Today, I have some great news to announce: the beautiful Anna, who you surely know via her blog Paunnet and who has translated patterns in English for Deer&Doe for more than a year, from now on joins our team on a more regular basis! She will animate the English version of the Deer&Doe blog with tutorials and pattern variations.
For her first post, Anna offers you, as part of the Plantain challenge, an adorable variation in the form of a Babydoll dress! 

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Hello, everyone! I’m really, really happy to be here and I hope we’re going to have some fun together 🙂

Today we’re going to see how to alter the Plantain t-shirt into a comfortable, yet super cute babydoll-style dress.

This is the perfect garment for those lazy days when you just want to throw on a dress but don’t want to feel constricted into something tailored. It feels like a t-shirt, but it has the added cuteness and femininity of a dress. Not to mention, this is perfect for traveling in style, as it doesn’t get wrinkled!

Let’s see a few easy steps to do this!

Supplies:

• 2m (2.2 yards) of jersey 140cm (60”) wide
• a scrap of contrasting or coordinating jersey for the elbow patches
• 1m (1yard) of supple elastic

1. Altering the bodice

First of all, trace a copy of the front and back bodice pattern pieces. Using the side notch as a reference, draw a line perpendicular to the centre front and cut along it.

Use the bottom of the pattern piece to draw a curve on your pattern piece. Repeat for the bodice back.

2. Drafting a skirt

For the skirt, you will need to draw a rectangle: for the measurements, choose them according to your hip size from the table below. The length will determine how short your dress will be, so modify this measurement according to your height and personal preference.

You will use this pattern piece to cut two skirt panels on the fold.

3. Constructing the dress

Refer to the Plantain instructions for construction, and stop before assembling the side seams.

To gather the skirt panels, measure the bottom of the bodice pieces and cut two lengths of elastic 1cm (1/2”) shorter than this measurement. Pin the elastic to the top of the skirt panels.

Sew the elastic with a straight stitch: use your right hand to stretch the elastic and your left hand to ease the fabric under the foot.

And voilà! A perfectly gathered panel!

Now complete the construction of your dress: pin and sew your skirt panels to the bodice using an elastic stitch, then sew the side seams of your dress according to the instructions. Hem the skirt by folding it up by 2cm (3/4″) and stitch it with a 1,5cm (5/8″) seam allowance.

Give your dress a good press and you are now the proud owner of an extremely cute and comfortable baby doll dress!

As you can see, my version also features some sweet heart-shaped elbow patches, which will be the subject of my next tutorial, just in time for S.Valentine! 🙂