Dress a Girl Around the World

1. Find a new or gently used pillow case.
   
   Cut along the top of the pillow case (where it is sewed together--opposite of the open end). This will become the top of the dress.
   
2. Lay the pillow case flat and measure J-shaped armholes at the top corners (3 to 4"X3 to 4"-depending upon how big the pillowcase is--king sized for bigger girls, etc.)
   
   
   
3. Turn under the top edges which will be the front and back of the dress--iron under about 1/4" along raw edges and then fold again and press a casing to hold your 1/4" to 1/2" wide elastic pieces which you will cut to 7" long.
   
   
   
4. Sew close to the edge of the casing along the bottom where you first turned the 1/4" raw edge under.
5. Attach a safety pin to one end of your 7" long elastic and pull it through the casing using caution not to pull it too far.
6. Sew across each end of the casing to hold the elastic in place.
   You now have your gathered top of the front and back.
   

   

7. Take double fold bias tape --1/2" wide and cut your armhole ties. Ties should be around 32"--long enough to tie a bow at the top.
   
   
8. Fold one tie in half to find the center and line it up with the center of the armhole--then work outward from there to both sides. Pin the open ends of the bias tape over the raw edges of the armhole--the ties will extend evenly over each top.
9. Fold the raw edges of the ends of the bias tape inside and when you sew along the tape you will catch those also.
10. Tie your ties and your dress is finished!
    
    
    
11. Some partners are adding pockets and placing photos, prayers, blessings, or our prayer dolls inside.

 Click here for a printable version of this pattern (pdf format).

Check out the Photo Gallery to see what other members have created.

For a video of this procedure click on the dress a girl video at the left :)