How to make a Pillowcase Dress (free Pillowcase Dress pattern sz 2 to 16)

A Pillowcase Dress is a perfect beginner sewing project!  This type of dress is made with no zippers, buttons or hooks. Use my free pdf pattern (available in sizes 2 to 16) to learn how to sew a Pillowcase Dress for your little miss!

What is a Pillowcase Dress?

Pillowcase dresses were originally designed to be kind of a “one size fits all” type dress for little girls.  The way the dresses are made (loose-fitting and gathered around the neckline). The dress will “grow” with the girl, eventually becoming more of a top than a dress.

This style of “dress” has actually been around for years and years.  Pillowcase dresses are fast and simple to make and originally were a great way to recycle a set of pretty pillowcases when one of the sets was lost. 

You can easily make this dress with an old pillowcase, but the trend now is to make the pillowcase style dresses with bright pretty fabrics.

If you do use a pillowcase, the instructions are basically the same except the sides and bottom hem are already done! (You would just use the included bodice pattern to cut the armholes.)

Learn How to Make a Pillowcase Dress:  

The good news is, for this tutorial, I’ve included a printable pillowcase dress pattern that you can download and print.  This post includes step by step instructions on how to sew the pillowcase dress, with photos for you to follow.

Since Pillowcase dresses are designed to grow with the girl, the patterns tend to be “one-size-fits-all.” 

I wanted my pillowcase dress to fit a bit better, so I created three different pattern sizes: 2t to 5, 6 to 10 and 12 to 16.

(See the version I just sewed for a 14 to 16 girl here and my adult version here.)

Variations of this Pillowcase Dress Pattern

In this pillowcase dress tutorial, I’ll show you how to make a basic pillowcase dress with a ruffle bottom.  If you would like more ideas to change up your pillow case dress,  I have a post that includes simple options (and instructions) to “dress up” your pillowcase dress.

Various Pillowcase Dress Options are:

• A contrasting top (which is what I did for these photos),
• Solid dress (with no frill and can be sewn in less than an hour!)
• Solid with banded bottom
• 2 Different tie/strap options.

Fabric Chart for Pillowcase Dress Pattern

Fabric requirements will vary based on the style you choose and size.  For a bigger girl, (dress size 6 and up,) you might wish to add width to your pillowcase dress, which will double the amount of fabric needed.

Notice how our size 6 dress is kind of narrow in width?   I opted not to use extra fabric and could only make the skirt as wide as the fabric, which was about 42 inches.   Don’t worry though, I’ve included a little chart along with the tutorial to help you determine how much fabric is needed.)

 

Size Chart for the Pillowcase Dress Pattern

• Size  Height     Weight
• 2t:    34 inches     28
• 3t:    36 inches     32
• 4:     39 inches     36
• 5:    42 inches      42
• 6:    47 inches      48
• 7:     51 inches     60
• 8:     53 inches    66
• 10:   55 inches    74
• 12:    57.5 inches  84
• 14:   60 inches    96
• 16:   62 inches    110

 

Tips/Pattern info: 

• *** Important pattern printing tip***  When printing the pattern, do not print directly from Google docs.  Download the pattern to your computer and open it in the free adobe reader program.  Choose auto/portrait landscape and select “print actual size.”  (If you use any other pdf printing program, I can’t guarantee your pattern will print to the correct size.)
• Seam allowances are 1/4 inch unless otherwise stated.
• The fabric chart includes 1/4 yard for fabric ties.  For Faster assembly, you could use store-bought bias tape. (You need about 66 inches.)

 

Learn how to make a Pillowcase Dress w/ this free Pillowcase Dress pattern and tutorial.

Lets get started!

Products used and recommended in this post:

1. My favorite shops fabric are Fabric.com, girl charlie and Stylish Fabrics.  (My fave for knits is Funkalicious Fabrics.)
2. My Sewing Machine: SINGER 9960 Quantum Stylist 600-Stitch Machine with Extension Table, Bonus Accessories and Hard Cover
3. My Serger: Brother 1034D 3 or 4 Thread Serger my coverstitch: Janome Cover Pro 1000cpx
4. Pinking Shears
5. Rotary Cutter
6. I love my large ruler and large cutting mat, but you may prefer to start of with a smaller Cutting set
7. Dritz Dual Purpose Marking Pen
8. Fray Check
9. Wonder clips (I didn’t use these in the post, but they are just awesome!

 

Materials Needed to Sew a Pillowcase Dress with a Ruffle:

• Fabric (see chart link below)
• Free Pillowcase Dress/Bodice Pattern
• 1 package of single fold bias tape that coordinates with your main fabric
• Scissors, ruler, iron and other basic sewing supplies

 

Tips/Pattern info: 

• *** Important pattern printing tip***  When printing the pattern, do not print directly from Google docs.  Download the pattern to your computer and open it in the free adobe reader program.  Choose auto/portrait landscape and select “print actual size.”  (If you use any other pdf printing program, I can’t guarantee your pattern will print to the correct size.)
• Seam allowances are 1/4 inch unless otherwise stated.
• The fabric chart includes 1/4 yard for fabric ties.  For Faster assembly, you could use store-bought bias tape. (You need about 66 inches.)

 

Polished Pillowcase Dress Sewing Instructions:

Step 1:  Cutting out the pattern pieces.

Main dress pieces:

Measure your child from armpit to how long you want your dress to be.  Add 1/2 inch to this number, then subtract 4.  Write this final number down.  (It is the length of the dress minus the ruffle. 

Don’t have a little one to measure for the length of the pillowcase dress?  Don’t worry, here is a chart for the armhole to hem measurement. (This is the approximate recommended finished length of a dress for the size noted, hitting at mid-knee.  You still need to do the calculations in step 1, which is subtracting for a ruffle or banded hem..)

Armhole to Hem Measurement

• 2t: 15 inches,
• 3t: 16.75 inches,
• 4:  18.5 inches,
• 5: 20.25 inches,
• 6: 21.75 inches.
• 7:  23.25 inches
• 8:  24.25 inches
• 10: 25.25
• 12:  26
• 14: 26.5
• 16: 27.5 inches

Fold the selvages over the to the middle of the fabric.

Line up the bodice pattern so edge that says “fold” is on the fold of the fabric.

To draw out the dress pattern, place your measuring tape or ruler at the lower corner of the armhole and measure down to your measurement to the edge of the fabric.  Use a fabric marker to mark along this line. Then with a ruler, make a straight line back over to the fold.  Cut out the pattern piece.

Use the 1st pattern piece as a guide to cut out the second piece.

Ruffle:  

Cut two strips of fabric, selvage to selvage 8.5 inches tall. (These strips will be about 42 by 8.5.)

Fabric tie:

Cut one strip of fabric 4 inches tall by the width of the fabric, cut a 2nd piece 4 inches tall by 23 inches wide.

 

Step 2:  Assembling the dress and finishing armholes.

Line up the front and back piece, right sides together and sew along the sides.  You will need to finish these seams with pinking shears, zig zag stitch on your sewing machine or with a serger.

When it comes to sleeveless tops, I have trouble folding fabric on a curve and making it look good, so I like to use single fold bias tape to make perfect armholes.  For this method cut 2 pieces of single fold bias tape to about 16 inches each.  Turn dress right side out and open bias tape up.  Align the edge of the bias tape up with the edge of the armhole as shown below, pin in place.

Keep going until you have pinned the bias tape around the entire armhole.

Sew along the fold of the bias tape (about 1/4 inch in.)

Fold the bias tape back up and over to the other side.

Pin in place and sew right along the edge of the bias tape.  Repeat for the other armhole.

Press the side seams and armholes flat.

Step 3:  Creating the casing.

Fold the top edge of the dress over 1/4 and press.

Fold over another inch and press again.  Sew along the bottom edge of the fold.  Repeat on the other side of the dress.

 

Step 4:  Create and add the ruffle.

Place the two fabric strips right sides together and cut off the selvage edges.  Sew the strips together end to end so you have a very large circle.  Iron these seams open.  (I used my serger and could only iron them to the side..)

Fold the fabric circle in half, wrong sides together, and iron flat.  (Wow, I obviously need to replace my ironing board cover…  We have very hard water and I use steam quite a bit.)

To create the ruffle, change your stitch length setting to the highest setting.  Sew a straight stitch along the open edge of the fabric circle.  Do not back stitch.

To ruffle the fabric, pull on the bobbin string in one direction while pushing the fabric in the other direction.  The father will start to gather up.  Keep pulling/pushing the fabric and thread, making sure to distribute the gathers evenly.

The flash makes it difficult to see what is going on, here is a photo from a different tutorial.  You can see a little better how the ruffle is gathering up.:

Keep gathering the ruffle until the ruffle is the same width as the bottom of the skirt.

Line up the edge of the ruffle with the bottom edge of the dress as shown below and pin in place.

Make sure you have switched the stitch length back to normal and sew the ruffle to the skirt by sewing along the bottom edge about 1/4 inch from the edge.

Finish this seam with pinking shears, zig zag stitch on sewing machine or with a serger.

Flip dress to the front and iron the finished seam, pointed up.  Top stitch the ruffle along the bottom of the dress as shown in the photo below.

Step 5:  Creating the tie:

Sew the 2 fabric strips together so you have about a 62 to 65 inch long strip of fabric.  Cut off the selvage ends.

Fold and iron the strip as shown in the photos below:

Tuck in the ends and sew along the edge.

Thread the tie through the casing, and you are done!  Now go find a sweet little princess to try on your creation and take some pictures!!!

Don’t forget to check out all the pillowcase dress options here!

Yield: 1 pillowcase dress

How to make a Pillowcase Dress (free Pillowcase Dress pattern sz 2 to 16)

Print

Learn how to sew a Pillowcase Dress with this free pattern & tutorial! Pattern fits girl’s size 2 to 16.

Prep Time 20 minutes

Active Time 2 hours

Total Time 2 hours 20 minutes

Materials

• Fabric (see chart link in the tutorial above)
• Free Pillowcase Dress/Bodice Pattern (link above)
• 1 package of single fold bias tape that coordinates with your main fabric

Tools

• Scissors, ruler, iron and other basic sewing supplies

Instructions

Step 1:  Cutting out the pattern pieces.

Main dress pieces:

Measure your child from armpit to how long you want your dress to be.  Add 1/2 inch to this number, then subtract 4.  Write this final number down.  (It is the length of the dress minus the ruffle.  If you don’t have a child to measure you can use the approximate measurements provided in the fabric chart here.  The fabric amounts are based on these numbers.)

Fold the selvages over the to the middle of the fabric.

Line up the bodice pattern so edge that says “fold” is on the fold of the fabric.

To draw out the dress pattern, place your measuring tape or ruler at the lower corner of the armhole and measure down to your measurement to the edge of the fabric.  Use a fabric marker to mark along this line. Then with a ruler, make a straight line back over to the fold.  Cut out the pattern piece.

Use the 1st pattern piece as a guide to to cut out the second piece.

Ruffle:  

Cut two strips of fabric, selvage to selvage 8.5 inches tall. (These strips will be about 42 by 8.5.)

Fabric tie:

Cut one strip of fabric 4 inches tall by the width of the fabric, cut a 2nd piece 4 inches tall by 23 inches wide.

Step 2:  Assembling the dress and finishing armholes.

Line up the front and back piece, right sides together and sew along the sides.  You will need to finish these seams with pinking shears, zig zag stitch on your sewing machine or with a serger.

When it comes to sleeveless tops, I have trouble folding fabric on a curve and making it look good, so I like to use single fold bias tape to make perfect armholes.

For this method cut 2 pieces of single fold bias tape to about 16 inches each.  Turn dress right side out and open bias tape up.  Align the edge of the bias tape up with the edge of the armhole as shown below, pin in place.

Keep going until you have pinned the bias tape around the entire armhole.

Sew along the fold of the bias tape (about 1/4 inch in.)

Fold the bias tape back up and over to the other side.

Pin in place and sew right along the edge of the bias tape.  Repeat for the other armhole.

Press the side seams and armholes flat.

Step 3:  Creating the casing.

Fold the top edge of the dress over 1/4 and press.

Fold over another inch and press again.  Sew along the bottom edge of the fold.  Repeat on the other side of the dress.

Step 4:  Create and add the ruffle.

Place the two fabric strips right sides together and cut off the selvage edges.  Sew the strips together end to end so you have a very large circle.  Iron these seams open.  (I used my serger and could only iron them to the side, which is fine.)

Fold the fabric circle in half, wrong sides together, and iron flat.

To create the ruffle, change your stitch length setting to the highest setting.  Sew a straight stitch along the open edge of the fabric circle.  Do not back stitch.

To ruffle the fabric, pull on the bobbin string in one direction while pushing the fabric in the other direction.  The father will start to gather up.  Keep pulling/pushing the fabric and thread, making sure to distribute the gathers evenly.

Keep gathering the ruffle until the ruffle is the same width as the bottom of the skirt.

Line up the edge of the ruffle with the bottom edge of the dress as shown below and pin in place.

Make sure you have switched the stitch length back to normal and sew the ruffle to the skirt by sewing along the bottom edge about 1/4 inch from the edge.

Finish this seam with pinking shears, zig zag stitch on sewing machine or with a serger.

Flip dress to the front and iron the finished seam, pointed up.  Top stitch along the bottom of the dress/top of the ruffle.

Step 5:  Creating the tie:

Sew the 2 fabric strips together so you have about a 62 to 65 inch long strip of fabric.  Cut of the selvage ends.

Fold and iron the strip (see image🙂

1. Fold fabric in half, wrong sides together and press.
2. Open fabric, fold one side to the pressed center line and press again.
3. Fold and press the other side the same way.
4. Fold the pressed sides together and press again.

Tuck in the ends and sew along the edge.

Thread the tie through the casing, and you are done!

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