Sweet Crochet + Sew Dress
Working at Purl Soho is like going to Craft University. Co- workers, customers and readers are all professor-like founts of information, creative ideas and practical know-how. Over the years, I’ve learned so much about sewing, but along the way, I’ve also picked up some knowledge of knitting, embroidery, needlepoint and crochet. While I remain first and foremost a sewist, I sometimes feel the draw of a bigger craft world out there!
I created this little girl’s Sweet Crochet and Sew Dress as an interdisciplinary adventure. I used Louet’s beautiful Euroflax Linen to hook up a simple, pretty neckline, and for the breezy skirt, I chose summer-light cottons. Not only is this a great dress for the hotter months, but because crochet is so portable and linen is so cool to the touch, it’s also a great project to make when the mercury rises.
You don’t have to be an expert in either crocheting or sewing to make your own Sweet Crochet and Sew Dress. If you’re a crocheter who rarely dusts off the machine or a seamstress who once made a granny square in home ec. you can do it! Consider it Interdisciplinary Crafting 101 and welcome to Craft University! -Molly
Materials
- Size 2: 1/2 yard of lightweight cotton fabric.
- Sizes 4 or 6: 3/4 yard of lightweight cotton fabric.
- All sizes: 1 skein of Louet’s Euroflax Linen, 100% linen
- Gutermann’s Cotton Thread to match the yarn
- Gutermann’s Cotton Thread to match the fabric
- A size E (3.5mm) crochet hook
- A hand sewing needle
For my pink size 2 dress I used…
- Rowan’s Shot Cotton in Apricot
- Louet’s Euroflax Linen in Natural
- Gutermann’s Cotton Thread color #4980 (to match fabric) and #3310 (to match yarn)
For my gray size 4 dress I used…
- Kokka’s Fine Solids in Grey
- Louet’s Euroflax Linen in Cream
- Gutermann’s Cotton Thread color #9090 (to match fabric) and #1040 (to match yarn)
Shop our wonderful collection of sport-weight yarn to find a suitable substitute for this project, and remember that it’s always a good idea to check your gauge before you cast on… Our All About Gauge Tutorial shows you how!
Gauge
20 single crochets = 4 inches
Sizes
2 (4, 6) years Finished width of crocheted band (to sit across the chest at armpit level): 7 ¼ ( 7 ¾, 8 ½ ) inches Finished armhole depth: 6 (7, 7 ½) inches Finished length from top of shoulder to bottom hem: 18 ½ (21 ½ , 25 ½ ) inches
Pattern
Crocheted Front
Front Band
Chain 37 (40, 43) stitches. Starting with the second chain from the hook, make one single crochet (sc) into each chain. 36 (39, 42 stitches) *Turn the work towards you and make 1 sc into each stitch. 36 (39, 42 stitches) Repeat from * 5 (6, 7) more times or until the work measures approximately 1 (1 ¼, 1 ½) inches from the bottom edge.
First Front Strap
*Turn the work towards you and sc into the next 6 (7, 8) stitches. Repeat from * until strap measures 2 (2 ¼, 2 ½) inches, ending at the inside (neck) edge.
*Turn the work towards you and sc into the next 4 (5, 6) stitches. Repeat from * one more time.
Cut the yarn, leaving a 10-inch tail, and pull it through the last stitch.
Second Front Strap
Join the yarn to the opposite top corner of the Front Band and sc into the next 6 (7, 8) stitches. Work exactly as for the First Front Strap. Decide which side you want to be the backside and weave into that side all the ends except the two 10-inch tails at the top. Block the Crocheted Front piece and set it aside for now.
Crocheted Back
Back Band
Make the Back Band exactly how you made the Front Band.
First Back Strap
*Turn the work towards you and sc into the next 6 (7, 8) stitches. Repeat from * until strap measures 1 ¼ (1 ½, 1 ¾) inches, ending at the inside (neck) edge. *Turn the work towards you and sc into the next 4 (5, 6) stitches. Repeat from * one more time. Cut the yarn and pull it through the last stitch.
Second Back Strap
Join the yarn to the opposite top corner of the Back Band and sc into the next 6 (7, 8) stitches. Work exactly as for the First Back Strap. Decide which side you want to be the backside and weave all the ends into that side. Block the Crocheted Back piece and set it aside for now.
The Crocheted Front and Back pieces should look like this.
Sew the Skirt
Cut
Skirt Front: Cut one 16 X 17 (18 X 20, 19 ½ X 23)-inch rectangle. Skirt Back: Cut one 16 X 17 ¾ (18 X 20 ¾, 19 ½ X 23 ¾)-inch rectangle. With right sides together, place the two skirt pieces on top of one another, short sides at top and bottom, long sides at left and right. Align the bottom short edges so that the top of the Skirt Front is ¾ inch below the top of the Skirt Back. Mark the left and right sides of both pieces 2 ½ (3 ½, 4) inches from the bottom corners. Mark the left and right sides of the Shirt Back 4 ½ (5, 5 ½ ) inches from its top corners; and mark the left and right sides of the Shirt Front 3 ¾ (4 ¼, 4 ¾) inches from its top corners.
Pin the two pieces together between these marks on both the left and right sides. Using the thread to match the fabric, sew the two pinned areas together with a ½-inch seam allowance.
Press one of these seams open to create ½-inch folds from top to bottom, including along the unsewn sections.
Press one side of the seam allowance under itself once and pin down the now ¼-inch fold.
Edgestitch down this fold and repeat for the other side of the seam allowance. Repeat for the opposite side’s seam allowances.
Press and pin the bottom edges (the ones that are the same length) of both skirt pieces ¼ inch twice towards the wrong sides. Edgestitch these folds down to create the bottom hems. Turn the Skirt right sides out.
Gather and Attach the Skirt
Still using the thread to match the fabric, zigzag stitch across the top edges of both skirt pieces. Adjust the straight stitch length on your machine to be larger than usual. Using a contrasting thread (or the yarn thread if you don’t have anything lying around), sew a row of these larger stitches ½ inch from the top edge of the Skirt Back. Backstitch at the beginning of this seam but not at the end, and leave a long tail before you cut the thread. Starting at the side where you ended the previous row, sew another row of stitches in this same manner, ¼ inch below the first. Repeat this for the Skirt Front. These are the gathering stitches.
Fold the Skirt Back piece so it’s out of the way. Pull the tails of the Skirt Front’s gathering stitches to gather the top of the Skirt until it is the same width as the bottom edge of the Crocheted Front. With right sides facing up, pin the two pieces together, lining up the top line of gathering stitches just under the bottom edge of the Crocheted Front Using the thread to match the yarn (and making sure that you adjust your stitch length back to normal), sew the two pieces together along the pinned edge. Try to sew between first two rows of single crochets to hide the stitches.
Turn the piece over so that the wrong sides are facing up and finger press and pin the fabric’s seam allowance down towards the fabric and away from the crochet.
Hand stitch this fold into place with a running stitch at the very top of the fold, making sure to just go through the back of the crochet and not poke through to the front.
Attach the Crocheted Back to the Skirt Back in the same manner. Sew the Front and Back straps together using the 10-inch yarn tails. Weave in the ends and you’re all done!
Looking for more inspiration? Explore all of our crochet patterns and crochet tutorials, buy one of our many kits and yarn bundles, and shop for beautiful yarn. We have over 35 gorgeous natural fiber yarns in 100’s of magnificent colors, designed to bring integrity, beauty, and joy to your next crochet or knitting project and only available at Purl Soho!
Update 2024: You can explore our current collection of beautiful fabrics and supplies on our page of Sewing Tools + Notions!
Really sweet and you reminded me that I had made a crochet and sew dress that I had forgotten to showcase! So… thanks for the inspiration to update my blog, if you'd like to take a look at mine, it's here: http://noraathome.blogspot.co.uk/2014/05/crochet-and-sew-dress.html
Thanks
Nora
xxxx
This was one of those "I have to make it NOW" projects — I'd bought a hank of the Euroflax ages ago but could never find just the right project for a newbie at crochet –any tips on keeping the initial chain row a little loose? Could I use a larger hook for it, like using a larger needle for casting on to keep the first row from being to tight in knitting? My yoke pieces are curved a bit at the bottom and the linen is so firm, not sure how much blocking will help? Many thanks for any tips!
I am definitely going to try this out as a grown up top!
Oh, I just love this! I've been so busy lately that I never have time to knit or sew, but this is something I could probably manage to get done! Plus, I've been wanting to make a kerchief for myself out of a linen yarn, and the pattern I have calls for the same weight, so it must be kismet! Ha!
So sweet and I LOVE the Instagram pic of Lupe wearing it.
Hi Sarvi-
Crocheting into the first chained row is always hard for me too! I just made sure my chains were nice and loose on the E hook by being slow and deliberate but using a larger hook could work as well.
The curling is totally natural and it will block flat. Mine was very curled before it was blocked and it came out totally flat in the end! Just make sure the get the linen nice and wet and lay it flat to block. The linen also gets a lot softer when you do this.
Thanks for your questions!
Molly
I'm going to "steal" your idea and make a shirt for myself:)
Thank you for the inspiration
Precioso y supersencillo, gracias por todas tus ideas, esta web est llena de ideas maravillosas!! gracias!
Cute dresses!! with beautiful colors!!!
would love to knit this as I do not crochet. it seems very basic but anyone able to tell me specifically (number of stitches/rows, etc) to knit instead of crochet?
so adorable! would love to make these for my girls . . .
I LOVE this sweet little dress and am going to learn how to crochet and make this for my granddaughter! Thank you so much for sharing and inspiring – I've learned SO much from this blog and have enjoyed many projects! Thanks again for everything – happy creating!!!
Hi Megan-
We don't have plans to re-work this as a knitting pattern at the moment but single crochet really is very easy! You might want to check out our crochet basics tutorial and see what you think!
https://www.purlsoho.com/create/crochet-tutorials/crochet-basics.html
Thanks!
Molly
I think this is a great idea for a quick summer dress for my daughter. Great for using up those bits of fabrics too.Thanks for sharing Kel x
I was sent this link by a friend, and of course, needed to make them for my grand girls immediately. I would attach a picture, but have no idea how, sorry! I have now seen the new summer top and will be digging through fabrics in the next day or 2 for the next cute little bit for my little bits 🙂
Hi Kym-
So glad to hear you like this dress! The best way to share a picture is on our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Purlsohocom/58035888021?fref=photo
Or by tagging us in a picture on instagram, or if you have a blog and you post it you can leave the link in the comments… I'd love to see it!
Thanks so much for your enthusiasm!
Best-
Molly
Thanks Molly, I have shared on Instagram and Facebook. On to the next next cute idea… and I like that striped sweater too. Busy, busy
Could you please add some more description regarding the last step of sewing the Front and Back straps together using the 10-inch yarn tails? Do you weave between the two pieces to try to blend the seam? Is the notch (last 2 shorter rows) at the end of each of the straps there to create a slope off the shoulder? I thought these notches would lock like puzzle pieces to help join the seam, but instead they appear to line up directly front and back. -thank you!
Hi Olivia-
Yes, the notch is to create a slope for the shoulders. I would suggest sewing them together with the wrong sides of the pieces out and weaving in and out as you say, to blend the seam. That way the seam will be on the inside.
I hope this helps! Thank you for getting in touch!
Molly
This is exactly what I have been looking for, not confident on the crochet but will practice! How do I modifuy for an adult size 6?!
Hi Jen-
I think this could be fairly easily adapted for an adult size but we aren’t able to write an adult version at the moment so it will take some trial and error on your part. First I’d make sure you understand the crochet by making a gauge swatch. Once you’re getting the correct gauge you can measure yourself and figure out how big you’d like the crocheted section to be. You can actually kind of try on the neck as you go, crochet is pretty quick so it’s not big deal to rip it out try again if you don’t like how it’s coming out. The sewn part should be pretty easy once you have the neck, just measure how long and wide you’d like it to be and add several inches to the width for the gathering as well as 1 1/2-inches to the length for the seam allowances. Then you can follow the pattern as written for how to sew the fabric pieces on.
Let me know if you need any more help and thanks so much for writing in!
Molly
why is there a notch at the top of the straps? Maybe i missed something? thank you
Hi Linda-
The notch is actually just a little bit of shoulder shaping to accommodate the slope of the shoulders.
Please let us know if you have any more questions!
Molly
Is there much shrinkage when you launder the dress? Would you need to block it again?
Hi Susan-
We recommend washing this on a gentle cycle and hanging it dry. Honestly, you’ll probably be fine if you tumble it dry you just might, as you suggest, need to gently block the crocheted portion again.
Thanks for getting in touch!
Molly
Hi! What a beautiful dress! I have 3 girls- size 18 m, sz 3, and sz 5. I am wanting t make it for all 3 of them! The yarn is absolutely beautiful….but gets pricey to make 3. Do you use an entire skein on each dress or would a skein make multiple dresses? If you need a whole skein for each dress, is there any other less expensive yarn you suggest? Thanks!
Hi Lori-
I think you could make 3 dresses from one skein. It’s very long!
Please let us know if you have any more questions!
Molly
Can I please check the measurement? An average chest measurement at 12 months is about 48cm, around 20 inches. So the finished garment measurement even for a 6 year old seem far too small?
Thanks!
Hi Kirsty-
I’m not sure where you are getting a 20-inch finished chest measurement for this? The two crocheted panels are not sewn together into a circle. They lay across the front and back and the armholes continue below. You can see a photo of the size 2 being modeled on a 2 year old here if you’d like to get a sense of how the armholes work: https://www.instagram.com/p/otGlQEjhXK/?taken-by=purlsoho
Thank you for your question and please let us know if you need any more help!
Molly
How can I adjust this for 6 – 12 months? Thanks, it’s beautiful
Hi DL,
Thanks for writing in! While we are unable to provide you a pattern for a smaller size at present, you could measure a piece of clothing that fits your little one and use the measurements to make the crocheted yoke smaller along the middle section by chaining fewer stitches to begin. We will certainly keep your request in mind for the future!
Best,
Cassy
This is the perfect thing for my nieces (since we are coming in to summer in Australia!). Just had a question about attaching the skirt to the crochet top – are you supposed to remove the gathering stitches after you have sewn the skirt to the top? If not, won’t they be visible if we follow the instruction “lining up the top line of gathering stitches just under the bottom edge of the Crocheted Front”?
Thanks! (sorry – I’m a very beginner sewer – crochet is usually my thing…)
Hi Sasha,
Welcome to the world of sewing! Great question! I would suggest removing contrast thread after you have finished sewing the crocheted pieces to the body. You will want to pull them out slowly and carefully but once you have stitched everything in place, you should be able to with a little bit of work!
I hope that all turns out well!
Cassy
This is a lovely dress, wished there was a video of the skirt, looks easy enough but I can’t just get my head around the fabric part (zero experience sewing so there’s that haha) and can only sew by hand.
Still, thanks for the tutorial!
Hi Noire,
Thanks for writing in. Unfortunately we don’t have the resources at the moment to do a video tutorial of this. We will keep your request in mind though for the future! If there is a particular step you are having trouble with, please let us know and I’ll be happy to help!
Best,
Julianna
Hi there,
As a self taught hobby, I like to sew clothes for my 2 nieces. These dresses look great, the main attraction being no shoulder ties (which they always play with). However, I would need to sew a size 7 or 8 for the oldest girl. Are there any ways to get bigger sizings?
Thank you.
Hi Lucie,
Thanks for reaching out! Unfortunately this pattern only goes up to 6 years; however, I will certainly pass your request along to the design team!
Best,
Julianna
I made this sweet little dress for my grand daughter. The pattern was easy to follow and quick to complete. My 4 year old grand daughter says she loves the straps!
We’re so glad to hear you’re enjoying the pattern, Janet! It’s always nice to know when projects are a hit!
Take care, and have a great weekend!
Warmly,
Kelsey
I love this dress. Can’t wait to finish it and see it on my 3 year old granddaughter. I’m almost to the point of crocheting the front shoulder strap to the back shoulder strap. It may end up working out but my question is – what happens to the extra two stitches? Each strap has 7 stitches to start with and the top 2 rows drop down to 5 stitches. In looking at the picture, I don’t see any open stitches. Am I missing something?
Hi Judy,
Thanks for reaching out! Since this is crochet and not knitting the stitches are not live or open, so when you turn your work and sc into the 5 stitches, those 2 stitches close since you are only working with one sitch at a time by making that single crochet! You can see exactly what this should look like in the 3rd image under the FIRST FRONT STRAP just below the instructions: *Turn the work towards you and sc into the next 4 (5, 6) stitches. Repeat from * one more time.
I hope this clears things up!
Gianna
When attaching the front to the back at the shoulder straps, do you just crochet the 5 stitches together? What happens to the 2 extra stitches? I don’t see any open spaces in the picture.