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Free girls tulle dress pattern and tutorial

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Learn to make an easy tulle dress for little girls with this free pattern and tutorial. No zippers and no buttonholes involved! A simple sewing project, suitable even for those with only basic sewing skills.

Free princess tulle dress pattern

This free toddler dress pattern combines cotton and tulle into a cute and comfy outfit. I had so much fun sewing this pretty little thing!

A quirky combination that works – a comfy peasant top and a fancy tulle skirt

I wanted to make a simple yet spectacular dress for my 3-year-old daughter to wear whenever she wants to dress up and pretend play, and this is what I came up with. I had this beautiful floral cotton fabric for years now and I finally had the opportunity to use it.

This combination of cotton peasant top with elastic neckline and tulle skirt may seem a bit too much for some of you. That is to say, I’m fully aware that peasant tops are more on the casual side, while the tulle skirts are rather elegant.

Free princess tulle dress pattern

But there are also a few indisputable benefits.

First, you can make this princess dress even if you are a sewing novice – there are no zippers or buttonholes to make and not even real curves to sew.

The easiest toddler princess dress you’ll ever make

This easy to sew toddler dress pattern will make you feel like the crafty superstar that you are, even though you’re fairly new to sewing.

Anyway, you don’t have to be a beginner to enjoy easy sewing projects.

Be sure to check out my other tutorials on how to make a flutter sleeve peasant top & long sleeve peasant top for little girls! Both come with free sewing patterns.

Some days I see challenges as opportunities for growth. On other days I want to stay in my comfort zone and just indulge in some quick wins. I’m at peace with that.

And second, this free princess dress pattern has no back or front – most likely, your little girl will be able to put it on without any help. Mine certainly does!

Free princess tulle dress pattern

Actually, this was an important factor when I decided to make this dress. I have a very independent and spirited toddler – she practices self-dressing skills for almost two years now, and she loves being able to get dressed alone. And I’m happy to let her take charge of as many of her own activities as possible.

DIY Disney princess-inspired tulle dress for toddlers/little girls

One or two hours spent at the sewing machine, and your little girl can dress up as her favorite Disney characters. 

Make a gorgeous dress in yellow and your happy toddler will twirl as Belle in the „Beauty & The Beast” movie, or make an Elsa blue dress for your little Frozen fan. 

There are a lot of options for you, really. Just pick your favorite Disney Princess for inspiration – Cinderella, Aurora, Tiana, Ariel, Elena of Avalor, Merida, Rapunzel, or Snow White. A cute princess dress in pink, blue, yellow, red, or purple is sure to make your little girl’s dreams come true!

This sweet cotton and tulle princess dress is comfortable enough for everyday wear, yet durable enough to withstand repeated wearing and washing.

Free princess tulle dress pattern

This DIY princess dress will be the perfect gift to celebrate any occasion – photo shoots, birthday parties, holidays, or dress-up games with friends. Making your little girl feel like royalty doesn’t have to be expensive – it’s so easy to create your own princess costume.

So, here’s how to make this easy tulle dress for little girls.

Sewing supplies – girls tulle dress pattern

Free girls tulle dress pattern

Free girls tulle dress pattern and tutorial

For the peasant top, cut your fabric pieces on the fold – you need 1 front piece, 1 back piece, and 2 sleeve pieces for the cotton bodice.

princess tulle dress pattern pieces

Skirt lining – 1 cotton piece – 13 inches long x 44 inches wide.

Tulle skirt – 2 tulle pieces – 13 inches long x 118 inches wide.

You’ll also need about 32 inches of bias tape and about 55 inches of 1/4 inch wide elastic.

Step 1

First, pin the front of the top and one sleeve to the armhole, with the right sides together. Sew with a 3/8” seam allowance. Repeat with the other sleeve.

peasant top pattern DIY sewing

Press the seam allowance to one side – I skipped this step and it shows.

Step 2

Next, align the back sleeves and the bodice back to the armhole, right sides together, and sew.

peasant top pattern DIY sewing

Then finish all the four armhole seams with a serger/zigzag stitch.

finish armhole seam

Step 3

Sew the top together at each side, matching the underarm seams.

peasant top pattern DIY sewing

Finish and press the seams.

finish underarm seam

Step 4

Serge around the neckline and the bottom of each sleeve.

DIY peasant top for girls

Step 5

Let’s form the elastic casings. Turn under the edge of each sleeve about ½ inch and sew, leaving a small opening.

DIY peasant top for girls

Repeat for the neckline.

Step 6

Fold the 44” x 13” fabric rectangle in half, right sides together, to create a side seam, then sew with a 3/8 inch seam allowance and finish the seam with your serger/zigzag stitch.

sewing side seam for a skirt lining

Change the stitch length to the longest possible and baste around the top edge of the skirt lining and gather it until it fits around the bottom of the peasant top.

gathering cotton skirt

Step 7

To avoid wonky seams on tulle fabric, switch your needle for a new ballpoint/jersey needle – size 70/10 is what I used. Then, use a short straight stitch and slow down your sewing machine speed to avoid puckering. Find more tips on how to sew with tulle fabric here.

sewing straight a tulle seam

Repeat for the other tulle layer. Set the iron on the lowest temperature setting and press the tulle side seams.

Now, the tulle layers will be individually gathered. So, baste around the top edge of one of the tulle layers and gather it until it fits around the bottom of the peasant top. Repeat for the second tulle layer.

gathering tulle layer

Subsequently, place one tulle layer inside the other, the wrong side of the first layer to the right side of the second. Sew the two layers together.

DIY grey tulle skirt

More detailed instructions in this tutorial.

Step 8

Next, sew together the tulle layers and the skirt lining – the wrong side of the second tulle layer to the right side of the lining.

DIY grey tulle skirt tutorial

Step 9

Right sides together, place the tulle skirt inside the peasant top, aligning the edges as shown in the picture below.

attach peasant top to tulle skirt

Sew and finish the seam.

sewing machine

Step 10

Pin the bias tape along the serged edge of the waistline as shown. Stitch along the folded crease of the tape.

attach bias tape for elastic waistband

I turned in the short ends of the bias tape before stitching across to avoid raw edges. This method also allows me to have a small opening where I can insert the elastic afterward.

attach bias tape for elastic waistband

Next, sew the other edge of your bias tape to the peasant top. Use your fingers to smooth things out and press the bias tape nice and flat.

attach bias tape for elastic waistband
sewing machine, bias tape, princess dress

Step 11

Now cut 4 pieces of elastic, as follows:

  • For the neckline, I used approx. 18 inches of 1/4 inch wide elastic.
  • For the sleeves – about 7 – 7 ½” inches.
  • And for the waistline – Wrap a piece of elastic around your child’s waistline and add 2-3 inches to this measurement before you cut it. I used 22 inches of 1/4 inch wide elastic.
elastic neckline girls tulle dress for girls

Insert the elastic through the opening using a safety pin and stitch the overlapped elastic ends.

Step 12

Hem the skirt lining – serge along the raw edge of the hem, then fold the hem at 1/2” towards the inside of the skirt and stitch.

finish hem tulle skirt

After that, iron down the hem for a nice, clean finish.

And that’s all, this DIY girls’ princess dress is now ready to wear!

DIY girls tulle dress free pattern

Did you find this tutorial helpful? I’d like to hear what you think of it! And I would LOVE to see pictures if you give this free girls tulle dress pattern a try.

Post Scriptum

This post was originally published on March 2, 2020, in a slightly different form.

I decided to remake the whole tutorial and sew a new girls tulle dress since I was displeased with the quality of the step-by-step photos and the bias tape I used for that dress (it was ugly and clashing, and it bothered me, no matter how hard I tried to ignore it).

It was cute, nevertheless, but I felt this free princess dress pattern deserved a better sewing tutorial. I hope I made it.

toddler princess dress tutorial and pattern

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20 thoughts on “Free girls tulle dress pattern and tutorial”

  1. Hi, I have just downloaded the pattern as a PDF and want to know what size paper it should be printed on to get the right size pattern for size 3, normally when I print them from online they have a 1inch square to make sure it is printing the right size. Thanks.

    Reply
    • Hi,
      Sorry for that! Here’s my typical process: I draw a pattern on an A4 sheet, scan it, and then upload it as a PDF. So, to answer your question, you should print the pattern on an A4 sheet, at the default size.
      All the best,

      Reply
  2. I seem to be unable to download pdf pattern. I think all the ads are confusing me. Can you send a direct link for me to download? I have my fabric and am dying to make the dress!

    Reply
    • Hi Leslie,
      So sorry for the late reply! I forgot to log in and check the comment section, life has been hectic lately. To get the pattern, you first have to subscribe – start by entering your email address in the pink box (it is right after the “Sewing supplies – girls tulle dress pattern” section). Next, check your email to confirm your subscription (it’s a double opt-in). Don’t forget to also check your spam folder, just in case. Once you’ve confirmed your subscription, the pattern will be sent to your inbox right away.
      All the best,

      Reply
  3. Hi, I am cutting out the skirt and tulle, is it inches? 118 inches seems like a lot so not sure if I am cutting right! Thanks

    Reply
    • Hey Kayla,
      Yes, it’s 118 inches long, but just a heads up, I’m using this super soft tulle fabric. There’s another kind of tulle that’s a bit stiffer and can be a little scratchy, but with that one, you won’t need as much yardage.

      Reply
    • Hi Zuzana,
      Yes, my patterns always have seam allowance included – I think it’s faster to cut the fabric that way. I will add the information in the post, thank you for bringing this to my attention.

      Reply
    • Hi Pat,
      The dress pattern here is for girls aged 3, my daughter was about 39 inches tall when these photos were taken. If you need to make the dress in size 6, the safest bet is to find a free peasant top pattern in that size, shorten it at the waistline, (or draft your own pattern) and then attach a tulle skirt. It would be helpful if you already had a dress that fits your daughter/niece, so you would know exactly how long to make the skirt, and where the waistline is. My patterns don’t come in a variety of sizes because I don’t know how to grade them, I can only draft them for me and my kids. I will keep my fingers crossed for you!

      Reply
  4. Hi, I’m attempting to make this dress and wondering what the part 2 of the top pattern is for? I’m a little confused. And could you explain the fold? Thank you!

    Reply
    • Hi Chloe,
      The first two pages will become one pattern piece, you have to join them – the writing should be in the same direction. That is the bodice of the dress, and it was too big to fit on a single sheet.
      Then, you will have 1 pattern piece for the bodice, and 1 pattern piece for the sleeves.
      Each of these pattern pieces will be used twice, each time with the fabric on the fold – you’ll need 2 bodice pieces (the front & the back are the same), and 2 sleeve pieces. (as shown in this photo https://static.icansewthis.com/2020/10/free-princess-dress-pattern-tutorial-3.jpg)
      I hope that helps 🙂 happy sewing!

      Reply
  5. Hi Violet – I think this tulle dress is absollutely too cute. Thank you so much for the pattern, for the many patterns I have used over the years.
    My name is Jewel Melia and I live in South Africa

    Reply
  6. Hi I am searching for a pattern template for an Elsa dress to make for my granddaughter 6 yrs old. It is a surprise for her birthday so I dont want to measure her. If you have every made one for your daughters I would love to be able to copy it with chest and height measurements. I dont want to cut the fabric and it go to waste if it all goes wrong as I’m not sure what fabric to use for the bodice, if its lining and ney over. Please can you help I would appreciate it. Thank You.Ann

    Reply
    • Hi Ann,
      I think an Elsa dress is a wonderful idea! Unfortunately, I don’t have a template for 6 yo, but I would recommend this site – https://www.scatteredthoughtsofacraftymom.com/howtomakeapeasantdress/ – there’s a free pdf dress pattern and tutorial, available in size 12 months to size 14. Just shorten the dress and attach a tulle skirt, as I did here. It would be better if you already had a dress of your granddaughter’s, just so you know where the waistline is and how long to make the finished dress. Besides that, there’s no need for other measurements. I’d use a plain blue cotton fabric for the bodice, but that’s up to you. Good luck!

      Reply
  7. Thank you so much for sharing your ideas on these darling clothes you have made. Can you tell me the measurements of the little girl you used this pattern for so that I’ll have an idea if it will fit my granddaughter?

    Reply
    • Hi Debbie,
      I’m so glad you consider making this dress! Thank you!
      To answer your question, when I made this dress my daughter was 35 inches tall, now is 36 inches tall, and the dress still fits her very well – in fact, I expect her to wear it the next year, too. Her weight is average, I guess, for her age.
      As for the (hand-drafted) pattern, the dress’ circumference at the waist (where the cotton top ends and the tulle skirt begins) is around 31 inches – while the average waist size for 2/3 years-old kids is 21 inches, hence the need for the elastic. I hope this helps!

      Reply
  8. Thank you for this great idea! I’ll be recommending it in my blog and when I add to some of the facebook groups I use. Just one minor little detail: on page 3 of your pattern, the pattern piece has been flipped horizontally, which might confuse less experienced sewists. If it’s not too difficult to correct the pattern, it would be a good idea to do it. Otherwise, what I’ve done, is to cut the bit on page 3 out before sticking the pages together, and flipped it over, then stuck it on to page 2. Now to see what I’ve got in my stash!

    Reply
    • Wow! Thank you so much, Sheila!
      And yes, I will correct the pattern right away. My bad, I scanned the PDF late at night and I forgot to check it out.
      I love discovering new blogs and you’ve made so many pretty dresses. Heading off to your blog right now! <3

      Reply

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