Ruffle Tank Dress

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This dress is only three pieces total.  So, easy and so simple for all the Moms out there.

I saw this dress on the Kate Spade website and fell in love with it.

Image Courtesy of Kate Spade/ Striped Lucille Knit Dress

Image Courtesy of Kate Spade/ Striped Lucille K

Image Courtesy of Kate Spade/Striped Lucile Knit Dress

I knew this would be a great dress for my daughter Emma who is seven with some adaptations and without the $268.00 price tag.  As many of you out there who have daughters this age know, it’s hard to find clothing that is age appropriate and is still cute.  Many clothing companies are pushing for young girls to dress way beyond their years.  I find it very frustrating as a parent.  However, this dress has it all.  It has a classic cut and the bold factor too.  My daughter loves anything sparkly, shiny, or something that just makes a statement.  She gets that outright though.  I’m the same way.

I knew that I wanted a basic a-line cut to the dress.  To make this dress even more age appropriate, I wanted it to have a gather in the front and to be a little looser fitting.

I have read various posts after post about taking an existing piece of clothing to make a pattern, but I never had the guts to attempt it.  I finally took the plunge.  Wow!  I have really been missing out this entire time.  It was easier than I thought.  I did use some muslin to trace the pattern onto become I was a little chicken to cut right into my fabric.  I was glad I used the muslin because now I have the pattern to use over and over.

I started by taking one of Emma’s Hanna Andersson dresses that she really loves.  It’s a tank style dress that is roomy enough not to be too constricting because she always runs and play a lot.

Emma's Hanna Anderson Dress

I folded the dress in half to trace the front yoke.  I allowed for the seam allowance which was roughly 5/8″.

Tracing the Front Yoke of the Dress.

I traced the bottom half of the front of the dress, allowing for the gather in the front of the dress, as well as the seam allowance.

Then I Folded the back part of the dress and traced the back, once again allowing for the seam allowance.

Start by taking the bottom front pieceof the dress.  Run a basting stitch to gather the front between the arm holes.  Do not go into the arm hole area.

Gather the front by pulling one of the threads.  This will create a slight gather.  Hold the front yoke of the dress up to the front bottom piece to make sure the fabric is gathered enough to fit the front yoke.

Put right sides together and sew.

Take and sew the top of the strap by lining the right sides together.

Take and pin 3/8″ to 5/8″ of the fabric underneath the neckline to create the hem.   Sew the neck all the way around.  You only have to sew once around because the large ruffle will cover up the neckline.  If you would prefer a more professional look use a double needle for the neckline.  It’s not entirely necessary though because you will not see it in the end.

Pin the same amount of fabric underneath the arm holes and around the straps.  Sew.

With the right sides facing together, pin both sides of the dress.  Sew those sides together.

Even up the hem. I actually put this dress on my daughter to make sure everything was fitting correctly and I was happy with the length.  Hem the dress at the bottom.  You could also use the double needle here too.  It’s up to you.

For the ruffle, cut two strips of fabric 3.5″ x 52″.  I eyeballed the width of it when it came to the size of the ruffle for the collar and the front of the dress.  I didn’t want to skimp and make it too small.  For a smaller child, you may want to go a little thinner for the ruffle.

Sew a basting stitch down the middle of each piece of fabric.  Ruffle the fabric. This time however, you want to make a tighter ruffle.  Sew the two ruffles together.  I placed the seam of the ruffles at the back of the collar and pinned the ruffle piece all of the way around the neckline and down the front of the dress.

Here is the finished dress

 It’s a hit!  She loves the dress.  Score one for Mommy.

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28 thoughts on “Ruffle Tank Dress”

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  17. Jenn

    I love this!! I am TOTALLY going to try to make one for my daughter! I’m a bit, um, craftily challenged…so to speak…but I have had a fair amount of success with my sewing machine. I was recently able to hem several pairs of jeans with a “trick” or “European” hem, and they came out great, and now I’m dying to move on to making clothes from my own patterns. Like you, I’ve been a little too nervous to try making my own pattern, but I think I could handle this one!

    My birthday is in May, and I’m really hoping for a serger!!

    Thanks for providing such a fantastic tutorial! I love your site, and I stumbled this post for you! Hopefully lots more people will stumble upon this adorable little dress! Following you too! Have a great weekend!

    Smiles, Jenn @Misadventures in Motherhood

    Reply ↓

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