These notes follow the making of a girl’s strap dress with a frill in the straps. Each step is simple, but the small details, such as clear elastic and allowing for shrinkage, make the dress last.

Straps and lining

Cut the straps about 3 cm wide.

Fasten the straps at the lower and upper ends, leaving a small gap of about one and a half centimetres between them.

Gather the upper part of the lining between the shoulders and join the lower part to the skirt elastic so that it is not visible from the outside.

Sleeves

Prepare the sleeve in two parts: one is shirred and the other is gathered. Always use clear silicone elastic so the seams do not burst.

When setting in the sleeve, make a notch in the middle. In woven fabrics the front and back armholes differ, so pay attention to a difference of about 2 cm.

Topstitching

Add topstitching to a good quality dress, which makes the seams durable and long-lasting.

Belt and shrinkage

The elastic inside the belt shrinks by about 5% when ironed, so allow another 5% for shrinkage in the wash as well.

Where the upper and lower skirts meet, distribute the gathers evenly all the way round.

This version has a frill inside the straps. You can make other versions to your own taste.