Pillowcase Dresses

So I have sewn off and on for about 20 years and I had never made a pillowcase dress until I sewed my daughter one earlier this summer.  I always scoffed at the cheaply-made, overpriced versions I saw at craft fairs, being a bit of a sewing snob about the whole thing.  All that changed when I got halfway through cutting out a nightgown for her and decided I didn't want to use up my fabric.  Because it turns out that the body of her nightgowns (minus the sleeves) is exactly the same as the pieces needed for a pillowcase dress.  So I grabbed some white bias tape from my drawers and ended up with this:

Not too bad for an accident

I decided after making this dress that I would whip up a bunch more for the summer, as they are perfect for our southern heat and humidity.  And they're easy.  So I planned a half dozen or so dresses in my head and this is how they turned out:

All summer in the making

Nope, I didn't forget any, that's it.  I made one.  And only because I cut it out about 4 or 5 months ago and didn't want such cute fabric to go to waste.  Somehow this simple project, which should only take about 20 minutes--not counting the pockets--took me all week to finish, ugh.  Part of it was my two kids.  Part of it was that I couldn't get her barrettes to look the way I wanted.  I settled for a not-really-matching-red in the interest of moving on.  I lose most of her barrettes anyways.

Cowboy boot barrettes from GG Designs

I made my own bias tape, which is much nicer to work with than store bought.  And cuter too.

The model's not bad, either

I used the Pleated Pocket Tutorial from Made-by-Rae to make the pockets.  I changed the construction and size a bit, but the end result is pretty much the same.  I also found the Pillowcase Dress Tutorial from Little Big Girl Studio to be helpful in constructing the dress, though I drafted the pattern from my absolute favorite tutorial, Indietutes Peasant Top.  I am going to have to do a post one of these days to show all the many ways it can be used.

Aloha