorter or longer.
In the table below, “W” stands for the width and “L” stands for the length of the fabric piece to be cut.
Table-4
Sewing
Gather the supplies.
Cut the pattern template for the front bodice, fold the fabric to fit the width of the template and place the template on the fold. Mark around it and cut to get the front bodice piece. Repeat the steps to get the front lining piece.
Next, cut the back pattern template and keep it along the edge of the folded fabric as shown in the picture. Mark and cut to get two pieces of the back bodice. Repeat the steps to get two more of the same piece (for the back lining).
You will get your front bodice, back bodice pieces and the lining pieces like the above.
Cut your skirt pieces, referring to table-4 above.
Also cut your two sleeves, bib and bib lining pieces using the respective templates (** Transfer the marks for the gathers on to the sleeve).
Let’s start sewing.
***Turn the upper thread tension of your machine to zero and the stitch length to the longest to get a basting stitch.
Take the required length of the lace, referring to the table-3 above. Sew a basting stitch along the edge of the lace. Pull the thread from the bobbin gently and gather it.
Place the raw edge of the lace along the raw edge of the bib and pin, adjusting the gathers as you go. Turn the machine setting to normal and sew the lace to the bib.
Place the bib lining above the bib main piece, lining up the edges and with the right sides together. Sew along the curved edge to join. Bring the right side out and pull the lace taut. Press to make it clean and crisp.
Next, we attach the bib to the front bodice.
Fold the front bodice lengthwise in half and mark the upper center along the neckline. Similarly fold the bib lengthwise and mark the upper center along the neckline.
Place the bib over the front bodice, matching the center marks and pin. Sew along the curved edge of the bib to attach it to the bodice.
1) Take the front bodice and the front lining pieces, layer them with the right sides together, aligning the edges and sew along the neck, leaving a 3/8-inch seam.
2) Clip the curves and cut the corners to reduce the bulk in the seam.
3) Turn over to the right side and press flat.
4) Topstitch around the neck to make it clean and crisp.
Next, we finish the back bodice pieces.
1) Take one of the back bodice pieces and a lining piece, layer them with the right sides together, aligning the edges and sew along the button edge (center back) and neck, as marked by the black line. Repeat the same with the remaining back bodice and lining pieces.
2) Clip the corners and edges as you did for the front bodice. Turn over to the right side and press
3) Topstitch along the neck and center back.
Next, we join the front and back bodice pieces together.
Layer the front and back bodices, with the right sides together, lining up the side seams and shoulders (you will notice that the back pieces overlap along the center for button opening). Sew the side seams and the shoulders shut.
Next, we finish the sleeves. For that we first finish the hem that doubles as a casing for the sleeve elastic.
1) Fold the straight edge of the sleeve pieces by 3/8- inch and press.
2) Fold again by ½- inch and press once more. Sew the hem along the edge of the fold.
3) Take the required length of the elastic, referring to the table- 3 above, cut it into 2 equal pieces and insert one of the pieces through the casing formed, using a safety pin.
4) Secure the ends of the elastic by sewing back and forth a few times.
Fold the sleeve over, with the right sides together and the edges aligning. Sew it shut along the edge.
To gather the sleeve, sew a basting stitch between the points marked earlier. Pull the thread from the bobbin gently to gather it. Repeat with the other sleeve.
Let’s attach the sleeves to the bodice.
Place the sleeve on its right side and the bodice with the lining facing out. Keep the lower edge of the sleeve facing the armhole and slide the sleeve into the armhole.
Start lining up the edge of the sleeve with the armhole. Adjust the gathering in the sleeve such that it fits the armhole and the gathers are uniform on either side of the shoulder. Pin the sleeve along the armhole. Bring the machine settings back to normal and sew them together, removing the pins as you go.
Repeat the steps on the other armhole with the other sleeve.
Turn the bodice over to the right side. Sew the overlapping part of the back bodice shut, 3/8-inch from the lower edge.
Our bodice is almost done. We move on to the skirt part.
Take the two pieces required for the skirt. Keep the pieces overlapping with the right sides together and sew the side seams shut.
Sew a basting stitch, 3/8-inch away from the top edge. Leave a long tail of thread, of about 5 to 6 inches long to pull and gather the skirt (picture for illustration purpose).
Pull the thread from the bobbin gently to gather the skirt. Adjust the gathering to make it uniform and to match it with the lower edge of the bodice.
Let’s attach the bodice onto the skirt.
Keep the bodice on its right side and the skirt on its wrong side, with its gathered edge, facing the top edge of the bodice and slide the bodice into the skirt.
Align the raw edges of the two together and pin all around, making sure that the side seams are in line.
Turn the machine settings back to normal and sew the skirt onto the bodice. Zigzag to prevent fraying.
Turn over to the right side and topstitch along the seam line of the skirt and bodice to make it look neat and crisp.
Let’s attach the KAM snaps.
Starting from the top edge, make markings at 2-inches gap from each other, on the right side of one of the back pieces and attach the KAM snaps. Make markings with a 2-inch gap on the wrong side of the other back piece also and attach the complimentary KAM snaps (picture for illustration purpose).
Cut off the hanging thread and our dress is done!
Find the webstory for the post here, Bib Yoke Beauty: Free Girl’s Dress Pattern
Pin it for later here,
Rachel
Wednesday 4th of September 2024
Hi there! I love following your patterns as I am 32 weeks pregnant and having a little girl! I am actually wanting to make this as a gift for my niece, but I noticed on Table three, it just says one yard of fabric but doesn't have the width or length of the skirt pieces like the other patterns I have been following do. Am I missing something? Thanks!
Surayya
Thursday 5th of September 2024
The measurements for the skirt pieces can be found in table-4. I am sorry somehow it got deleted when I edited the pattern, I have made the necessary corrections. Thanks for pointing it out!