I love these little dresses. The skirt is full and fun and the bodice is a cozy knit. I have seen dresses similar to this on Pinterest but have been unable to find a pattern that works for me.
When you can’t find a pattern, what do you do? You write one of your own of course!
I love to crochet and sew as well as knit so have combined all of these crafts in this little dress. I have a really soft cotton and acrylic blend worsted weight yarn in my stash (don’t get me started on ebay and my affair with the same a couple of years ago) and thought that it would make a pretty top for the dress that I had in mind.
The skirt is the bottom of a new lady’s skirt that I found on a clearance rack for a couple of bucks and bought with the idea of repurposing the fabric. Remember, I am the Queen of Clearance! I cut it off to the right length, already hemmed and gathered it to fit the bottom edge of the bodice.
I found buttons in my collection that matched and voila, done!
Here is the pattern as I made it. I have included four sizes for you.
Child’s Dress Bodice
This dress bodice pattern is designed to attach to a sewn skirt to make a pretty and comfortable dress for your sweetie. The bodice is knit top down with worsted weight yarn and is a really easy knit. You can customize the top by making it longer or shorter or even turning this basic pattern into a cardigan by omitting the skirt, making it hip length, and finishing the bottom with the pretty edging.
Sizes: 2, (4, 6, 8)
Materials: Worsted weight yarn, I used a cotton and acrylic blend, 150m (165 yards) to 280m (310 yards), 4, (5, 6, 6) buttons. Fabric for the dress skirt, 115cm (45”) wide and the desired length of the skirt plus 6cm (2.25”) for the hem and gathers.
Tools: 5.5mm (US 9), 80cm (32”) circular needle, 5mm (US 8 or H) crochet hook for optional edging, 6 stitch markers, tapestry needle.
Gauge: 16 stitches x 24 rows = 10cm or 4”
Cast on 66, (72, 80, 88) stitches.
Rows 1 to 3: Knit 3 rows, next row is right side and you will divide for the fronts, back and sleeves placing markers as you go.
Note 1: The first four stitches on every row are knit to make the bands. Buttonholes are worked starting on the fourth row and on every twelfth row after that. You will make three on size 2, four on size 4, and 5 on size 6 and 8. The extra button is sewn on through both layers after the fronts are joined to balance the functioning buttons.
Note 2: All yarn overs are purled or knit through the back loop on the wrong side rows. This will give you a smaller buttonhole and a smaller increase hole at the sleeve/body joins. If you wish to you can, of course, work them as usual but your holes will be significantly larger. You will need larger buttons.
Row 4: Right side of work. K4, place marker, K8, (9, 11, 12), YO, place marker, K1, YO, K10, (11, 12, 13), YO, place marker, K1, YO, K19, (21, 23, 27), YO, place marker, K1, YO, K10, (11, 12, 13), YO, place marker, K1, YO, K7, (8, 9, 11, ), place marker, K2tog, YO, K2 (buttonhole made).
Row 5 and all wrong side rows: K4, slip marker, P across slipping markers as you go to last marker, slip marker, K4.
Rows 6 to 14: K4, slip marker, K to next marker, YO, slip marker, K1, YO, K to next marker, YO, slip marker, K to next marker, YO, slip marker, K1, YO, K to next marker, YO, slip marker, K1, YO, K to next marker, slip marker, K4.
Row 16: K4, K to next marker, YO, slip marker, K1, YO, K to next marker, YO, slip marker, K to next marker, YO, slip marker, K1, YO, K to next marker, YO, slip marker, K1, YO, K1 to next marker, slip marker, K2tog, YO, K2 (buttonhole made).
Continue working increases as in Row 6, make a buttonhole on every twelfth row on the right front band.
Size 2: Stop when you are finished Row 25 (wrong side). You should have 4 bands stitches, 19 front left stitches, 33 left sleeve stitches, 42 back stitches, 33 right sleeve stitches, 19 right front stitches, and 4 band stitches. Move to the transition row.
Size 4: Stop when you are finished Row 31 (wrong side). You should have 4 bands stitches, 23 front left stitches, 40 left sleeve stitches, 50 back stitches, 40 right sleeve stitches, 23 right front stitches, and 4 band stitches. Move to the transition row.
Size 6: Stop when you are finished Row 35 (wrong side). You should have 4 bands stitches, 25 front left stitches, 44 left sleeve stitches, 56 back stitches, 44 right sleeve stitches, 25 right front stitches, and 4 band stitches. Move to the transition row.
Size 8: Stop when you are finished Row 39 (wrong side). You should have 4 bands stitches, 30 front left stitches, 50 left sleeve stitches, 64 back stitches, 50 right sleeve stitches, 30 right front stitches, and 4 band stitches. Move to the transition row.
You will need to have a separate end of your yarn to finish the sleeves, one at a time, so that you don’t need to cut your main working yarn. You can use the other end of your working ball or start a new one. You can cut if you choose but it will mean more ends to weave in!
Transition Row: Sleeves will be finished and front and back of body joined. K4, slip marker, K across the left front to next marker, drop your working yarn and, with a new end of yarn, K 4 rows back and forth (garter stitch) on left sleeve stitches only, removing markers after the first row. Cast off sleeves stitches on right side. Pick up your working yarn, turn your work around and cast on three stitches at the end of the last stitch. Turn the work back and K across the back to the next marker, drop your working yarn and, with a new end of yarn, K 4 rows back and forth (garter stitch) on right sleeve stitches only, removing markers after the first row. Cast off sleeves stitches on right side. Pick up your working yarn, turn your work around and cast on three stitches at the end of the last stitch. Turn the work back and K across the right front to the next marker, slip marker K4.
Work back and forth on the body only from here.
Row 1: K4, slip marker, P to next marker, slip marker, K4.
Row 2: K4, slip marker, K to next marker, slip marker, K4.
Size 2: Repeat Rows 1 and 2 twice more and then repeat Row 1 once for a total of 8 rows on the body section. Cast off on right side.
Size 4: Repeat Rows 1 and 2 four more times and then repeat Row 1 once for a total of 12 rows on the body section. Cast off on right side.
Size 6: Repeat Rows 1 and 2 six more times and then repeat Row 1 once for a total of 16 rows on the body section. Cast off on right side.
Size 8: Repeat Rows 1 and 2 eight more and then repeat Row 1 once for a total of 20 rows on the body section. Cast off on right side.
Overlap the front bands and stitch together at the bottom. Sew sleeve edges together and stitch to cast on stitches under the arm on the body. Weave in ends. Sew on buttons on the left front band to match buttonholes on the right. Sew the extra button near the bottom of the overlapped bands at the same spacing as the buttonholes.
The bottom may be left plain, edged with purchased lace or finished with a crocheted edging like the sample.
Crocheted edging: The trim is based on a seven stitch repeat.
Rnd 1: Starting at either side, join yarn, ch 1 and work 84, (91, 98, 105) sc over the cast off stitches at the bottom edge. Join with a slip stitch.
Rnd 2: Ch3, skip 3 sc, slip st into 4th sc, skip next 2 sc, (dc, ch1) 4 times, dc in same sc, repeat to around. After last slip st, (dc, ch1) four times at starting ch3 and join with slip st to second ch of ch3.
Rnd 3: (Slip st into first ch1 space of next shell, ch2, slip st in same space, slip st in next ch1 space, ch2, slip st in same space three more times). Repeat around, join with slip stitch into first slip st and fasten off.
Weave in your ends and block your dress bodice.
Unblocked, ready to finish
Skirt: Cut two pieces of fabric each 58cm (22.5”) wide and the length that you want the skirt to be (anywhere from 20cm (8”) to 50cm (20”) to fit your little one) plus 6cm (2.25”) for the hem and gathered seam allowance.
Finish cut edges with an overcast stitch or serge to stop fraying.
Sew side seams.
Run a gathering thread around the top edge and gather to fit the bottom edge of the bodice.
Stitch the bodice bottom edge to the skirt by lapping the top over the gathered edge and stitching with a matching thread by machine or hand.
Turn up a 4cm (1.5”) hem and stitch with a hem stitch.