Crochet Ruffled Princess Toddler Dress: Free Pattern and Video Tutorial


The Crochet Toddler Ruffle Princess Dress is the PERFECT dress for a little girl’s first-year photos! This gorgeous, full ballgown style dress is perfect for that little princess!


Click here to jump to the FREE CROCHET TODDLER RUFFLE PRINCESS DRESS PATTERN!
Click here to head over to YouTube for my Crochet Toddler Ruffle Princess Dress Video Tutorial!


This beautiful princess dress is perfect for showing that little princess how much you love them! I love that I get to have the pictures of my little girl in this gown that I made for her AND that I can give it to her when she grows up to be handed down through the generations (see About Me to learn more about why I love crafting).


I designed the pattern for the Crochet Ruffled Princess Toddler Dress for my second daughter. I had to make her a full, princess-style ballgown, just like I did for her older sister’s first birthday photos. After all, mom-guilt is real!

When I was up in the middle of the night for what felt like FOREVER nursing my first daughter, I spent months planning her first birthday. After all, what else are you going to do when you are up in the middle of the night other than scroll through Pinterest?!

I decided that I really wanted to do cake smash photos, but didn’t really love the very common tutu look for the photos. I decided I could probably crochet a cute dress for the photos.

Well, I found a free pattern for a dress that I liked, and *mostly* followed it. It turned out so adorable! I LOVE THOSE PICTURES!

Older Sister’s Crocheted 1st Birthday Dress

So, when I had a second daughter, I knew I would do something similar. I had originally planned to actually do the same dress but in a different color. Well, that plan fell through because I couldn’t find the pattern I had used ANYWHERE!

I looked online for other dress patterns that I liked (that were free) and didn’t find anything. So I decided to delve into pattern design! EEK! I’ve designed blankets and some pretty detailed scarves before, but never a dress. I basically started crocheting, figured out the size based on a 12-18 month dress that I had, then just kinda made it up as a went.

I knew that I wanted the dress to be full, so I would have to increase a lot. I also knew I wanted it to kinda look flowy and lacy, so some openwork stitches would be nice. I decided that basically alternating between v-stitches and shells of various sizes would probably get me where I wanted to be in the end. When I got down toward the end, I wanted to add a little extra flair, so I did a kind of wave-like round, then increased quite a bit to get that flair.

Well, turns out, I LOVE THIS DRESS! It turned out so much better than I could have ever imagined! I absolutely love all of the ruffles and the full, pleated look of the skirt. I am obsessed with the ruffled-looking straps that I added! I really can’t believe this came from my own head!

So For her pictures, we donned the dress, put on a giant flower headband, and tried to make her go to town on the cake. Well, that didn’t go as easily as planned. She cried, kind of a lot. And she really wanted nothing to do with the cake initially. But after big sister got in on the action, she did get in on the smashing!


Let’s get on with HOW to actually make the Crochet Toddler Ruffle Princess Dress!

Step by Step Pattern For the Crochet Toddler Ruffle Princess Dress

Skill level:

Medium

Size and Gauge:

12-18 month
Chest diameter: 19 inches
Length from shoulder to hem: 23 inches

Gauge: 12 dc x 6 rows = 4”x4” square

Materials:                                      

Lion Brand Pound of Love-1 skein
This dress was made with Hunter Green color.
If you choose to use a different brand, you will need approximately 15 oz/975 yards of weight 4 acrylic yarn
Size I/5.5 mm and J/6.0 mm crochet hooks
Yarn needle
4 (+) stitch markers
I used bobby pins.
You may want some extras to mark where you will slip stitch to end each round, but totally up to you!

Stitches/abbreviations used:

Chain (Ch)
Slip stitch (sl st)
Single crochet (sc)
Half double crochet (hdc)
Double crochet (dc)
Treble crochet (tc)
V stitch (v-st)
Treble crochet V stitch (tc v-st)
Shell
Chain space (ch sp)

Special Stitches Explained:

V-stitch
For the v-st you dc 1, ch 1, dc 1 in the same stitch
Treble crochet V-stitch
For the tc v-st you tc 1, ch 1, tc 1 in the same stitch
Shell
In this pattern, shell is used to describe any size group of dc worked into the same space. Ranges from 5 to 9 dcs. Work the specified number of stitches for each shell stitch.

Notes

The pattern is worked in the round from top to bottom, starting with the bodice and going to the skirt.
The sleeves/straps are worked onto the garment at the stitch markers placed in the starting chain.
Ch 2 counts as 1st dc, ch 3 counts as 1st tc throughout pattern. Ch 1 does NOT count as a single crochet.

Pattern:

Bodice
(with size I/5.5 mm hook)

Ch 56 placing stitch markers in 9, 20, 36, 47 (to designate where the straps will be added), sl st to 1st ch
Rd 1: sc 56, sl st to 1st
Rd 2-6: ch 2 (counts as 1 dc), dc in each around, sl st to top of ch 2 (56)
Rd 7: ch 1 (does not count as stitch), sc in same stitch and in each around (56)

Skirt
(with size J/6.0 mm hook)
Rd 8: ch 2, dc in next st, *v-st in next, dc in next* around, dc in same as ch 2, ch 1, sl st to top of ch 2
Rd 9: ch 2, 2 dc in same ch sp, sc in next t, *5 dc in next v-st ch sp, sc in next* around, dc 2 in same as initial ch 2, sl st to top of ch 2
Rd 10: ch 1, sc in same st, v-st in next sc, *sc in 3rd dc of shell, v-st in next sc* around, sl st to initial sc
Rd 11: ch 1, sc in same st, 5 dc in ch sp of next v-st, *sc in next sc, 5 dc in ch sp of v-st* around, sl st to initial sc
Rd 12: ch 2, sc in 3rd dc of shell, *v-st in next sc, sc in 3rd dc of shell* around, dc in same st as initial ch 2, ch 1, sl st to top of ch 2
Rd 13: ch 2, 3 dc in same ch sp, sc in next sc, *7 dc in ch sp of next v-st, sc in next sc* around, dc 3 in same ch sp as initial, sl st to top of initial ch 2
Rd 14: ch1, sc in same st, tc v-st in next sc st, *sc in 4th dc of shell, tc v-st in next sc* around, sl st to initial sc
Rd 15: ch 1, sc in same st, 7 dc in next v-st ch sp, *sc in next sc st, 7 dc in next ch sp* around, sl st to initial sc
Rd 16: ch1, sc in same st, tc v-st in next sc st, *sc in 4th dc of shell, tc v-st in next sc* around, sl st to initial sc
Rd 17: ch 1, sc in same st, (dc 3, ch 1, dc 3) in next ch sp, *sc in ext st, (dc 3, ch 1, dc 3) in next ch sp* around, sl st to initial sc
Rd 18: ch 4, sc in ch sp, ch 2, *v-st in sc, ch 2, sc in ch sp, ch 2* around, dc in same st as initial ch 2, ch 2, sl st to top of ch 2
Rd 19: ch 2, dc 3 in same ch sp, sc in ch 2 sp, ch 1, sc in next ch 2 sp, **dc 4, ch 1, dc 4) in v-st ch sp, sc in ch 2 sp, ch 1, sc in next ch 2 sp* around, dc 4 in same ch sp as initial, ch 1, sl st to top of initial ch 2
Rd 20: ch 1, sc in same ch sp, cn 2, tc v-st in next ch sp, ch 2, *sc in next ch sp, ch 2, tc v-st in next ch sp, sc 2* around, sl st to initial sc
Rd 21: ch 1, sc in next ch sp, (dc 5, ch 1, dc 5) in next ch sp, sc in next ch sp, ch 1, *sc in next ch sp, *dc 5, ch 1, dc 5) in next ch sp, sc  in next ch sp, ch 1* around, sl st to initial sc
Rd 22: ch 5, sc in next ch sp, ch 2, *v-st in next ch sp, ch 2, sc in next ch sp, ch 2* around, dc in same as initial ch 5, ch 1, sl st to 3rd ch of initial ch 5
Rd 23: ch 2, 5 dc in same ch sp, sc in next ch sp, ch 1, sc in next ch sp, *(dc 5, ch 1, dc 5) in next ch sp, ch 1, sc in next ch sp* around, dc 5 in same as initial, ch 1, sl st to top of initial ch 2
Rd 24: ch 1, sc in same st, sc in next, hdc in next 2, dc in next 2, tc in ch sp, dc in next 2, hdc in next 2, sc in next 2, sl st in next ch sp, *sc in next 2, hd in next 2, dc in next 2, tc in nest ch sp, dc in next 2, hdc in next 2, sc in next 2, sl st in nest ch sp* around, sl st to initial sc
Rd 25: ch 5, sk 4, tc v-st in next, ch 2, sk 3, tc v-st in next, ch 2, *sk 4, tc v-st in next, ch 2, sk 4, tc v-st in next, ch 2, sk 3, tc v-st in next, ch 2* around, sk 4, tc in same as initial ch 5, ch 1, sl st to 3rd ch of initial ch 5
Rd 26: ch 2, dc 2 in same ch sp, sc in next ch 2 sp, *5 dc in next ch sp, sc in next ch 2 sp* around, dc 2 in same as initial, sl st to top of initial ch 2
Rd 27: ch 1, sc in same st, ch 2, v-st in next sc, ch 2, *sc in 3rd dc of shell, ch 2, v-st in next sc, ch 2* around, sl st to intial sc
Rd 28: ch 1, sc in same st, dc 9 in next ch sp, *sc in next sc, dc 9 in next ch sp* around, sl st to initial sc.
Fasten off.

Sleeves/straps

Right strap (worked from front to back):
Join yarn at stitch marker in 20th ch.
Ch 13, sl st at stitch marker in the 9th chain. Turn.
Sc in the stitch above (toward the arm hole). Sk 1 ch, sc into each ch (13 sc total). Sl st into the st above (toward the arm hole), sl st into the next st. turn.
*sk 1 sc. 9 dc into next, sk 1, sl st in next* 3 times. Fasten off.

Left strap (worked from back to front):
Join yarn at the st marker in the 47th ch, repeat the above process with sl st at the stitch marker in the 36th ch.

Weave in ends.



With my written pattern and video; I am trying to appeal to all the learning styles. Is there another way that YOU would like to help YOU learn more?? Let me know in the comments!


Now it is time for YOU to Get Crafty with Ashy! I would LOVE to see YOUR finished Crochet Toddler Ruffle Princess Dress, so post a picture in the comments!


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©CROCHET TODDLER RUFFLE PRINCESS DRESS COPYRIGHT
Please do not copy, redistribute or sell my pattern in any way. All photos/videos, designs, and patterns are copyright of Crafty with Ashy unless otherwise noted. Please do not claim my content as your own. If you repost, please credit to my original work. You are more than welcome to sell your finished Crochet Cuddly Car Seat Baby Blanket. I ask that you please credit me for the pattern.

craftywithashy

Hi! I’m Ashy. I am a Christian, wife, mom, and physical therapist. I am also an amateur painter, baker, crocheter, and miscellaneous crafter. I hope to be able to share some of my enthusiasm for creating with you and to inspire YOU to begin, continue, or grow YOUR creative outlet!

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