BOO dress and bodice making tutorial

I love little girl dresses that just slip over their heads, that can be worn with a shirt underneath or without. I made myself an all purpose bodice pattern years ago, it get’s adjusted as the girls grow and is always fun! I like to cheat a bit when sewing, so this pattern is both the back and the front of the bodice:

Since it is cut on the fold, the pattern works this way:

Back ready to be cut

Front cut

I cut 2 fronts and 2 backs so the bodice can be lined. It isn’t necessary to do it this way, the sleeves and neck line are easily hemmed…but I’m a bit of a lazy sewer and don’t like hemming so I just about always line these kinds of dresses.

To make the lined version, you sew the back and front together at the sides, then with the right sides together you sew the neckline and the arm opening. Notice where the pins are at the top of the bodice—you want to leave that part open.

Turn to the right side, press if you need to or just finger press as I’ve done here. Match up the tops of the bodice:

Now comes the tricky part, you want to hold on to the tops as you flip the bodice inside out again—the back will be inside the front tube (or the front in the back, doesn’t matter which way you go, just do the same for both.)

Sew the tops together

Flip back to the right side, and you have yourself a lovely slip on bodice!

The skirt is just a large rectangle; you determine the width (more width, more gather, and more twirl factor) and the length (I like just below the knee on my girlies).

The big Barbie is modeling the finished dress (everyone was asleep when I finished it!), but it fits my girlies well and they just love it!

So do I!

Let me know if there is interest in the bodice pattern by commenting below and I’ll figure out a way to share it with you all!

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