Crafts for summer: cute dress for kids

 At least she seems to think so!

 And the back is nice and sporty! 

Let's get started!

Materials:

• Rib knit or jersey would work fine too
• Sewing needle

1. Cut your body out using another shirt as a guide. I accidentally cut mine too small so the ruffle was born as a happy mistake:) You'll want the body to be slightly narrower than you want the end result to be. Leave the back piece flat across the top and make a scoop neck in the front. Don't forget armholes! Cut 1 long strip for the ruffly front and 1 strip the length of your tank for the back. If you're using a rib knit then make sure the rows are vertical for the main pieces and horizontal for your center back pieces. Cut 3 long skinny strips and braid together

 2. Cut the front and back in half right down the middle. Ruffle the long strip to match your length by gathering each side of the strip. Leave a bit on the end unruffled so it's easier to finish the edges.

 3. With right sides together sew the ruffle to one half of your front. Repeat with the second half. Do the same thing for the back but you can skip the ruffles. Fold the very top edge of your front piece towards the wrong side and topstitch to finish the edge.

 4. Fold the arm holes towards the back and stitch along the edge to keep in place

5. With right sides together sew up the side seams and hem the bottom by folding over once and stitching

6. Fold the top portion of the back piece to the wrong side and stitch to form a casing. Thread the braid through and then stitch the ends together. Make sure the sewn together portion of the braid is inside the casing  and then hand stitch the braid along your neck line. You can add little bows to the shoulders if you need just a touch more girly:)

Strut your stuff! All those ruffles are very slimming:) 

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