Winter Toddler Dress

My daughter Emma is extremely fussy about clothes – styles and textures. She doesn’t like to wear layers and will currently only wear dresses (full princess mode), so for wintertime I decided to make some warm dresses. I went to my local fabric shop and found some cute fleece in their remnant section (the great thing about making clothes for toddlers is you can get an entire outfit out of a remnant, and remnants are usually half price). This particularly remnant (roughly 1 yard) was under $2, so even with the thread the dress came to less than $3.

I cut out the dress based on a long-sleeved knit dress she already owned, and then added the triangular panels for twirl-ability. I think it gives it an ice-skater outfit look. Emma says it is her Cinderella dress. The dress is cut on the bias (diagonal line of the fabric) to make it easier to pull over her head. I just hemmed the sleeves, collar, and skirt.

This type of quick and easy pattern approach doesn’t work with all fabrics, but fleece is a forgiving fabric with just enough give. If you want the bodice to fit more closely, add a zipper or buttons to the front or back or use a stretchier fabric.