Basic top pattern

So I'm going to share with you my basic top pattern. I use this for almost all of my dresses, and it will be heavily used in my upcoming tutorials. I usually make it out of craft paper. I got a huge roll of Melissa and Doug craft paper, because it doesn't rip as easily as wrapping paper, but i've used that before too. I like the Melissa and Doug paper because it doesn't easily rip and i can fold it up and keep it nice a lot easier than wrapping paper. 

So what you'll need. 

Paper (wrapping paper, easel paper rolls, printer paper taped together, as long as it works for you, it doesn't really matter what you use, but I would probably not use toilet paper) =)

a shirt that fits your child

pen or pencil

scissors. 

1. Fold your shirt in half and lay on the paper

2. Trace around the shirt, follow the body of the shirt and the inside of the sleeves. This will just be the body not sleeves so flip them up and follow the curve of the arm hole. Follow the front neck line or you can do the back of the neck line and then draw the front in too, I do that for ones where I want the neck in the back higher and it saves on time if you don't have to make a new pattern. 

3. Cut it out. 

Thats it. Super easy. This will be the basis for a few tutorials I have coming up. So if you do this then you will be ahead of the game to start your dresses!