Step Six: Sew the lining
We will be using the French seam to sew the lining. This stitch is a favorite of mine when sewing delicate fabrics such as satin, chiffon and silk. If you need a refresher on How to Sew A French Seam, please check out our tutorial on the topic.
Pin the three pieces of the skirt and sew at 3/8″ on the right side of the fabric. 
Cut half of the seam allowance and press to the back side of the skirt. Iron the skirt sides by folding the seam and sew at 1/4″.
Place the back of the top pieces right sides up.
Place the front top piece right side down and pin to the back pieces.
Sew the sides at 5/8″. Tip: Marking at 5/8″and slashing at 1/2″ the V point where the fabric needs to pivot in both the top and skirt will make this job easier.
Sew a topstitch at 5/8′. This seam will help you sew the lining to the zipper later.
Sew the top to the skirt using the exact same technique as in step four.
Step Seven: Sew the lining to the princess dress.
Place the princess costume right side out. Pin the tulle or net down both back and front. 
Take the lining and feed the princess costume inside the lining. Right sides together. 
Pin the front matching the curve very carefully. Draw the stitching line to make sure you will sew the shape perfectly. 
Pin the back leaving 5/8″ allowance after the zipper.
Tip: We will be sewing the lining to the zipper and the lining to the princess costume.
Match the edge of the lining with the edge of the zipper. You will have to unpick the zipper tape. This is fine because we will sew again when attaching the lining. 
Change to a zipper foot and sew as close to the zipper teeth as possible. You can hardly see the stitching because my thread matches perfectly with the tape. If you need more info on zipper feet, please check out our page on the topic. 
Fold back the tape as you had it before. 
Sew the top edges but not the armhole.
Cut the seam allowance by half and zigzag.
Turn the dress and iron all the seams of your princess costume. Use a cloth because satin is easily scorched.
hi…can i have a bodice pattern for a three year old girl please.
Just found the answer to my earlier question ????????
It only took you a minute, good on you! I never made the video so apologies for that.
Can I just check, is size 3 the size for a 3 year old etc. Many thank, sorry for the stupid question ????
Mayra, could you help me downsize this pattern to fit a size two? i am struggling to make sure I downsize the correct way
Hi Connie, when downsizing remember to reduce the sleeve as much as you reduce the armhole, this is where most people have trouble. Kids from 2 to 4 normally get longer but not much wider. To be able to do you justice I would have to write out a new article.
Hello! I’d like to sew the dress and I already cut the pattern pieces and have my fabric. Now I just can’t seem to find whether the seam allowance is already included in the pattern or if I need to add them.
Sorry for bothering if this is written down somewhere.
5/8″, perhaps is not clear on my part. Please read all the instructions unless of course you are advanced and do not need them, Cheers! let me know through Instagram how it looks, I would really appreciated it.
Do you mean it is included or I need to ad 5/8?
You DO know that I think this should be in adult sizes too, don’t you? 😉 It is really cute!
Yes you are right, I keep forgetting, would you like to test the pattern?
Do you design for McCalls? I just bought this exact pattern at Hobby Lobby for 12 dollars. The colors and materials are even indentical…after seeing this I wish I wouldn’t have spent 12 dollars…
LOL, no, I don’t but this style has been around since 1590 in the French court, made popular with the people in the 1700’s made mostly in printed muslin. I don’t think either McCall or I can claim designing this. I used the most inexpensive fabric there is out there, 1.75 per meter for a satin polyester a nightmare to work with I have to admit. But it makes for an inexpensive illusion that any little girl can wear. If you want to make this dress fit for a princess make it in raw silk. It turns out absolutely adorable.
This is one of the most complicated PDF patterns and instructions that I have used. I’ve decided to use a dress pattern that has a yoke top and A-line bottom and add sleeves, etc. This is very disappointing.
This is not for beginners, as it is stated very clearly in the article. ADVANCE ONLY.
Hi there,
Is there a print friendly version of the instructions please? I have downloaded the pattern but was hoping I could save a copy of the instructions too so that I can read it easier than viewing it online.
Thanks in advance.
[…] you are looking for a Halloween pattern for young girls we have a full sew-along on how to make a Princess Dress Pattern, plus how to make some matching decorations in this […]
Hi, I cannot figure out how to attach the back yoke and arms and even which way around the back yoke pieces go? Some more detail about this would be very useful. Thanks
Hi Michaela, can you please have a look at step three, it shows you how to sew the back. The sleeves are sewn front to armpit to back. They are raglan style with no shoulder cap. Hope this helps:)
same thing for me
my armhole is to large for my arm,
a note on the yoke to tell where is the center back can be helpfull
i m so disapointed , all the tuto was ok but i cant figure out how to finish the dress because i can t sew the casing …please help!!
Hi Corine, I can not make up what the photo is about; so small. Can you please send me an email? mayra2so-sew-easy.com
Is there more instructions with this. especially regarding piecing the pattern together?
A full tutorial with photos right here. Any more info drop me a line 🙂
What little girl wouldn’t love this Princess dress. Featured today, Mayra.
Many thanks Pam. Hope you’re well.
Thank you so very much for the invisible zipper tutorial! This is so helpful for me right now since I am in the middle of sewing a Sleeping Beauty-dress for a four-year-old and that pattern has an invisible zipper too. I’m definitely going to take your advice and practice the technique before I return to the actual dress…
All the best, Sina
You are welcome Sina!
Update: I tried the invisible zipper technique and it worked quite well, taking in account I tried it out for the very first time… The princess costume is now finished and despite some flaws only I know about 😉 it’s really lovely on my three-year-old and she enjoys twirling around in those puffy skirts 🙂 But those satin fabrics are really difficult to work with, I had now idea!
Thanks again for your help – I will visit this tutorial again for sure when I make my next skirt or dress 🙂
Yes you are absolutely right, satin is hard to work with. An you will get better with time, but the pain is so worth it when you see your little girl feeling like a princess and you are the hero! Please share a picture, love to see it.
love the frozen pattern my 2.5 yr old granddaughter will be that for Halloween love that it is different sizes thanks
Lovely, The reader above was right. it is very popular with all ages. I made her the Anna costume using the commercial pattern. That pattern has some real issue in sizing… but we got through it. My daughter is a music major at a local University and used her Halloween costume as a costume to sing that nerve-racking theme song… lol. Her nieces have been begging to have dresses to “like” their auntie’s will have to give your pattern a try.
Thank you! You guys are great:) My girls (6 and 8) and I are going to all dress like princesses….let’s be honest..who doesn’t want to wear a princess dress around the house?
o gosh, my 4 year old grandchild takes after us, european height and looks like a 6 year old! So the 4 year old dressup I bought her was too small, so I cut off the top, made it into a skirt, sewed sequins on a white t shirt and made buttons on the top and hooks on the cape, she loves it, hahaha
Your little girl understood that princesses can be both pretty AND powerful.
Frozen is weirdly popular across lots of age groups in the USA. I’m a college age woman and I know a few people my age who might just use this tutorial for themselves.
I am going to have to watch the movie now to understand this, but I think why not!!! dressing up is fun and Halloween is coming.
Your princess dress is Awesome!! Thank you for this special pattern! gail
Thank Gail, enjoy!
My granddaughter is crazy for everything Frozen. I watched the movie with her and she sings along with all the parts even the reindeer.We bought her the cape and the sparkles come off all over the place. It was handmade on Etsy.I remember being enamoured with Tinkerbell when I was little. Our parents took us to Disney. My sister and I had glow in the dark wands and used to hide in the closet to use them. I’m happy that you will bring this magic to many a home with this pattern! So sorry for daylillydawn’s son. My mother was on dialysis, so I know how difficult this can be. I will say a prayer that he gets a donor.
I love your story! Hiding in the closet! I will use this to add glow in the dark details to the dress, thank you for comment.
This summer I had seven great nieces visiting all under the age of 10. Six of them are princess crazy and asked for princess dresses. It will be nice to oblige. Thank you for the pattern!
Ahhh! Karen you shall seen as a Queen in their hearts! I would love a picture!
I can relate to you when you say your little girl was tiny, my first child was born weighing 3 lbs 7 1/2 ounces and was 17 inches long. The day we brought him home from the hospital, a woman asked me if I was holding a doll in the carrier or was it a real baby. I replied that it was a real baby. He stayed small all his life. He is currently 40 years old, weighs less than 100 lbs, has never weighed more than 99 lbs. He is a bout 5 foot 2 inches tall, which is very short for a man here in the USA.He was born with kidney disease that affected his growth and in 2000 he had a kidney transplant. But in 2013 a customer with sick children came into the store where he was working. One of the children coughed in his face and gave him aninfection that nearly killed him. It did cause him to reject the kidney after 13 ye4ars of working perfectly for him. He is now back on dialysis and deals with it the only way he knows how to, one day at a time.
I am very sorry for your pain. Hope you get another donor soon.