Dresses 3, 4 and 5 - Cherry Red

In my previous post, I called my dresses "Pink Elephants on Parade".   Naming dresses is kind of a tradition among my historical costuming friends.   We name our Victorian gowns after colors, animals, food, etc.  The minute I saw the cute line of elephants, I immediately thought of the song from Disney's Dumbo   song video here 

These dresses I call "Cherry Red" from a 1966 song I like.  I have some left over cherry fabric from a blouse I made.  Paired with a cute red with tiny white dots fabric, I made coordinating dresses, big sister/two little sisters.




Dresses Three and Four 

I really wanted to make these about size 7 or 8, but didn't have enough to make them longer, unless I made only one dress.  They are about a size 5/6 according to the DAG chart.   The bias tape length is 36 inches.  I bought two packs of red bias tape, 3 yards to a pack.  This will get you three dresses worth of ties.  Its a good idea to always buy two packs of each color so you are not left with an odd yard of bias tape left over.

The cherry fabric used is the full width, 44 inches.  I added the red to the bottom to make it longer, and it hits about 25 inches long.  I cut the front and back elastic to 7 inches. 

***Divide and reduce pleating method.  Sometimes its difficult to tell how much fabric you need to pleat and attach.  This is the method I use.  First, lay your main fabric out flat and measure.  Then, depending on how full you want your pleats, cut the length of the pleat fabric anywhere from 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 times the length of your main fabric piece.  (In my case, I was using left over fabric, so did not have a choice how long to cut the pleat fabric, and worked with what I had.)

Hem the pleat fabric.   Now, pin the hemmed pleat fabric to each end of the main fabric.  Your pleat fabric will be a lot longer, and hang loose in the middle.   Find the center of the main fabric and put a pin there.  Do the same with the pleat fabric. Pin them together.  Now, start dividing.  From the center pin on either side, find the middle between the center and edge and pin again.  Keep doing this until you have several equally spaced loops that look like this:

Now, figure out how many pleats you can fit in one section, and all the rest should be the same.   I use French seams, and the pleats went right into it with no problem.





To the right is step 1 of the French seam - sew wrong sides together about 1/4 inch.  Press closed, right sides together, encasing raw edges.  Sew second seam 3/8-1/2 inch to secure raw edges inside. Open and press flat.



Pockets.   This time I tried sewing the pockets on before closing up the back.  On the smaller dresses its hard to sew the pocket on because you have to bunch up the back when its already sewn together.  For this size 5/6, I measured eight inches up from the bottom.  Then I found the center line and spaced the pockets equally apart from the center, then sewed them on the flat dress.   MUCH easier!

The pockets are different on each dress so they wouldn't be exactly the same.  Now, a confession....I am going to start putting the DAG tag over the ugliest corner of the pocket! 😜

 

Helpful Hint:   Use upholstery thread to attach buttons. They will never come off!

Dress Five

Using the yard I had left of the red with tiny white dots,  I made a larger dress.  I added the last of my cherry print around the bottom, and for the pockets.   I tried to break up the red with wide eyelet lace on the pockets. 

I went to Michael's and got some mixed craft buttons to attach as decoration, and also ordered some on Amazon. I topped off the larger dress with heart buttons on the pocket corners and a big red button in the middle.

This is a size 9 on the DAG chart.  Its about 33 inches long, and I used 36 inch ties and 8 inches front and back elastic.

Here they are!

My First Dress - Pink Elephants on Parade

For my first (and second) dress, I will be using some adorable Elephant print fabric that Ambassador Monica sent me.  I want to stretch it for two dresses, so I am using a coordinating fabric for the lower half of each dress.  I will use the basic Dress a Girl pattern until I gather some commercial patterns.

 

  There are You Tube videos on how to make one.  Here is a good one:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qnJGHgdNXN4&t=571s       This is the basic DAG dress.   I would do a few things differently, such as making the pocket a bit sturdier by sewing the two square layers together and turning inside out so the seams are finished, before sewing to the dress.   Pockets are made for stuffing with treasures, and I fear only a pinked edge may tear more easily.

I used this handy-dandy chart from the Dress a Girl website.  It has all the measurements you might need to make the no-pattern dress.  In my own opinion, I think after size 5, the full width of the fabric should be used.  For  sizes 6 months to a smaller 5, use chart measurements.  For sizes 10-11-12, if you are using 42"-44" fabric, put a 3 inch kick pleat or open slit on the back seam. For wider fabric, its not required.  Also on the website, is a great armhole template.  I printed it, made sure the measurements were correct, and taped to cardboard before I cut it out.

DRESS ONE AND TWO


The first thing I did was to cut the the width to the size 5 on the chart.  I added an inch extra to the width and length.  Then, because it was not long enough, I chose a complementary fabric and added it to the bottom.

All seams are to be finished by using a serger, or a close zig zag stitch, or a French seam.  As I want the dresses to be durable, I choose to use a French seam.  Not sure how to do a French seam?  Its easy!

First, sew your seam with the wrong sides together, 1/4 inch.  Your right sides will look like this, with the seam on the front side of the dress.

 Iron the seam front sides together, so the seam is enclosed.  Now sew the seam again about 1/2 to 5/8 of an inch, which traps the first seam inside.   You now have a sturdy, double sewn, encased edge.

Outside seam

Inside seam

Step Two.   The back seam, which I also did as a French seam.   Iron the dress flat, centering the back seam down the middle.

Step Three.   Time to cut the armholes.  With the dress flat and seam centered down the back, fold the dress lengthwise.  As in the below photo, you will have one fold down the center, and the other side is the two sides on their folds.

Using the template for size 5, cut out the armholes on the two folded sides.

Unfold the dress flat again, and there are your two armholes.



Step Four.  Front and back elastic.  Using the chart, cut 2 lengths of  1/2 inch wide elastic to size.  For my size 5 dress, I am cutting the elastic to 7 inches.  Next, make your elastic casings.  There are several ways to do this.  You can make a fold over and stitch casing with one row of stitching.  You can do it with two rows of stitching (top and bottom) which controls the gathers a bit more, or you can do two rows of stitching, starting about an inch or so down from the top, to make a ruffled look above the elastic.

 

For these two dresses, I am doing the controlled gathers.  Fold down the two top pieces 1/4 inch, then fold again about an inch.  Iron and pin. Sew the two rows of stitching.





Put your elastic on the end of a safety pin, and thread through the casing.  Sew the ends back
and forth several times to secure.






Step Five.  Hem your dress! Make sure you turn under 1/4 inch, and then again to your desired length.  The dresses will not need deep hems, they cannot be altered to let the hem down later.

Step Six.   Making pockets.   The pockets should be no smaller than 6 inches square finished.   You may put one or two on your dresses.  I cut my squares 6 1/2 inches, 1 of  fabric and 1 of lining.  You should add your trim to the pocket before sewing on to the dress, it makes it a lot easier!  I found out  the hard way with this dress.   I was under the weather when I made the dress, and did it without trim.  Then when I felt better, I added trim after.  It was hard for me to sew the trim on the pocket without catching the dress fabric too.  From now on, I will decorate first 😊

Pockets need to be sturdy so little hands or treasures can't tear them. Sew your squares with right sides together on three sides.  Turn right side out and press.




 For the top edge, I  folded and ironed a 1/4 inch, folded again, and sewed it down.   After trimming, place your pocket or pockets on the dress where you think best, and sew it, making sure to go over each corner a few times so it won't rip off.











Step Seven.   Adding the ties.  Ties are made from double wide, double fold bias tape.  You can buy prepackaged, or make your own.  Again, refer to the chart for the size needed.   For my size 5 dress, I cut two lengths of 34 inches.  Pin the middle of bias tape to the middle of the armhole and enclose the raw edges.  Starting in the middle or at the end, sew your tape from end to end.  Don't forget to tuck in the ends of your tape and sew closed.




Step Eight.  Adding trim.   Below is a picture of the dress before I added my trim.  You may add cotton lace, buttons, embroidery, whatever you want, as long as its washable and sturdy.  No craft polyester lace!  You can add your trim as you go, or add it after, whatever your preference is. Its probably best to decorate the pocket before attaching, which I will do in the future.

Step Nine.    Add the official Dress a Girl Around the World label!  Put it on the pocket or the hem or wherever else you think best on the front of the dress.

Before Trimming

   

 Here they are, all finished!  Its raining outside, so these are not the best inside photos.

And So it Begins

Hello, my name is Cindy, and this is how I became involved in the Dress a Girl Around the World program.  

Shelley and friends

Last Fall, my friend Shelley posted about her upcoming trip to Uganda with her church to dedicate two new wells, and to take items to the villagers such as flip flops for the boys, mosquito nets, and for the girls, dresses!   Shelley posted multi photos during her trip, and the ones that stood out the most to me were all the beautiful little girls receiving new dresses.  Shelley has given me permission to post the following photos. She helped distribute 600 dresses among 3 villages!

I was intrigued, and when she returned, I asked about them.  She told me about the program Dress a Girl Around the World, and suggested I look at the website.  Girls are not as valued as the boys, and some may never get a new dress.  Also, there is a problem with predators.   These girls live in areas where they are easy targets for trafficking.  By making a pretty dress and putting the DAG tag on the front of the dress, maybe a predator will pass by her when he sees she is connected to an organization. 

The dresses are mostly sundresses, with no buttons or zippers, as there is no way to repair them if they break.  Slip over the head or tie at the shoulder with elastic in the front are the easiest type.  They are to be made from cotton, as they will most likely be washed in a river or stream and need to hold up to that.  The ties are made of double-wide, double fold bias tape. One or two pockets should be placed on the front.  (This might be the only place a girl has to herself for her ‘treasures,’ as many times several family members live in a very tiny house).

There is the basic DAG sundress, or you may use commercial patterns that meet the same requirements.  Here is a sample of patterns:

 After reading every page of the web site, I contacted Monica, the Ambassador of Southern California, and I said I'd like to make some dresses.  She kindly sent me some fabric to get started.  These will be the first dresses I will be making and sending back to Monica for later distribution.  I talked to some of my friends, and they also donated some yardage to get me started.   Special thanks to Kristen, Nancy, Tonya and Val for their donations.   Combined with what I have, I can make a few dozen already.

Shelley is now the Ambassador to Riverside and San Diego!  She is planning on going back to Uganda in 2020 with her church, and wants to take a few hundred dresses with her.  I have friends who are also starting to sew dresses for Shelley.   Between us all, she will have a nice pile of  pretty dresses to take with her.

Please take a minute to browse the website  http://dressagirlaroundtheworld.com for further information.  Also, if you are interested in sewing with us and live in San Diego or Riverside, or anywhere in between, you can join our Facebook Group here:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/276341249737929/