EVERY CROCHET Garments 6 rounds No account, no download
Cherry blossom applique dress with a textured bodice
A child's spring dress worked in extended single crochet and half double crochet, with both US and UK stitch names given.
- Skill
- Intermediate
- Time
- 18-26 hours
- Yarn weight
- Sport/Light DK
- Hook
- 3.5 mm
Intermediate
What the original write-up called it. Nothing here is graded again.
Sport/Light DK
What the sample was worked in. Any weight works; the size moves with it.
18-26 hours
What the original page reckoned. Your own pace is the one that matters.
About this pattern
This pattern is a child's size 4 dress combining a textured extended single crochet bodice, a half double crochet skirt worked in joined rounds, and hand-sewn cherry blossom appliques on surface-crocheted branches. It suits an intermediate maker comfortable with garment gauge, seaming, and motif placement, and takes roughly 18 to 26 hours depending on applique speed. Finished chest measures 22 inches (56 cm).
The dress is built in three stages: two flat bodice panels are worked separately in rows, from the chest edge down through a colour fade from cream to blush, then seamed together at the sides. Straps are added next, pinned to fit before sewing. Finally the skirt is picked up at the waist and worked downward in joined rounds, finishing with a scalloped hem shaped by groups of five double crochet stitches.
Materials
Yarn
- Sport weight or light DK cotton/bamboo blend yarn. Total yardage needed is 760 to 860 yards (695 to 786 meters).
- Color A (cream): 220 yards (201 meters)
- Color B (blush): 470 yards (430 meters)
- Color C (white): 35 yards (32 meters)
- Color D (pale pink): 45 yards (41 meters)
- Color E (brown): 30 yards (27 meters)
- Small amount of yellow for flower centers
Yarn Suggestions
- Scheepjes Catona held single for a crisp cotton finish
- Paintbox Yarns Cotton DK for an easy care child dress
- Hobbii Rainbow Cotton 8/6 for strong stitch definition
- Substitute with any smooth sport or light DK yarn that meets gauge and has enough drape for a full skirt.
Hook
- US E/4 (3.5 mm), or size needed to match gauge
Notions
- Removable stitch markers, tapestry needle, pins, measuring tape, blocking mat, optional 3/8 inch (1 cm) button for back security
The list is the pattern's own wording.
Instructions
Every round is printed as the pattern wrote it, brackets and all. Open the key beside a round to see only the short forms that round uses.
Skirt
Work from the lower edge of the bodice downward with Color B. Keep the seam at center back.
- Round 1
Join at center back waist. Work 100 sc evenly around lower bodice edge. Join. (100 sc)
Key1
- sc
- single crochet (insert hook, yarn over, pull up loop, yarn over, pull through both loops)
- Round 2
Ch 1. Work 2 hdc in each st around. Join. (200 hdc)
Key2
- hdc
- half double crochet (yarn over, insert hook, pull up loop, yarn over, pull through all three loops)
- ch
- chain
- (200)Round 3
through 44: Ch 1. Hdc in each st around. Join. (200 hdc each rnd)
Key3
- hdc
- half double crochet (yarn over, insert hook, pull up loop, yarn over, pull through all three loops)
- rnd
- round
- ch
- chain
- Round 45
Ch 1. Hdc in each st around. Join and do not fasten off. (200 hdc)
Key2
- hdc
- half double crochet (yarn over, insert hook, pull up loop, yarn over, pull through all three loops)
- ch
- chain
Straps
Make 2.
Ch 37. Row 1: sc in 2nd ch from hook and each ch across. (36 sc)
- Round 2
and 3: Ch 1, turn, sc across. (36 sc) With dress on dress form or wearer, pin straps 2.25 inches (5.7 cm) from each front side seam and 2 inches (5 cm) from each back side seam. Sew securely.
Key2
- ch
- chain
- sc
- single crochet (insert hook, yarn over, pull up loop, yarn over, pull through both loops)
Scalloped Hem
- Round 46
Ch 1, sc in first st, skip 1 st, 5 dc in next st, skip 1 st, sc in next st, skip 1 st, 5 dc in next st, skip 1 st; rep from around. Join to first sc.
Key4
- rep
- repeat
- ch
- chain
- sc
- single crochet (insert hook, yarn over, pull up loop, yarn over, pull through both loops)
- dc
- double crochet
This uses 4 sts per scallop and makes 50 scallops total.
Skirt Checkpoint
After Rnd 45, skirt should measure about 13 inches (33 cm) from waist and about 44 inches (112 cm) around the lower edge before scallops.
Making up
- Step 1Weave in ends on the WS. Do not trim applique tails until all motifs are placed and reviewed.
- Step 2Wet block gently or steam block through a pressing cloth. Shape the top edge square, align side seams, and open the skirt fullness evenly.
- Step 3Secure strap ends with several passes of matching yarn. For extra security, add a small button and thread loop at center back.
- Step 4After blocking, trim only the ends that are fully secured.
Notes from the pattern
- Work with a US E/4 (3.5 mm) hook, or whatever size brings the sport or light DK yarn to the stated bodice and skirt gauges after blocking.
- Place a marker in the first stitch of every skirt round; with the seam held at centre back across 45 rounds, a dropped marker is the fastest way to lose track of the join.
- Bodice and skirt gauges are different fabrics (extended single crochet versus half double crochet), so swatch and block each separately rather than relying on one swatch for both.
- The cream-to-blush fade through Rows 9 to 14 alternates one row per colour; weave the carried strand in on the wrong side so it does not show through the lighter blush rows.
The essentials
- Rounds
- 6
- Parts
- 4
- Level
- Intermediate
- Time
- 18-26 hours
- Hook
- 3.5 mm
- Yarn
- Sport/Light DK
Stitches you will use
- Surface crochet and applique placement Branches are crocheted onto the skirt surface and blossoms are sewn on afterward; keep surface chains loose so the skirt fabric does not pucker, and leave motif tails untrimmed until every blossom is reviewed.
- Colour fade transition Rows 9 through 14 alternate one row of Colour A with one row of Colour B before Colour B takes over; carry the resting colour neatly up the side edge to avoid bulk at the seam line.
- Panel seaming and strap fitting Two bodice panels join at the sides before straps are pinned 2.25 inches (5.7 cm) from the front seams and 2 inches (5 cm) from the back seams; fit on the body before sewing to catch any asymmetry.
Troubleshooting
The two bodice panels come out different widths after blocking
Extended single crochet gauge tends to drift row by row if tension loosens; block a fresh swatch to 18 stitches and 20 rows over 4 inches (10 cm) and adjust hook size before reworking the shorter panel.
The skirt ripples or flares unevenly as the rounds build
A stitch count has usually been lost during the increase round or a later round, often where the marker slipped; recount to 200 hdc at the marked stitch each round and correct the count before continuing.
The scalloped hem shows scallops of uneven size
This comes from miscounting the skip-1, 5-dc, skip-1 sequence across the 200 stitches; mark every fourth stitch around the final round before starting Round 46 so all 50 scallops fall evenly.
Substituting yarn
- Mercerised cotton, sport weight
- Gives the crispest stitch definition for the textured bodice but less drape in the skirt; a slightly smaller hook may be needed to match the stated gauge.
- Cotton/bamboo blend, light DK
- Adds softer drape that suits the skirt's fullness, but blends like this can relax after washing, so block firmly and check skirt length before trimming the hem.
- Cotton/acrylic blend, sport weight
- Easier care and more stitch memory for travel or frequent washing, but these blends often stitch up tighter, so sizing the hook up may be needed to hold the extended single crochet gauge.
Washing and care
- Hand wash in cool water with a mild detergent; cotton and bamboo blends absorb water and become heavy, so support the full weight of the dress rather than lifting it by the straps while wet.
- Dry flat on a towel away from direct heat, easing the scalloped hem back into its shape by hand; store the dress folded rather than hung to keep the straps from stretching at the shoulders.
FAQs
Questions
Why does the bodice use extended single crochet rather than a plain single crochet?
Extended single crochet adds an extra loop between the two steps of the stitch, giving the bodice a taller, slightly more elastic fabric than a plain single crochet (UK double crochet) would produce. This extra give supports the fitted bodice gauge of 18 stitches and 20 rows over 4 inches (10 cm).
How is the seam kept from spiralling once the skirt is worked in rounds?
Round 1 joins at the centre back waist, and a marker sits in the first stitch of every round through all 45 rounds to track that same point. Keeping the join consistently at centre back is what stops the skirt rounds from drifting out of alignment.
Where exactly do the straps attach to the bodice?
the dress on a form or the wearer, straps are pinned 2.25 inches (5.7 cm) from each front side seam and 2 inches (5 cm) from each back side seam before sewing. Pinning first allows the fit to be checked and adjusted before the straps are secured.
Why does the scalloped hem use a count of 50 scallops?
The final skirt round has 200 stitches, and the scallop pattern uses 4 stitches per scallop, which divides evenly into 50 scallops around the hem. Keeping the skip-1, 5-dc sequence consistent across that count is what keeps the scallops uniform.
These answers came from whoever first published the pattern, kept word for word.