The dreamy duvet cover dress

No button holes No hem!

This is my first ever tutorial!  But having been encouraged by my friend Charlotte I am testing the tutorial waters and sharing with you my dreamy duvet cover dress!  Guess what I made it out of!

If you want to read all of the long long long tutorial click on the "read more" thing underneath!

This is an old french eiderdown cover, a now redundant sized cover, too small for duvets and too big for pillows.  I happened upon it helping to do a house clearance and claimed it for 'recycling'  I threw it over the sofa and saw the pretty little edging bits and thought to myself 'that would make a lovely edge on a summer dress'.  So began the duvet dress.

So here's the 'here's how'

Materials
One eiderdown cover (bigger than pillowcase smaller thn quilt! for a five year old)
A contrasting rectangle large enough to go round the child's waist with a few cms to spare for ease and seams.
Two buttons
Two rectangles of velcro.
Thread
Zip (optional)
And sewing kit!

Dissecting and cutting

Firstly dissect your cover, leaving the lovely edging attached on one piece.

This gave me two large rectangles and a little strip - I ended up using about 3/4 of one of the rectangles!

You can detach the edging from the SIDES of your rectangle and put them to one side for straps, but DON'T detach the bottom frill.

Then cut your waistband from your contrasting material (this can really be a scrap from something else as you really don't need alot).  You need two rectangles; the short sides can be as wide as you like, but the long sides need measuring! You need the waist measurment divided by two,  PLUS  enough extra cms on each end for seam allowance and a zip allowance.  If you want to avoid the zip then add enough cms to each end to allow for ease, or even enough to add elastic.  I went with the zip option as I wanted a more fitted look.

Next cut your skirt rectangles.  Measure the length you want the skirt and then subtract the height of your waistband - you don't need to worry about a hem - the pretty edging has already been done.  The width of the rectangles is about 1.5  times the waist measurment  divided by 2 .  You need two of these cut from the edged cover - measure UP from the edging.

The yoke/bodice part of the dress is best designed on newspaper cut out and held up to the model to get  the shape right.if possible.  You need to cut TWO of these pieces (from anywhere on your old duvet cover) and the bottom edge needs to be the same length as the long side of the waistband.

Finally (for the cutting) just two more rectangles (duvet cover again).  These are the back of the bodice and the height needs go up to where the curves that you have cut out on your front bodice begin.  The width is the same as the waistband.  

Your pieces will look something like this (there are two of those bodice parts and two rectangles underneath honestly!)


Putting it together
 Let's start with the fiddely bits.

The straps:  fold the edging that you put aside for straps nearly in helf and sew.  Then sandwich them between the two back rectangles - the two rectangles need to be right sides together.  The straps need to be in the middle of the rectangle and slightly angled so that they cross over naturally. (Make sure before you sew that the straps are both the same side up. - I forgot :-(  ) Sew the two short sides of the rectangles and the long side where the straps are.  Turn the right way out.

The Velcro: Sew the scratchy bits of velcro to the ends of the straps and the furry bits to the right side of one of the bodice pieces. (This way you don't need button holes and if you make the velcro bits long enough you can let it out as your girl grows,and by putting the scratchy bits on the straps you avoid contact with the skin.)

The bodice: Sew the two bodice pieces right sides together leaving the bottom edge open. Turn the right way out.  

The rest of it: Sew the two waistband rectangles to the bottoms of the back rectangle and the bodice respectively.  Make sure that you sew right sides together (the bodice part with the furry velcro has now become the wrong side)  

Sew the back rectangle to the front bodice on one side only (if you are using a zip.)

Add the skirt now, in two halves.  Take the skirt rectangle and fold it in half and mark, then pin the two ends to the two extremeties of the waistband, then pin the middle in the middle.  This will help divide the skirt up into regular pleats.  Pleat and pin.  Then sew.  Repeat for the back and then sew up the sides.

                                             See my cat helping me!

All you need to do now is add the zip on the side of the bodice and sew two decorative buttons on the top and it's done!  (I added a little bow too but hey.) 

TO ADD
I ran up another of these this weekend and discovered that there IS actually enough material in a pillow case to do this (albeit a square pillow case) so no need to go hunting for eiderdowns.....