The Sweet{est}heart Dress by Little Lizard King

Today I’m on a super fab blog tour with Little Lizard King Patterns to share my take on the amazing Sweetheart Dress pattern. If you are a fellow sewist, you will definitely want to read on…I have an exciting tutorial to add just one more level of cuteness to this pattern! But, first, let’s go over how awesome the dress pattern is and all the great features!

The dress has a sweet yoke neckline, with a fully lined bodice that is fitted. I normally try to steer clear of button holes but thankfully my machine has been really kind to me lately and played along well! The skirt is nice and full, perfect for twirling.

Some of you were fortunate enough to Bundle Up in the awesome sale that was put together by Pattern Revolution, and got the updated version of this pattern with the waist sash detail. I love a big bow, and I adore a waist sash. Since the Sweetheart is a fitted bodice, having a sash tie just helps the top of the dress to be nice and snug with room to grow.

So, let’s finally get down to the good stuff. The hem-line ruffle you’ve been eyeing this whole time- I’ve got a fabulous tutorial for you to use when sewing up your own Sweet{est} Heart dress! Liz of Little Lizard King Patterns kicked the sweetness factor up just one more notch and is allowing me to share a fabulous tutorial with you to add the ruffle to your Sweetheart Dress! #Swoonville, right??? First, head over and purchase your Sweetheart Dress pattern and then come back to see how to add your own ruffle!

If you are adding the ruffle, be sure to subtract 1-2 inches off your skirt length to account for the added ruffle length. Sew up the skirt per the pattern instructions and then get ready to RUFFLE!!!

The length of your ruffle is totally up to you! I used the measurements from the Everyday Play Skirt to cut the length of my ruffle but you can go as long or short as you’d like! If you happen to have that pattern (which you really should, since it’s the world best skirt pattern EVER), you can follow the tutorial there on how to sew and attach the ruffle. If not, read on to learn how!

Here is a handy-dandy measurement chart to use to cut your ruffle strips. This is the total circumference of your ruffle, so you will need to cut 3-4 strips of fabric and sew in the round. I like an even placement of my seams so I typically will take the circumference and divide it into 4ths. Then I can pin a seam on each side, and center of the front and back skirt.

I used my serger to do a rolled hem on the top and bottom of my ruffle, but you can turn down 1/4 inch, press and turn another 1/4, press and sew to hem your ruffle. To gather, sew a gathering stitch (longest length straight stitch) along the top-middle of your ruffle. Gather your ruffle to fit the width of your skirt. Pin your ruffle to your skirt, lining up the gathering stitch and the hem stitch on the skirt. Sew along the gathering stitch to attach the ruffle. If you want to add a trim, you don’t have to pull out your gathering stitch. Cut your trim to be the same width of the skirt, pin it along the stitch you used to attach the ruffle and top stitch the trim to the ruffle.

Voila! A super cute hemline adds a girly flair and a quick way to dress up a modern pattern. Be sure to head over to the Little Lizard King Facebook Page and thank Liz for the ruffle add-on, then click: a Rafflecopter giveaway to enter to win a $35 gift certificate to the Little Lizard King Pattern shop!