Inspired By: Little Grey Dress via Pinterest (plus a gift for you!)

Ah, it’s felt good this week to create a few things that didn’t involve a lining or underlining! I actually have finished eight items this week! I’m not planning to post all of them, they are not all exciting enough for a post. But this new little dress is!

I was inspired by this dress pinned on Pinterest:

Source: google.co.uk via Jennifer on Pinterest

It’s simple, yet elegant and looks so cozy and warm. I’ve had this picture in my head for months. I knew this was first on my list of winter dress sewing for the girls. Here’s a look at my version:

 

With the inspiration photo, I was always perplexed by the fact that it was a sleeveless fleece dress, worn in the summer – it seemed more fitting to be either layered or have sleeves as a winter dress. So in this first version I whipped up a couple of my favorite TNT t-shirts to layer with the dress. Tights and shoes from Target (I picked this color combo to go with the tights, not necessarily to match the inspiration photo).

Then I thought it would be nice to try a version with sleeves so that layering wouldn’t always be necessary.

Whoops! Looks like my hem is coming down on that sleeve! Better go fix that. ;)

I really like how they turned out and thought just maybe you would like your own. So I put together my first PDF Pattern for FREE download.

Its completely digital and I would say it’s comparable to a size 4T/5T in RTW. I’ve put together a tutorial for this pattern, click below to see the step-by-step tutorial with photos.

Un Petit Design – Little Grey Dress

Materials Needed:

- approx. 1 yard of fleece fabric (a heavier sweater knit or sweatshirt fleece would work too)

- thread

- marking transfer paper (or preferred method of marking tool)

- rotary cutter, mat and ruler

- PDF Pattern

Instructions:

1. Cut out pattern pieces provided and one piece that is 6” by 21” (see diagram on pattern) and mark pleat lines on dress front piece.

2. Fold pleats to the RIGHT side of the dress front and BASTE in place. Very important to use a basting stitch here as it will be removed later. It is most unpleasant to remove regular stitching from fleece. Ask me how I know…

3. Finger press the pleats towards the outer edge of dress (two to the right, two to the left). Top stitch the pleats with a regular stitch 1/4” from folded edge of pleat.

4. Remove the basting stitches from each pleat.

5. Sew the dress front and back together at the shoulder seams with right sides together. If you are making the version with sleeves, skip down to step 6 now. If you are making the sleeveless version, sew the dress front and back together at the side seams. Turn garment right side out. Mark the center front and center back of neckline.

6. To sew the sleeves in flat, lay the dress front and back pieces flat and line up the upper edge of the sleeve with the sleeve opening of the dress, with right sides together. Stitch. After both sleeves are attached, pin the underarm seam and dress side seam, right sides together and stitch each side. Turn garment right side out. Mark the center front and center back of neckline.

7. Take the neck band piece and sew the to short ends together to form a band. Mark the quarter points of the neck band with pins.

8. Place the neck band on the dress neck line with the RIGHT side of the neck band facing the WRONG side of the dress. Match the neck band seam with the center back, match the dress and neck band center fronts and the remaining to marks on the neck band with the shoulder seams.

There will be excess fabric between the quarter points on the neck band. This is going to form the soft pleats in the neck band. To form these pleats, smooth the fabric from each pin towards the next pin with out stretching and fold excess fabric at the next, forming a pleat. Do this at all four pins and in the same direction as you work around.

9. Stitch the neck band to the dress, being careful to keep all pleats on neckband and dress front laying in their proper direction as you stitch over them.

Unfold the neck band from the inside of the dress.

Turn the raw edge of the neck band about a third of the way down.

Then fold it again by another third.

Finish the dress by hemming the skirt and, if you are making the sleeveless version, turning under and stitching the armscye 1/2”.

Here’s a few more photos of my Wild One sporting her two versions of the dress.

I hope you enjoy this little pattern. If you have any questions, please leave me a comment!