It’s a Friday night, and I’m a mom, so I am sitting here on my living room floor trying to catch up on my Project Runway. The season literally JUST started, and I’m already three episodes behind so it’s HELLO DVR (and laptop!) In keeping with the theme of “fashion design,” I bring you the baby girl crossover dress. LOVE!

Before we begin please know that I am new (new, new, NEW!) to sewing and even I have been able to figure this one out. (Though there was a moment when my husband walked by and said, “Is that a burp cloth or something?” Um, no. I will give him a pass though, I was in the middle of flipping it right side out.)

BIG thank you to Smashed Peas and Carrots for sharing this tutorial. She provides some tips and great instructions for completion. My goal is simply to share some of the lessons I learned. This is the first outfit I’ve ever sewn and the pictures are from my second attempt!

Don’t forget to post your final project to the Smiles and Piles Facebook page!

What it looks like at the end! Front (left) and Back (right). Sorry for the color variations,this took me a while to finish and the lighting in my studio (a.k.a. kitchen) changed on me. I never claimed to be a photographer!

Cut fabrics all stacked together. May not be best practice on higher level projects, but for this – what a time saver!

You may see that your pieces are uneven. Go ahead and trim them up. Evenly cut pieces will help you keep things in line – GOOD for beginners!

I use a heavy stitch, one with those little triangle in it, like the hem of your t-shirts. It’s a little stronger than a straight stitch so it will hold up longer.

Use a chopstick to push out the corners.

Once it’s sewn, and you remembered to leave a gap for flipping, start turning it right-side-out. It will look messy (NOT a burp cloth), but this is where you get to finally see the cutey-patottey dress!

Iron your seams flat, the top stitch that baby closed!