Sweater Dress for Hannah

I have 2 boys.  I LOVE them dearly!!!  I would have been completely satisfied and fulfilled if the Lord would have chosen to give me 3 boys.  But, He didn't.  =)  He decided to give me a little baby doll girl this time.  I have had so much fun dressing her up since she was born.  I have always wanted to make cutsie clothes for my kids, but the boys wouldn't appreciate that much.  So when Hannah was born, I was determined to make some cutsie clothes for her.  Well, I was online the other day and saw this tutorial at Naptime Crafters for upcycling an adult sweater and making a sweater dress for a baby.  Genius!  It says to use a cable-nit sweater, but i didn't have one.  But, I did have a ribbed cotton turtle neck in my closet that was never going to be worn again.  I'm not sure why I was holding on to it, but I'm glad I did!

My turtle neck before the project

Step 1.

Cut off the sleeves  and the bottom half of the shirt

Step 2.

Cut off the middle section of the shirt.  *Note* This is an important step.  This will define where the waistline is on the dress for you baby.  Be sure you are comparing with your child.

Step 3.

Trim down the sides of the top section to fit the width of your baby.  Turn the top wrong side out and sew up the sides to the arm holes.  *Note* The arm holes in this picture are too big.  I had to cut them down some more.

Step 4. 

Cut the top of the sleeves off to the correct length for your baby

Step 5.

Turn the bottom portion of the sleeves wrong side out and sew along the seam to make the sleeve skinnier, and trim off the excess.

Step 6.

Turn the sleeves right side out.  Leave the top portion wrong side out.  Slide the sleeves inside the top until  it is even with the hole.

Step 7.

Pin the sleeves to the arm hole and sew together.  Be careful not to sew the arm hole shut!

Step 8.

Take the bottom portion of the shirt and gather it to make pleats and baste.

Step 9.

Pin right sides of the bottom portion to the top portion and sew together.  Trim excess.

Step 10.

Turn dress right side out and cut down the side of the neck along the seam.  Re-enforce the  seam with a horizontal stitch on the collar so that the slit on the neck does not go down further with continued use.

Excuse the blurry picture...she was excited and couldn't be still. =)

Linked up at these fun parties:

Transformation Thursdays @ The Shabby Chic Cottage

Look What I Made! @ Creations by Kara

Making the World Cuter Monday @ Making the World Cuter

Market Yourself Monday @ Sumo's Sweet Stuff