Blog Swap With Naptime Crafters

Today I am doing a blog swap with the ever talented Amy from Naptime Crafters. She was part of the crafting with the stars and made some great creations! So welcome Amy!

I’m so excited to be swapping with Shwin & Shwin today- I love blog swaps! It’s so fun to meet new friends. I’m Amy from naptime crafters. I love making fun things for my little miss and my home during the blissful hours (or minutes…) that she’s sleeping.

I hope you’ll stop by and stay awhile:)

Every little girl needs a Christmas dress. I wanted little miss to have one that was extra special, so I’m happy to introduce you to the Joy to the World dress!

I love that has a bit of flounce at the bottom, but isn’t stiff and itchy. The sweetheart neckline and sash make it the perfect party dress for your little lady

Materials:

Silk: probably about 1 yard
Tulle- 1/4 yard
Buttons
Sewing Machine
Pattern– download is for 12 mos. Adjust as needed

1. Cut out your pieces. This dress is fully lined, so you need 2 of the bodice, and bodice back pieces. The sash can be any size you want. For a 12 mos. dress I did a 42×8″ piece of tulle. You can make it wider if you want it to peek out the bottom.

2. With RST together sew the front of your bodice to the back at the shoulders. Repeat with the bodice lining

3. Next make your button loops- I did 4. Make a long drawstring and turn it right side out. Then cut it into 4 pieces.

4. Sew your bodice to the bodice lining along the neckline, armholes, and center back. Pin your button loops along 1 side of the center back- they should be tucked inside the bodice between the outer piece and the lining. Leave the side seams and bottom open.

5. With right sides together sew up the side seams of the bodice. The 2 outer bodice pieces will be facing each other and the 2 corresponding lining pieces will be facing each other.

6. Sew your skirt and skirt lining pieces together on each side. Leave the center back seam open

7. Fold your tulle in half and gather along the 2 raw edges. **Hint- set your thread length to the longest setting and the thread tension to the highest setting and it will do all of the gathering for you. (sorry I forgot to take a picture!)

8. Attach the gathered tulle to the bottom of the skirt lining piece with right sides together.

9. Sew up the back center seam on your skirt and skirt lining, but only go up part of the way or you won’t be able to get the dress on.

10. Now we’re going to attach the skirt to its lining. Slip the lining into the skirt right sides together. Remember how we didn’t sew all the way up? We’ll finish that seam right now by sewing the skirt to the lining RST on each side of the center back. Remember to tuck your last button loop in! (I forgot, so it’s not in the picture. It should be tucked in on the left side).

finished seam on each side

11. Now flip everything around until your skirt is right side out with the lining on the inside. Your skirt will now look like this:

12. Hem the bottom of your dress. I used my narrow hemmer foot. You could also do it by hand or fold over twice and top stitch.

13. Now we’ll attach the skirt to the bodice. Slip the bodice inside the skirt and start pinning! Everything should be right sides together. Pin the skirt to the bodice and the bodice lining to the skirt lining. You can do this all in one step. It will seem a bit confusing at first, but have faith- it will work out:)

sorry this picture isn’t much help is it?

14. Finish off the dress with a sash. You’ll need several long strips of fabric- the length and width is really up to you. You don’t want a seam going right down the front though, so plan on having a short segment the width of the dress and then attaching tails on either side. Sew your strips together right sides together (I forgot to do that, so ignore the picture), then sew up the long side and one end. Turn right side out. Tuck in the raw edge and topstitch down. I hand stitched the sash onto the dress at the sideseams to keep it from slipping