Playdate Outfit Tutorial

I had some knit fabric left over after sewing the Simply Lovely Dress for myself recently and it was just enough to make an outfit for Audrey. I’m sharing a tutorial with you today so you can make a cute playdate outfit of your own!

The top is gathered in both the front and back and has shoulder ties which make it easy to get on and off.

There is elastic in the bottom hem of the top for a comfy, gathered fit.

The skirt features an elastic waist and exposed ruffle trim.

It’s the perfect summer play outfit!

Want to make your own playdate outfit? Let’s get started!

You’ll need to cut two rectangles for the skirt pieces. The width should be your child’s waist measurement plus 4 divided by 2. The extra 4″ allows for the seam allowance and a little extra wiggle room. Audrey’s waist measured 20″ so I cut each rectangle 12″ wide. When I sewed the 2 rectangles together with a 1/2″ seam allowance I ended up with a 22″ waistband. The length should be the distance between the child’s waist to about 4″ above the knee. For 15 month old Audrey this was about 8″. Place your skirt pieces right sides together and sew down both sides with a 1/2″ seam allowance. Fold the top of the skirt down 1/4″, then fold again 1″, iron and pin in place.

Make a casing for the elastic by sewing close to the edge, leaving a small opening to feed the elastic through. Cut a piece of 3/4″ elastic to your child’s waist measurement minus 2″, and feed it though the casing with a safety pin. Overlap the ends of the elastic by 1″ and sew together with a wide zig zag stitch. Then sew the casing closed.

Cut the length of the ruffle to 5″ and the width twice as long as the width of the skirt. Since Audrey’s skirt was 22″ wide, the width of my ruffle was 44″. If your fabric is not wide enough, you’ll have to sew two pieces together. Fold the ruffle lengthwise right sides together and sew together with a 1/2″ seam allowance. Use a serger to do a narrow hem along the top edge of the ruffle as shown below. If you don’t have a serger, you could just leave the edge unfinished since knit won’t fray.

Next set your stitch length to a 5 and sew a basting stitch 1/2″ under the narrow hem. Do not back tack on the ends so you can pull it to gather the fabric. Gently pull the threads until the fabric is evenly gathered and pin it to the bottom of the skirt, making sure to match up your seams.

Sew the ruffle on the bottom of the skirt with a narrow zig zag stitch to allow for stretch. I used a 4.5mm width and .08mm length.

For the bottom hem, fold your fabric up 1/2″ and iron in place. Then fold another 1″, iron in place and sew along the edge to hem.

Now for the top! You will need to calculate two measurements. Get one of your child’s t-shirts, measure the width and add 1″ for the seam allowance. Next measure the length from the bottom of the neckline to the hem and add 1 1/2″. Use these measurements to cut out 2 rectangles. My rectangles measured 13.5″ long and 12.25″ wide.

Then make a curved cut at the top of both pieces for the armholes. I measured 2″ in on the width and 3″ down on the length and curved a line between those two points. With the top pieces right sides together, sew the sides seams with a 1/2 seam allowance.

To encase the armholes, fold over the edge twice, as thin as you can, and sew in place.

Now fold the bottom hem in 1/4″ and then again by 1/2″. Sew in place on the edge to form a casing, leaving a small hole for the elastic. Cut a piece of 1/4″ elastic to a length a few inches smaller than your child’s waist, and feed it through the casing with a safety pin. Overlap the edges, sew together, and then sew the casing closed.

Next we’re going to make another casing for the shoulder ties. Fold the top edge over by 1/4″ and again by 1/2″. Sew in place close to the edge.

Cut 2 pieces of ribbon for your shoulder ties — mine measured 30″ each. Feed the ribbon through the casing with a safety pin and push the sides of the top in for a gathered look. Now try the shirt on your child to figure out exactly how gathered you want it to be. For 15 month old Audrey, 5.5″ across was a good width. Then sew each end of the casing together so the ribbon won’t move around or come out every time you wash it. Heat seal the ends of the ribbon to prevent fraying.

All done! Now put in on your little one and let her go strut her stuff!