Summer's Not Over Yet Play Dress Crochet Pattern

Due to the worldwide pandemic, our family was locked in our home for a good portion of the sunny days that we rarely have here in Vancouver.

When restrictions were lifted, we began bringing them to the park so that they can get some Vitamin D and physical activity again.

Once we started going outside again, they were burning through their clean clothes like crazy since we do a head-to-toe wash once we get home and throw all their clothes in the laundry.

So I started making these fun dresses for my girls. They're easy to make and wash!

These are great because you can make the bodice in any color worsted weight yarn you like.

Cotton yarn works best for summer hot weather, but I found that soft acrylic yarn is not bad either since the dress is sleeveless. The soft acrylic yarn can still keep the girls warm during those cool summer nights.

My grand aunt had "donated" a bunch of her unwanted fabric. They're not small pieces either. I didn't want to put them to waste, so I said that I would take them.

I have a sewing machine at home, but I have yet to break it out because there is absolutely no room for it in my 700 square-feet apartment, so it's still brand new sitting in a box.

The great thing about this play dress is that you don't even need a sewing machine. All you need is a giant rectangle. C'mon! Let me show you how it's done!

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What You Need / Materials

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• Worsted weight yarn in the color of your choice
• 5.0 mm Crochet Hook (size H)
• A large piece of scrap fabric that doesn't require hemming (e.g. knit/jersey type of fabric, mine was approximately the size 64" x 60")
• Yarn Needle
• Stitch Markers
• Scissors

Stitches & Abbreviations

• st/sts - stitch/stitches
• ch - chain
• hdc - half double crochet

Notes

• I've included 3 different sizes for this dress. You can find the following sizes in the brackets of the crochet pattern: 2yrs, (3-4 yrs, 5-6 yrs)
• The turning chain does not count as a stitch until after you start joining at the bodice.

Play Dress Crochet Pattern

Ch 70 (78, 81)

Row 1: Hdc in the third loop from the hook and hdc 6 (7, 8), then [hdc, ch, hdc] in the next st. Hdc 19 (21, 21), then [hdc, ch, hdc] in the next st. Hdc 12 (14, 16), then [hdc, ch, hdc] in the next st. Hdc 19 (21, 21), then [hdc, ch, hdc] in the next st. Hdc 7 (8, 9) along the rest of the ch. (Total: 76 (84, 88) sts)

Row 2: Ch 2, turn, hdc 8 (9, 10), then [hdc, ch, hdc] in the ch space. Hdc 21 (23, 23), then [hdc, ch, hdc] in the ch space. Hdc 14 (16, 18), then [hdc, ch, hdc] in the ch space. Hdc 21 (23, 23), then [hdc, ch, hdc] in the ch space. Hdc 8 (9, 10) in each st remaining. (Total: 84 (92, 96) sts)

Row 3: Ch 2, turn, hdc 9 (10, 11), then [hdc, ch, hdc] in the ch space. Hdc 23 (25, 25), then [hdc, ch, hdc] in the ch space. Hdc 16 (18, 20), then [hdc, ch, hdc] in the ch space. Hdc 23 (25, 25), then [hdc, ch, hdc] in the ch space. Hdc 9 (10, 11) in each st remaining. (Total: 92 (100, 104) sts)

Row 4: Ch 2, turn, hdc 10 (11, 12), then [hdc, ch, hdc] in the ch space. Hdc 25 (27, 27), then [hdc, ch, hdc] in the ch space. Hdc 18 (20, 22), then [hdc, ch, hdc] in the ch space. Hdc 25 (27, 27), then [hdc, ch, hdc] in the ch space. Hdc 10 (11, 12) in each st remaining. (Total: 100 (108, 112) sts)

Row 5: Ch 2, turn, hdc 11 (12, 13), then [hdc, ch, hdc] in the ch space. Hdc 27 (29, 29), then [hdc, ch, hdc] in the ch space. Hdc 20 (22, 24), then [hdc, ch, hdc] in the ch space. Hdc 27 (29, 29), then [hdc, ch, hdc] in the ch space. Hdc 11 (12, 13) in each st remaining. (Total: 108 (116, 120) sts)

Armhole shaping...

Row 6: Ch 2, turn, hdc 12 (13, 14), then hdc in the ch space. Ch 5, skip 29 (31, 31) sts, then hdc in the ch space. Hdc 22 (24, 26), then hdc in the ch space. Ch 5, skip 29 (31, 31) sts, then hdc in the ch space. Hdc 12 (13, 14) in each st remaining. (Total: 60 (64, 68) sts)

Row 7: Ch 2, turn, hdc 13 (14, 15), then hdc 5 along the chain. Hdc 24 (26, 28), then hdc 5 along the chain. Hdc 13 (14, 15) in each st remaining, then slst into the first st to join (Total: 60 (64, 68) sts)

Row 8, onwards: Ch 2, turn, hdc around in each st, then slst into the first st to join (Total: 60, (64, 68) sts)

Crochet as many rows as you want to create the bodice of the dress.

Once you finish, do not fasten off.

Dress Skirt

Cut out 2 really long rectangles from the fabric that you have on hand to the length that you want your skirt to be. For example, I wanted the length of my skirt to be 20 inches.

The two pieces of fabric will overlap each other so it will provide enough coverage so that it won't be seethrough.

Then along the lengthwise (longest side of the rectangle) of the rectangle, use a washable marker and put a dot at every inch.

I don't have one of those pointy crochet hooks that can poke through the fabric. So once I finished marking my fabric, I used a pair of scissors to cut a small slit/hole where I'd dotted.

After that, work from the inside out of the dress. Put your hook through the crocheted piece first, then the fabric, and then the working loop (seen here as the blue yarn):

Make slip stitches in each stitch around the dress and with every stitch, make sure you catch the fabric as well.

The number of dots that you make might not equal the number of stitches around the bottom of the bodice, but don't worry about it, that's why we have 2 pieces of long fabric pieces to make sure we're going to be well covered.

Here's the part that gets tricky because we have to do some math:

Start in the middle of the piece of fabric A (blue). Doesn't have to be anywhere specific. Taking the above example, if we have 68 stitches around the bodice of the dress, and 62 holes in fabric A, we want to put only 6 sts into the bodice and fabric A.

Then, after the first 6 sts, we want to add fabric B (purple) to it, overlapping fabric A, and continue crocheting through both pieces of fabric to the bodice until the end of fabric A.

After you crochet to the end of fabric A, according to the math shown in the picture, put in 5 stitches through only fabric B to the bodice.

After that, grab the unworked side of fabric A (make sure you're crocheting on the correct side) and crochet both fabric A and B to the bodice until you finish.

There are multiple ways of doing it. So if you find my method too complicated, you can try seeing if there is a different method that's easier for you.

Did you make your own Play Dress? I'd love to see it! Please share it with me on Instagram and/or use the #onceuponacheerio hashtag.

This is an original crochet pattern written by Juli Anne of Once Upon a Cheerio. Please do not claim this crochet pattern as your own. If you wish to share this crochet pattern, you may link to this blog post but please do not reprint it on your site. You may keep a copy for personal use but please DO NOT sell or distribute the crochet pattern.

You may sell products made from this crochet pattern, but please clearly credit the design to me, Juli Anne of Once Upon a Cheerio and provide a link to my blog www.OnceUponaCheerio.com. Permission is NOT granted for mass production or factory manufacturing of any kind. Thank you for understanding!