Cross-Stitch Cutie: Embroidering an Adorable Dress for the Season

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As the year comes to a close, it’s the perfect time to create lasting memories with your little one during New Year’s Eve celebrations. Whether you’re gathering with family or capturing the moment in front of the camera, a beautifully embroidered dress can make those photo ops extra special. By adding timeless cross-stitch designs to a simple cotton baby dress, you’ll craft a unique, heirloom-quality piece that will be cherished for years to come, all while celebrating the joy and excitement of the season.

Materials

Prepare

Load the designs onto the machine.

Download the Adorable Baby Girl Dress pattern, or use any children’s sewing pattern with a yoke and gathered skirt.

Tile and cut out the pattern. On the bodice front pattern, mark the seam allowances: ½” on the side seams and lower edge and ¼” on the neckline and armholes.

Measure the remaining space to determine the maximum embroidery design size, leaving 1/8″ to ¼” margins from the seams.

Mark ½” seam allowances on the skirt side seams and waistline. Determine the hem allowance and mark (a 5/8″ hem was used for the featured sample) to designate the embroidery field for the skirt pieces.

Print templates of the cross-stitch designs and audition them on the pattern pieces. If needed, adjust the design sizes to fit on the bodice; the tree border showcased on the sample was reduced to 1″ tall to fit. Mark the centerlines for each design on the pattern and note the design determined for each mark.

Fold the fabric in half lengthwise with wrong sides together, matching the selvages. Designate one cut edge as the upper edge.

Lay out the bodice front on the fold near the upper edge. Trace the pattern using a removable fabric marker, but don’t cut out the piece. Designate as the bodice-front lining.

Repeat to trace a second bodice front on the fold below the first. Transfer the center marks from the pattern. Flip the fabric and trace the pattern mirror-image, including any additional center marks (A).

Position the remaining pattern pieces on the fabric (B). Trace the skirt pieces, mirroring the front on the fold and transferring the center marks. Once the designated embroidery pieces are traced and marked, remove the pattern pieces from the fabric.

Embroider

Hoop the bodice-front fabric with cut-away stabilizer, centering the marks in the hoop. Place the hoop onto the machine; embroider the design.

Remove the hoop from the machine and the fabric from the hoop. Clip any jump threads, then trim away the stabilizer close to the fabric edge.

Repeat to embroider the remaining designs, re-hooping the fabric as necessary and using your notes as design reference.

Cut

Place the embroidered fabric right side up on a flat work surface. Center the bodice-front, skirt-front and skirt-back pattern pieces over the embroidered areas. Re-trace the pattern if necessary to ensure proper placement of each design.

Fold the fabric in half with wrong sides together, matching the selvages. Place the bodice-right back and bodice-left back patterns on the fabric where indicated. Position the bodice-front pattern on the fabric where indicated. Note: The bodice front lining doesn’t need to align perfectly on the original lines; make sure it’s on grain and doesn’t overlap the other bodice-front lines.

From the patterns, cut one bodice-front lining on the fold, two back-right bodices and two left-back bodices.

From the remaining fabric, use the traced lines to cut one bodice front, one skirt front and two skirt backs. Cut two 11/8″ × 6″ bias strips.

From the interfacing, cut two 1″-wide strips measuring the length of the center-back.

Press each embroidered piece from the wrong side, and remove any placement markings.

Fuse the 1″ interfacing strips to the bodice-back lining, placing each strip ½” from the edge.

Construct

Use ½” seam allowances unless otherwise noted.
Stitch the exterior bodice pieces at the shoulder seams. Press open the seams. Repeat to stitch the lining shoulder seams.

Place the exterior and lining bodices right sides together, aligning the neckline edges. Stitch the neckline using a ¼” seam allowance.

Clip the curves every ½” and finger-press the seam allowance toward the lining. Understitch the seam, and then press the neckline.

Place the bodices right sides together. Stitch both armholes using a ¼” seam allowance, beginning and ending ½” from the bodice lower edge (C).

Finger-press one seam allowance toward the lining. Understitch 1/8″ from the seam, beginning at the bodice lower edge and stitching to the shoulder seam. End the stitching, and then begin stitching from the opposite-bodice lower edge toward the shoulder seam. Repeat to understitch the second armhole.

Stitch the bodice right-back exterior to the bodice right-back lining along the center back. Turn right side out, pushing out the neckline corners. Repeat to finish the bodice left-center back.

Serge-, pink- or zigzag-finish the skirt side seam and center-back edges.

With right sides together, stitch the skirt-back pieces horizontally to the dot just above the placket curve. Put the needle down, lift the presser foot and pivot the fabric to continue stitching down the center-back seam (D). Press the seam allowances and placket toward the left edge.

With right sides together, stitch the skirt back to the skirt front at the side seams. Press open the seams.

Press the bias strips in half lengthwise with wrong sides together. Align the strip raw edges and the curved armhole edges on the skirt with right sides together, extending the bias ends slightly past the yoke seam. Stitch the folded strip to the armholes using a ¼” seam allowance.

Clip the seam allowance every ½”. Fold the strip to the skirt wrong side, enclosing the raw edges. Edgestitch the fold to the skirt wrong side by hand or machine; press (E).

Fold the placket back at center back for the left skirt; press. Stitch two rows of gathering stitches across the skirt upper edges. Pull up the stitches to gather the skirt to fit the corresponding bodice lower edges.

Leaving the bodice lining free and with right sides together, pin the gathered skirt to the bodice front and backs, matching center fronts, side seams and back edges. Stitch the skirt to the bodice sections.

Press the lower-bodice lining edges ½” toward the wrong side; hand stitch over the gathered seams, encasing the raw edges.

Finish

Mark the buttonhole positions at the left-bodice center back using the buttonhole template. Stitch the button­holes ½” from the finished edge.

Stitch the buttons to the right bodice under the buttonholes as indicated by the template, ½” in from the finished edge.

Double-fold and hem the skirt to the determined length by hand or by machine.

No matter the occasion, this adorable baby dress is the perfect canvas for your creativity. From playful Easter bunnies to cheerful spring flowers, you can embroider any theme to suit the celebration. Whether it’s for a holiday, birthday, or family gathering, this versatile pattern lets you create a one-of-a-kind keepsake that’s as thoughtful as it is beautiful. Plus, it makes a heartfelt gift that any parent will treasure. With endless design possibilities, this dress is sure to bring joy to every special moment!

This article written by Evy Hawkins, sample & embroidery instructions by Kate Zaynard was originally published in the November / December 2017 issue of Creative Machine Embroidery Magazine.

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