Pillowcase dresses are a favorite thing of mine to make, although I don’t do it very often. In theory, there are few things easier to make than this. I say “in theory” because today the process was anything but easy. User error. And plenty of it. Ever have one of those days where you just can’t seem to sew a straight line (or insert your own easy-as-pie crafting reference here)? That was me today.
I almost gave up a few times in favor of curling up in my cozy chair with a bag of Heath Bar minis and some streaming Netflix, but I stuck it out, and of course I am glad I did.
So these aren’t pillowcase dresses, strictly-speaking, but they are made the same way. And they have the same benefit of being wearable for years. These two dresses are for our twin friends who are celebrating their first birthday this weekend. The girls could probably get away with wearing these as sundresses for a while. Maybe. A few years from now, they could likely still wear them as shirts.
I thought they would be nice paired with tees and leggings (hooray for Target!), particularly as the weather starts to get cooler.
So here are a few details: I used a pattern I downloaded years ago at Made by Petchy to get the basic shape of the dresses, but then I winged it: sewed up the sides, hemmed the bottom, added bias tape to the armholes, made a casing on the front and back, inserted a length of bias tape in each casing, tied at the shoulders. Voila!
The plaid fabric is from Anna Maria Horner’s Chocolate Lollipop collection and has been in my stash for ages, just waiting for the right project.
The mustard fabric is Michelle Bencsko’s Nature Walk, which is a nice organic cotton that I used on my crochet top earlier this summer.
I’m very happy with the way they turned out, and I like that the two tops are different enough not to give off a “matchy” vibe. I’m particularly drawn to that second outfit. If I could pull off a tent-like top and jeggings (ew), I’d be all over a set for me…
I love these!
Oh! they look so sweet and would look great with leggings – I may have a go at making one. First week back at school is always hectic.
Happy weekend
I like the bright plaid one. I’m not necessarily into bright plaids, but it just seemed so sweet and girly, and a reminder of summer. Great job, I hope the twins look adorable in them.
These are so cute! I’m new to sewing and have been looking for some easy projects to make for my little girls. I would love to make these, but I can’t download the pattern from the link you provided (I’m not subscribed to the blog). Is there any way that you could send it to me?
Hi! I’m sorry, I don’t have it anymore, and I’m not an invited member of that blog either. It must have gone private just recently. I did a google search, and I found this one, which is different, but similar. It’s actually a bit easier. I hope this helps!