Two Pillowcase Wonder

I made a few of these scarves last week and couldn't stop thinking about the delicious pleats. I wondered what they'd look like in dress form. . . .







Side view:



Dress (and Ansley) in motion:





Want to make one? (Mine turned out pretty large for my average to short sized 21 month old).

I used two full sized jersey knit pillowcases from my stash (they might actually be the same size as queen pillowcases, since queen beds are only about six inches wider than full beds), a dress or shirt that fits your wearer well (preferably one with a similar amount of stretch), and usual sewing stuff (matching thread, pins, seam ripper, sewing machine, etc).

1. If the edges of the pillowcase are a bit wonky and/or if you want the extra three or four inches, unpick the top seam of one pillowcase.





2. Use your existing shirt or dress to make a pattern for the bodice at the top of the pillowcase (the part you just unpicked), adding your seam allowance. I added about an inch on each side of my dress and drew it on the fabric with pencil. You might want to do it the "real" way by making a pattern and using appropriate marking tools. Never made a pattern? Check out Dana's awesome tutorial. In this [awful!] picture, the sleeves are tucked back so I can draw the curve of the bodice/top of the sleeve. (any advice on how to fix these seriously washed out/weirdly shaded pictures?)



3. Make a pattern for your sleeves and cut out the sleeves from your other pillowcase. I positioned the outer edge of the sleeve on a fold I made in the pillowcase and chose to use the finished existing seam of the pillowcase as the bottom of my sleeve. Cut two sleeves.



4. Trim excess scraps towards the top of both pillowcases. Starting at the bottom (the end that's sewn shut) of the pillowcase, pin pleats, following the directions in the scarf tutorial. Remember to pin both layers. To help keep the pleats approximately the same length, I alternated between pinning pillowcases- ie I pinned the one on the right, then the one on the left. Then I pinned the one on the left and tried to copy the same distance on the right.



Notice they aren't the same length at the top opening. (which is the bottom of the picture. Sorry). It's okay- I just trimmed them later.

5. Sew the bodice pieces together, right sides together (rst), at the top shoulder seam and the side seams. I used a little zigzag to allow for some stretch in the knit fabric.

6. Sew the sleeves, rst.

7. Carefully pin the sleeve so the right side of the sleeve is pinned to the wrong side of the bodice and sew. Repeat for the other sleeve.

8. Sew one pleated panel of the skirt. I sewed five lines but in hindsight wish I'd sewn six or seven. I switched to a straight stitch for this part. Repeat for the other panel.

9. Line up the closed portion of the pillowcase (the bottom), rst. Do your best to line up each pleat as you go. Sew on both sides. (I used a small zigzag stitch again). Go slow! You have to sew through a lot of fabric and don't want it to get caught in your presser foot- ahem. Anyway, trim the excess fabric on the outside of the seam, if you have any. Be careful not to cut your seam. The beauty of knit it it won't fray so you don't have to finish it. You just made the skirt portion. (and the sun went down).



10. At the top of your skirt portion, sew a basting/gathering stitch. Use a straight stitch, not a zigzag. Do not backstitch, as you want your bobbin thread loose. The longest stitch my machine has is a 4. If you're a bit more cautious, sew a second basting stitch (in case the first one breaks).

11. Gather the skirt portion so it's the same width as your bodice. I tried to line up the side seams from the skirt with the side seams from the bodice.

12. Pin the skirt to the bodice, rst. Carefully sew them together. I used a zigzag stitch here too. Trim any excess bulk outside of your seams.



13. Finish the collar in a method of your choosing. I haven't decided if I want to fold it down and hem it or if I want to use contrasting fold over elastic. What do you think?






Linked here!