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Simple Shirred Sundress Tutorial

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I have a new dress tutorial to share today!  How to make a Simple Shirred Sundress.

(Looking for more free patterns? Be sure to check out my free patterns and tutorials page here.)

Sew this super easy shirred sundress for your little one! (includes a printable bodice pattern)

My favorite type of sewing project is something that I can be sewn quickly, then I can sit back and enjoy it!

I’ve sewn a few larger, more intricate projects that have turned wonderfully and I am definitely glad I did them.  (Like my family room curtains or this Rainbow Princess dress.)  But with these larger projects, I often find I start to loose interest and they become almost a chore to finish.  (And who need one more chore?)  That’s why most projects you will find on my blog are quick, easy and can be finished in a day or two with just a bit sewing here and there.

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This dress is all about minimum effort with maximum results!  It does include some shirring.  If you haven’t had a chance to try this technique out, this sundress is a perfect project to give it a try.


Materials needed to make your own shirred sundress:

*Quick note on the bodice pattern.
-This is the same pattern I use for my tiered pillowcase dress.  The shape is very simple and because of the shirring it fits a variety of sizes.

-You can customize the fit a little more by adjusting how close together your shirring lines are.  For a more snug fit, space your lines of shirring closer (1/4 inch).  For a looser fit space them wider (1/2 inch).

-For sizes 7 and larger, I recommend using the pattern for the polished pillowcase dress (It has a longer armscye.) and place your shirring 1/2 inch apart.

Directions:

Step 1:  Measure your child from armpit to the length you want the dress to be.

Step 2:  Print or draw out your bodice pattern.

 *** Important pattern printing tip***  When printing the patterns, do not print directly from Google docs.  Download the pattern to your computer and open it in your adobe acrobat reader.  Choose actual size and the landscape option.  (I just printed a pattern directly off Google docs and notice it printed slightly smaller.)

Step 3:   Fold out your fabric as shown and place bodice pattern on fold. (Hard to see, but I laid the fabric out flat and folded the selvage edges to the middle of the fabric, so I had 2 equal folded pieces to draw my pattern on.)  With your ruler or measuring tape, measure from the armpit of the bodice pattern to the desired length and mark the measurement with your fabric marker.

Step 4:  Draw a line from the middle of the bodice down to the mark you made.  Your line should gently flare out, like an A, all the way to the edge of the fabric.  (My purple disappearing ink is a bit hard to see…)

Step 5:  Do the same thing on the other side of the folded fabric and cut out both pieces.

Step 6:  To hem the tops of the dress pieces,  fold over the top edge 1/4 inch and press.  Then fold over another 1/4 inch, press again and sew along the folded edge.

Step 7:  Place the two dress pieces right sides together and sew along both sides of the dress.  Finish the seams with pinking shears, serger or zig zag stitch on your sewing machine.

Step 8:  With your ruler, measure down 1/4 inch from the seam of the top hem.  Draw a line from armhole edge to arm hole edge.  Measure down 3/8 inch from that line and draw another.  Keep drawing lines 3/8 inches apart until you reach the bottom of the arm hole.  Do this on the front and back of the dress.

Step 9:  To shirr the bodice, we will use elastic thread in the bobbin and regular thread on top.  For best results, hand wind your bobbin with the elastic thread, without stretching out the elastic thread too much.

Next, drop your bobbin in place and thread your machine like normal.  Increase your stitch length and loosen the tension by a notch or two. (At this point, I recommend practicing a few rows of shirring on a scrap piece of fabric.)  I

Sew with a  regular straight stitch, (with the loosened tension and increased stitch length) along the lines you drew.  When you get to the side edge of the bodice, pull the fabric away from the machine to pull the threads out a little, then flip the fabric around and keep sewing in the other direction.

As you sew your shirring stitches, hold the fabric as flat as possible. (It will start to gather up a little bit as you sew more rows.)

Step 10:  Once you have shirred both sides of the sundress, heat up your steam iron and apply steam to the elastic thread.  Watch it shrink up!  (Just let the steam flow over the elastic thread.  You don’t want to press the iron onto the elastic.)

 

I never get tired of this!

Step 11:  Cut your bias tape into two 45 inch pieces.  Fold the 1st piece in half to find the middle.  Open up the bias tape and line up the middle with the side seam in the middle of the armhole.  “Sandwich” the armhole edge with the bias tape.  Tuck in any of the extra threads hanging out and pin securely.  Do this for both sides.

For the end of the bias tape, open it up and tuck the edge in.  Fold it back up and pin.

Step 12:  Starting at one end of the bias tape, sew across the end, and all the way down the strap, across the armhole and to the other end.  Do the same for the other side.

Step 13:  To hem the bottom edge, just fold over the bottom edge 1/4 inch, press, fold over another 1/4 inch, press again and sew along the folded edge.

And you are done!  Find someone to try it on and admire the lovely dress you just made!

Pin the project here  ==>>  

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Comments

  4. Jacinda Cote says

    Great Tutorial! I have never shirred anything before but your tutorial makes it soo easy to learn! 🙂 Add to my faves list for sure!
    Jacinda

    Reply

  13. Kelly says

    Oh my goodness this is GREAT!!! SO CUTE and I think even I could do this!! Thanks for posting! I look forward to coming back to this blog often! I'm your newest follower. 🙂

    Reply

  19. Carrie @ My Favorite Finds says

    This is awesome. Do you happen to have an Etsy shop? Or what would I need to do to get you to make me one? Email me if you're interested-I'm actually serious :). Thanks for sharing at Handmade Tuesdays.

    Reply

  23. Vanessa says

    This is adorable! If I had a little girl, this would definitely go on my to-do list. 🙂

    Vanessa
    vanessasvalues.blogspot.com

    Reply

  25. Deana says

    I have never shirred anything before….so I learned something new today I am going to look for elastic thread the next time I go to the fab store…I don't know what I'll shirr… maybe an apron…Thanks for the info and for linking up @CountryMommaCooks…love your site…

    Reply

  28. DIY Show Off says

    What a sweet dress! Beautiful job! Thank you so much for sharing your creativity in the DIY Project Parade. I haven't had my sewing machine out in a while. Great inspiration! 😉

    Reply

  29. Christine says

    Absolutely the most beautiful dress ever!!! PLUS you are kind enough to share it with a tutorial!!!! THANK YOU!! Oh and the fabric is beautiful!

    Thanks so much for sharing at The DIY Dreamer.. From Dream To Reality!

    Reply

  31. Stacey says

    That is just delicious!
    Love it!
    Thanks for linking up to the Creative Inspirations Party at Embracing Change!
    So happy you were here!
    Stacey

    Reply

  34. Carrie says

    I love it!! Will definitely have to give this one a try for this summer. Thank you for sharing at Sharing Saturday!! I hope you are having a fabulous week!

    Reply

  35. Jenni says

    I love how that turned out. I recently made a dress like this, but I didn't know how to make the bodice larger to account for the shrinking from the elastic thread. But it didn't seem like you enlarged it any more than you would for a dress that you weren't shirring since you used a pattern from a dress not shirred. Hmmm… Kinda confusing! ANyway, I just made a tube and shirred the top, and added shoulder ties. That way I didn't have armholes, unfortunately, but it still turned out cute. Maybe I'll try it again and put in armholes if I can figure out the measurement part! Your dress turned out beautiful!

    Reply

  36. CurlyCutiePie says

    So glad I found your blog! Thank you so much for these wonderful tutorials. I am a newbie at sewing and you've saved me so much time and frustration!!

    Reply

  39. Jamie says

    Yes, you need to shirr the front pattern piece of the sundress and the back ,side as well. The purple lines are to help keep the lines straight. If you are good at eyeballing the lines and keeping them straight, you can skip drawing the lines.
    ~Jamie

    Reply

  40. tantequilts says

    Thank you Jamie. I was thinking that I had to do the front (the right side) and the back being (the wrong side) Oh my goodness I scare myself LOL
    Sylvia

    Reply

  41. Sara Chance says

    Hi Jamie, I'm sorry if this message sends multiple times. I just need quick advice as I work on this dress (shirred sundress). The bias tape I bought is single fold, .5 in. It's looking skinny to me compared to yours. Would you advise a wider size (quilting size or other?). I've never done bias tape before. Appreciate you so much! My knot dress and modern peasant have both turned out adorably!

    Reply

    • Jamie says

      Of course you can end your rows of shirring which ever way works best for you, but I prefer this method (when possible) for 2 reasons. 1. It's quicker. 2. I have had the edges of shirring come loose in garments and the elastic thread works it's way out towards the center and the edges are no longer shirred.
      Good luck,
      Jamie

      Reply

    • Sew Darn Neat says

      If I did each row and back stitched at beginning and end It won't unravel towards the centre will it? Isn't this because back stitching secures the stitching in place?
      Thanks!

      Reply

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