pretzel graphic from my carnival cardigans pattern

♡ an autumn olive crochet original design - by autumn olivia ward

♡ beginner level dress skirt with pockets (my first sewing project)

♡ half-double-crochet bodice works with my colorwork designs

please do not claim pattern as your own, do not copy or redistribute instructions/graphics/photos or any part of this pattern, digitally or physically, including making videos based on or inspired by this pattern

you may sell items made using this pattern!! please credit me as the designer in your listings and include the link to this pattern

tutorial video and ad-free PDF (+ tester call!) COMING SOON

feeling spooky? use the mini graphics from my halloween cardigans pattern or other holiday themed variations

INFO ♡

written in US standard terms — the top is made entirely of half double crochet — this is a versatile, made-to-measure, size inclusive pattern!

this sewing guide is made for beginners, by a beginner! I have almost 15 years of crochet experience but at the time of writing this, less than a year of sewing experience! please keep that in mind as you sew and be sure to consult the manual for your machine and search the internet for any sewing issues that aren’t addressed here!

@autumnolivecrochet on all socials; autumn.olive.rose@gmail.com

please contact me with any questions or concerns ♡

MATERIALS ♡

4mm crochet hook, yarn needle, scissors
worsted or aran weight (4-medium) yarn

for my example pieces which are 38” around, I use about 400 yards – 225g of sugar n’ cream cotton yarn or 180g of red heart super saver acrylic yarn

feel free to experiment with any type of crochet top such as a bralette or a short sweater (you can also just add sleeves to this one) granny squares, or fun stitches such as lemon peel. I wouldn’t recommend using a lighter yarn unless you are using a particularly lightweight fabric

any fabric (around 2 yards; enough for 2 panels & 4 pockets)

most of the material I’ve been using for these dresses has been thrifted, either as a raw cut of fabric, bed sheets, curtains, etc. you could even use a skirt or dress that is already made if you want to go the easy way!

CHECK GAUGE ♡

6 rows of 7 HDC = 2” x 2”

if not, try adjusting your tension or hook size, this piece should be somewhat stretchy but not too loose & holey

TAKE MEASUREMENTS ♡

top circumference: around the widest part of the chest, plus 4 inches

top length: top of shoulder to the widest part of the chest

arm circumference: around the upper arm, plus 4 inches

skirt length: from the widest part of chest to desired length, plus 2 inches

skirt width: width across the bottom of each skirt panel laid out, plus 1 inch

COLORWORK NOTES ♡

any graphics you put on the back panel area need to be worked upside down

my colorwork instructions:

autumnolive.com/my-colorwork-instructions

discounted colorwork add-ons that can be used for the top:

https://www.autumnolive.com/shop-patterns/add-on-graphics

♡ CROCHET THE BODICE ♡

the boxy style top seems wide but it should shape up when worn and the top corners will extend over the shoulder slightly

leave a long starting tail in order to seam up the left side

if you are incorporating any hdc graphics from my free or paid patterns, be sure to start them on odd rows only and study the colorwork instructions with them for tips on how to follow the graphs, center the image, and adjust for lefthandedness
any graphics you put on the back panel area need to be worked upside down

FOR THE FRONT — make a chain as long as needed to reach half of your top circumference; chain 1 turning chain (turning chains do not count as stitches)

example – I want 38” around or 19” across & my gauge is 7 stitches per 2 inches so: ( 19” x 7 stitches ) / 2” = 66.5 (aka 66 or 67 stitches, I’ll choose 66)

tip: you can add or subtract a starting chain and work with an odd number of stitches to make it easier to center an odd numbered graphic

ROW 2: hdc across the chain; I would have 66 hdc at this point; chain 1, turn

ROW 3: hdc across; chain 1, turn

repeat row 3 for the entire front of the panel, for as many rows as needed to reach your top length measurement; do not fasten off

I prefer to do about 4 extra rows on the back so that the neckline sits a little lower in the front, but you can adjust the number of rows on the front and back — just make sure they are both an even number of rows

example – I want 10.6” length & my gauge is 6 rows per 2 inches so: ( 10.6” x 6 rows ) / 2” = (rounded) 32 rows per panel or 30 on the front & 34 on the back

NECKLINE — if I have 30 rows of 66 stitches, I would work 16 hdc for the first shoulder, chain 34, skip 34 stitches, then finish the other shoulder with the remaining 16 hdc — keep the neck opening at least 34 stitches wide so it will be easy to pull over

note: if you changed to an odd number of stitches, make that adjustment to the neckline chain & skipped stitches count

FOR THE BACK — continue working the same number of stitches across the last row and neckline chains, and for the rest of the back; fasten off with a long tail in order to seam the right side

SEAMING — fold the bodice inside out and line up the bottom edges; seam with a whipstitch up to the point where you have enough free rows to fit around the upper arm with about 4 inches to spare, so that it is comfortable and so you can layer!

example – I seam 10 rows up each side, leaving 20 free rows on the front and 24 on the back & my gauge is 6 rows per 2 inches so: ( 44 total rows / 6 rows ) x 2” = 14.5” total around

I used blocks of 6 stitches by 4 rows to create this plaid top, and a set of old curtains for the skirt!

♡ SEW THE SKIRT ♡

IRON & CUT FABRIC — measure & cut 2 panels of fabric, as wide as desired with about 1 inch each of seam allowance, and as long as desired with about 2 inches of seam allowance

width note: cut anywhere from 44” to 60” width of fabric — you can cut 2-3 segments and make vertical seams to create wider panels from narrow pieces of fabric

length note: cut 21” for classic babydoll length, 33” for midi length, 45” for maxi length

this fabric is 44” wide so I went with that — my panels are 21”L x 44”W each

pin/cut or trace/cut 4 pieces of pocket fabric, 2 right side & 2 wrong side

I used this pattern: https://www.sewstylish.com/2017/02/10/download-free-pocket-pattern/

PIN, SEAM, & PRESS POCKETS — pin pockets, right side on right side, edges aligned, about 5 inches below the top of panels

seam the pockets on with a straight stitch, lined up about ¼” or with the right edge of the presser foot so that it isn’t too far into the fabric, going an inch or so over the top and bottom edge of the pocket (remember to always backstitch at the beginning and end of a seam!)

press the seams towards the pockets

PIN, SEAM, & PRESS SIDE SEAMS — pin sides and pockets, right side on right side, making sure pocket seams are aligned

seam the sides and around the pocket with a straight stitch, lined up at about ½” so that it is further in than the pocket seam; you can lift the presser foot while your needle is in the fabric to turn your work as you go

turn skirt right side out & press the side seams

FINISH EDGES & GATHER SKIRT — turn skirt inside out again and finish the raw edge on the top and around the side seams with a zigzag stitch or serger

use the longest straight stitch available to do a basting stitch (do not backstitch) on each panel from side seam to side seam with the finished edge lined up with the edge of the presser foot (basting stitch can be removed later)

pull just the top threads from each end of each stitch to evenly spread out the gathers over the panels; once they are about the right width you can go ahead and pin the side seams of the skirt to the side seams of the top and finish evening it out

PIN & ATTACH SKIRT — with the skirt inside out, you can just put the top in right side out, so that right side is touching right side

carefully pin all the way around; you will be sewing with the gathers on top and the crochet part on the bottom, so you want to be able to see the edge of the crochet as you are sewing

use a short & wide zigzag stitch, so that the seam has some give to it, all the way around

take your time and make sure:

the gathering/finishing threads are pulled to the outside of the work
the presser foot is down
that you are working on or just past the basting stitch
that the crochet work stays lined up
the fabric is feeding through smoothly
that no parts of the gathers are bunching up on the right side of the work

check the right side of your work and make sure no gathers or basting stitches are showing through, give it a gentle stretch and you should feel the gathers loosen; if any basting stitches are stuck you can cut them out with a seam ripper

you can steam down the gathers or iron them if your crochet work is heat safe

PIN, PRESS, & HEM — fold up the bottom towards the inside two times, to your desired hem length, press, pin, then stitch close to the top of the folds; I used a matching top thread color and a mustard colored bobbin thread color as a fun surprise contrast

shop dresses