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How to Sew a Calico Dress

Calico fabric comes in many colors and designs. Usually the print is small and it's often a floral or animal design. Because calico has such a soft feel, it's an ideal choice to sew for a little girl's dress. While these directions are for a child's dress, you can easily adapt the directions for an adult dress if you wish.

Things You'll Need

Calico fabric
Pattern
Straight pins
Scissors
Sewing machine
Thread
Trim (optional)

Instructions

- 1
  Use a pre-made dress as a pattern or purchase a simple dress pattern. Purchase the fabric. If the dress has a collar, you can purchase white or contrasting colored fabric for the collar.
- 2
  Lay the prewashed calico fabric on a flat surface. Pin the pattern pieces on the fabric. Cut the dress out.
- 3
  Sew the shoulder seams wrong sides together. Next attach the collar and finish the neck edge. That might or might not include a zipper. Sew the side seams together and then set in the sleeves. Typically, all seams are 5/8 inch.
- 4
  Fit the dress on the little girl. Adjust the side seams as necessary to make the dress fit. Measure the hem.
- 5
  Turn up the hem all the way around to the desired mark. Allow one inch for the hem and trim away any excess. Turn under ¼ inch on the raw edge and edge stitch it. You can sew the hem in place by hand or with the sewing machine.
- 6
  Have fun trimming the calico dress for your little girl. You can add buttons, rickrack, appliqués or whatever other trims you find to match the calico.

Sewing