Hi everyone!

Happy Tuesday! We hope everyone is having a wonderful day so far. It’s the last day to enter our Frolicking Forest Giveaway on our Facebook Page. Be sure to enter HERE if you haven’t yet.

It’s time for our weekly How To’s Day!! Today we are sharing another one of our fantastic project collaborations with you. Jennifer Hagedorn from Tie Dye Diva Patterns created the most adorable Tunic Dress and Bloomers Play Set for us, for our Free Projects Program, and we are launching the pattern for you today on the blog. Our Tunic and Bloomers Play Set is perfect for your little girl to play around in and be comfortable, while being absolutely adorable and girly at the same time. We absolutely love the bow and ruffle details on the tunic…and pockets? Yes, please! The bloomers are just as sweet, with the added ruching and bows – oh so cute!! We chose our Petite Plume Collection because it reminds us of Spring and Summer – we can imagine a little girl playing at the park in this play set, but then also strutting her stuff at a garden party or BBQ.

Because this tutorial includes two pieces, we thought it would be easier to split it into two posts. We are going to share the Tunic Dress Tutorial in this post, and the Bloomers Tutorial should be following suite. We are so thankful that we got the chance to work with the incredibly talented Jen from Tie Dye Diva – thank you SO much for creating the sweetest of play sets for our projects. Be sure to check out all of Jen’s other patterns.

Click MORE to see the full Tunic Dress Tutorial!

Teeny Tiny Play Set: Tunic Dress Tutorial (Part 1)
SIZE: 0-3 months

TOOLS & SUPPLIES:

The following cuts of Petite Plume quilting cotton (44” wide) from Camelot Fabrics:
– 3/4 yard of 9140305 #3 for the Dress Body
– 1/8 yard of 9140301 #1 for the Pockets
– 1/8 yard of 9140306 #1 for the Knot Bows

– 1 yard of 1/4” elastic
– Paper printer
– Basic sewing supplies: sewing machine, needle & coordinating thread, iron & pressing surface, measuring tape, scissors & fabric shears, straight pins, and a fabric marker

NOTES:
– Please wash, dry & iron your fabric before beginning, and trim the selvages.
– Unless otherwise directed, use a 1/2” seam allowance throughout.
– To prevent fraying, stabilize your fabrics’ edges by serging, egg-stitching on a zig-zag setting or trimming the seam allowances with pinking shears.

CUTTING:
1. Print the Teeny Tiny Tunic pattern PDF at 100% of actual size. Tape the pattern pieces together, matching letters  (“A to A”, “B to B” etc.) and aligning the small black triangles to form diamonds. The Sleeve prints on a separate page, which you won’t need to attach to any others. Cut out the pattern pieces.
2. Trace or pin the pattern pieces to folded double layers of fabric as indicated on the pattern templates, and cut out the dress pieces.
3. Trace the Pocket placement dots from the dress Front pattern piece onto both side of the dress Front piece.
4. Draft & cut out (2) Ruffle strips, each 4” x 28”.

ASSEMBLY:
1. To create elastic casings, turn the hem edge of each Sleeve under by 1/4”, Wrong Sides together, and press. Turn by 1/2” and press again. Secure the casing as shown, with a line of stitches 1/8” from the inner fold (a scant 1/2” from the hem edge of the sleeve).

2. Thread a 6-1/2” length of elastic into the casing of each Sleeve, using a safety pin. Tack the ends of the elastics in place.
Note: for “angel” sleeves, you can omit the elastic.

3. Match up the single notches on (1) Sleeve piece to the notches of its corresponding armhole in the dress Front, Right Sides together. Pin & sew the armhole curve, clip into the curve and press the seam open. Repeat for the second sleeve.
4. Match the double notches of (1) Sleeve piece to the matching notches in the armhole of the dress Back piece, and sew the armhole as you did for the Front. Repeat for the second sleeve.
The arms & bodice of your dress should now form a loop.

5. With the dress still Wrong Side out, sew its side seams and the short underside of each sleeve together.

6. With the Ruffle strips Right Sides together, join both short edges so you have one long loop. You do not need to finish these seams.
Fold the entire loop in half lengthwise, with Wrong Sides together, and press. You will have one long, narrow, folded loop.

7. Sew two rows of long, loose gathering stitches along the raw edge of the ruffle loop from one side seam to the other, one 3/8” from the edge and one 5/8” from the edge. Sew a second set of two rows on the other side of the ruffle loop. You will be sewing each line of stitching through two layers of fabric.
You’ll be gathering these seams in the next step, so leave a few inches of extra thread and don’t overlap your seams.

8. Turn the dress Right Side out. With Right Sides together and raw edges aligned, pin the side seams of the ruffle loop to the side seams of the dress.
Gently pull the bobbin threads to gather the ruffle to the same width as the dress. Pin & sew the Ruffle to the dress bodice, Right Sides together, and press the seam allowance toward the bodice.
Topstitch 1/8” above this seam to hold the seam allowance in place.

9. To create the neckline elastic casing, turn the edge of the neckline inward by 1/4”, Wrong Sides together, then again by 1/2”. Secure the casing with a line of stitches 1/8” from the inner fold as you did with the sleeve casings.

Insert a 14” length of elastic into the casing, join the ends, and stitch the gap closed.

10. Sew the Knot Bow pieces from dot to dot, Right Sides together, with a 1/4” seam allowance. Leave the gap between the dots open.
Clip your curves & the “V” of the Knot Bow, then turn it Right Side out using a long thin object such as a chopstick or knitting needle. (Start by poking one rounded end of the Knot into the “tube” until you can grab and pull the bow right side out.) Press, turning the edges of the gap under by 1/4”.
Topstitch all the way around the Knot Bow, including the gap.

11. Sew the Pocket pieces Right Sides together with a 1/4” seam allowance, leaving a 1” gap on the top edge for turning. Notch the curve, clip the corners, turn the Pocket Right Side out and press. Turn the open edge to the inside, press, and topstitch to close, beginning and ending 1/8” from the side edges of the pocket.

12. Center the Knot Bow vertically on the placement mark indicated on the pocket. Stitch across its center several times, and tie it in a single overhand knot.
Play with the arrangement of the Knot’s tails until they sit nicely against the pocket.

13. Match the top edges of the pockets to the marks indicated on the dress Front. Topstitch around the sides & bottom of the pocket, 1/8” from the edge, lifting the Knot Bow out of the way as needed. Backstitch at both ends of this seam.

We hope you have enjoyed the Tunic Dress Tutorial! Be sure to stay tuned for the Bloomers Tutorial, to complete the Teeny Tiny Play Set. Thank you to Jen from Tie Dye Designs for the fantastic pattern! You can check out all of her amazing-ness HERE. If you decide to give this tutorial a try, or any of our Free Projects, we would love to see. You can send all your pictures to info@camelotfabrics.com. Stay tuned for Part 2!

Happy Sewing!