I’m sewing up a storm making some baby clothes for a friend of mine that had a GIRL!! It’s been all boys around here lately, and I’ve been dying to make some adorable little girly things! This is the Sugar & Spice dress and top. I like teeny baby clothes to be easy to put on, no tugging over fresh little heads, so I modified this to have a snap placket in the back (or front – you really can wear this dress either way!). This is the smallest size (0-3 mos) so I don’t expect it will fit my friend’s preemie baby any time soon, but it’s such a cute pattern!
Start by cutting everything out as usual EXCEPT your back skirt pieces. Add 3/4″ to the width of each one. Cut out some lightweight fusible interfacing strips at 3/4″ x the length of your skirt piece (so for the 3mos dress size, 3/4″ x 12″).
Iron your fusible interfacing to the wrong side of your back skirt pieces, one on the left, one on the right. Serge those edges and then press a crease right where the interfacing ends, so at the 3/4″ mark, down the length of the skirt.
When you’re pinning your gathered back skirt pieces to the yoke, line up your fabric like this: match the 3/4″ folded interfacing line to the 3/8″ sewing line on the yoke:
There will be a bit of overhang on those inside edges…that’s where the placket will be! Follow the instructions as usual for dress assembly.
Once you get to adding the yoke lining, and it’s sewn on, you’ll see how the placket forms! There’s no need to sew up the center back seam (as the instructions say) since we’re leaving this open.
Now just add your snaps (or buttons) down the back, keeping them centered in the interfaced 3/4″ section, hem and you’re done!
I really think the snaps would be cute used for a top version for older girls too!
Happy Sewing!
2 Responses
I love this outfit.I have been looking for clothes for my grand baby with snaps. She was a preemie and now wears a trach. She is getting older and I need to make clothes for a 2 year old. I’m a fairly new sewer. If I sew clothes from a pattern I need to know how much more material or how to alter
the pattern for snaps. Could you help me out. She might be coming home next month for the first time from the hospital. Its been a long ruff road. I sit with her 3 days a week and travel 9 hours to be with her. If I could make one thing easier for my precious child that could help her I’m going to do it.
Thank you
Carol
Darling mix of striped fabrics in your pinafore back snap-on placket. Love the colorations of aqua, muted gold, grey & white in the wider chevron zigzag stripes mixing with the really thin grey & white vertical stripes. You always reveal clever ideas, Sarah. Thanks for sharing tutorial. Fab gift for a baby girl as the added back placket makes it easier to put on.