My tutorial... my straight poppy pinafore dress

The Poppy dress is a simple and quick pattern to make, perfect for beginner sewers.

To guide you, I've prepared this illustrated tutorial with photos for the straight Poppy dress, which complements the step-by-step instructions provided with the pattern. With this guide, you can easily create this pretty dress, step by step.

For those who prefer video format, find the Poppy dress tutorial on my YouTube channel, to follow the making in real time.

To start, download the latest free version of the Poppy pattern, available in baby size (3-36 months) or in girl size (4-14 years), then follow this tutorial to create your dress:

STEP 1 - PREPARATION OF THE DRESS AND ITS FACING

After cutting and overlocking the pieces, place the front and back of the dress right sides together.

Assemble them along the side seams.

Press the seams open. It's really important to press the seams as you go when making a garment. Do it and you'll see the difference.

Then, assemble the front facing and the back facing of the dress right sides together along the side seams.

Press the seams open.

STEP 2 - ASSEMBLING THE DRESS

Turn the dress right side out and slip it into the facing: the dress and the facing are now right sides together.
Pin them, making sure to align the side seams of the dress and the facing.

Assemble the dress and the facing all around: the necklines, shoulders, and armholes.

Trim seams to 5 mm,
make notches at the necklines and armholes
and clip corners.

Tuck the facing into the dress and press, making sure the seams and strap corners are well-defined.

To keep the facing in place, stitch along the side seams, catching both the dress and the facing in the stitching.

STEP 3 - FINISHING TOUCHES

To close the straps, sew one or two buttonholes on the front straps and sew one or two buttons opposite them on the back straps.

I recommend sewing them 1.5 cm from the edge.

If buttonholes scare you, you can also close the straps with snap fasteners. You'll find them in plastic, in all colors, which can be applied with pliers (from Prym, for example).

Finally, finish by sewing a hem at the bottom of the dress:

press a first 1 cm fold at the bottom of the dress.
press a second 1 cm fold and secure it with a seam 8 mm from the edge. (I used a fancy stitch on my sewing machine here)

There you go, the Poppy dress is finished!

The Poppy dress is ideal for getting familiar with my patterns. By following this tutorial, you will learn to master the PDF format, the sewing steps, and simple but effective techniques.

Once you're comfortable with making the Poppy dress, explore my other baby and children's patterns to continue creating unique and original garments.

Share your creations on social media with the hashtags #poppydress, #babypoppydress and #lydieEsewing: I love seeing your creations and highlighting them!