blog flashback: Two years ago I refashioned a woman’s shirred shirt into a dress for my daughter.
A few months ago, I got a message from a friend about some free fabric. I tried to resist. I really don’t need any more fabric. I did need a little quiet time with friends, though. Besides, what if I found something really cool?
I have always wanted to make a dress out of pre-shirred (or mock-smock) fabric. This happened to be the perfect amount: just shy of 1 1/2 yards. (It’s hard to tell how much you’ll need with all that elastic. My daughter’s chest is 21 inches, if that gives you some perspective.)
I made the dress long, hoping and praying she might be able to wear it next year. I even hid some extra strap length inside the back. I guess I could always turn it into a shirt next year, too.
What do you think about mock smock fabric? Have you ever shirred fabric with elastic thread?
I love this dress. So pretty and comfy for summer. And with Bella’s favorite…ladybugs. Perfect!
I’ve used stretch elastic in the bobbin of my machine to make the top of the dress fabric like your dress.Wind the bobbin holding the thin elastic snugly, then place it into the bobbin holder. Place your machine on a small zig zag stitch, with regular matching thread matching fabric. Stitch away! Works wonderful. The girls that I made these for are now 48 & the youngest 47 today. This idea is also fun for pre-prepped purse flaps. My rule of thumb was to have 4 times the width of fabric that I wanted to have for the finished product.
I have made this and many more for my nieces. They love them. I have one question about how to make it fuller at the bottom. My nieces run around and a few have ripped the bottom. They didn’t seem wide enough for their stride. I plan I making more.