Strawberry Garden Party Dress Free Crochet Pattern

I love a dress that makes people stop and ask where you found it, and this strawberry garden party dress does exactly that! We have a smooth fitted bodice in soft cream and blush, a full pleated skirt that flares out beautifully, and the sweetest little strawberries, leaves and blossoms trailing down on curly green vines.

Do not let the finished look scare you, because we build it in calm, friendly pieces. The bodice is a simple single crochet tube, the skirt grows downward with easy double crochet increase rounds, and the strawberries are tiny motifs you can make in the evening while you relax. The pattern is written for an adult XS/S with a 34 inch bust, and I will show you how the starting chain controls the size.

Plan for a relaxed, happy make of about 22 to 30 hours depending on your applique speed. The finished dress has 0 to 1 inch of positive ease at the bust, a skirt length of about 15 inches, and a total length of about 21 inches from the upper bodice edge.

Materials

• About 520 yards DK weight cotton or cotton-bamboo yarn in cream
• About 420 yards DK weight cotton or cotton-bamboo yarn in blush pink
• About 600 yards DK weight cotton or cotton-bamboo yarn in red/berry
• About 85 yards DK weight yarn in green, plus small scraps of white and yellow for blossoms
• 4.0mm (G/6) crochet hook for the main garment
• 3.5mm crochet hook for appliques, if you want tighter motifs
• Tapestry needle
• Stitch markers
• Tape measure
• Pins
• Steam iron or blocking tools
• Optional: 1/4 inch elastic for upper back stability, and a dress form for placement

Abbreviations

• ch: chain
• sl st: slip stitch
• sc: single crochet
• hdc: half double crochet
• dc: double crochet
• inc: increase, 2 stitches worked in the same stitch
• sc2tog: single crochet 2 stitches together
• RS/WS: right side / wrong side
• st/sts: stitch / stitches
• rnd: round

Special Stitches

• Invisible join: cut your yarn and pull the tail through the final stitch. Thread your tapestry needle under both loops of the first stitch, then back down through the top of the final stitch. Tighten gently for a seamless finish.
• Surface slip stitch vine: hold your green yarn behind the fabric. Insert your hook from front to back and back to front at the next point, pull up a loop, then pull through the loop on your hook. Keep these stitches loose so your fabric does not pucker.
• Standing single crochet: place a slip knot on your hook, insert the hook in the indicated stitch, yarn over and pull up a loop, yarn over and pull through both loops.

Gauge & Size

• Finished size: adult XS/S, 34 inch bust and 34 inch waist, skirt length about 15 inches, total length about 21 inches from the upper bodice edge
• Bodice gauge: 16 sc and 18 rows = 4 inches / 10 cm with 4.0mm hook
• Skirt gauge: 14 dc and 8 rows = 4 inches / 10 cm with 4.0mm hook
• Construction: bodice worked as a joined-round tube, skirt worked top-down from the bodice, straps worked flat and sewn on, appliques sewn on after blocking
• Skill level: Intermediate

Bodice Pattern

The bodice is a dense, structured tube in single crochet worked in joined rounds. With cream yarn and your 4.0mm hook, chain 136. Join with a slip stitch to the first chain, being careful not to twist.

Round 1: Ch 1, sc in each ch around, join. (136 sc)

Rounds 2-10: Ch 1, sc in each st around, join. (136 sc each round)

Round 11: Change to blush. Ch 1, sc around, join. (136 sc)

Rounds 12-18: Ch 1, sc around, join. (136 sc each round)

Round 19: Change to light berry. Ch 1, sc around, join. (136 sc)

Rounds 20-24: Ch 1, sc around, join. (136 sc each round)

Your upper and lower circumference should measure about 34 inches / 86.5 cm. Depth after Round 24 should be about 5.3 inches / 13.5 cm before edging. For a wearable version you plan to actually wear out, you can sew 1/4 inch elastic inside the upper back between the strap points. For display styling only, omit the elastic.

Skirt Pattern

Now the fun part! Join blush yarn at the lower bodice edge and work downward, using increase rounds to build the fullness for those lovely pressed pleats.

Round 1: Ch 3 (counts as dc), dc in same st, 2 dc in each of next 2 sts, dc in next st; repeat from the start of the repeat around, join to top of ch-3. (238 dc)

Rounds 2-7: Ch 3, dc in each st around, join. (238 dc each round)

Round 8: Ch 3, dc in each st and inc once every 7 sts around; join. (272 dc)

Rounds 9-13: Dc around. (272 dc each round)

Round 14: Inc once every 8 sts around. (306 dc)

Rounds 15-19: Dc around. (306 dc each round)

Round 20: Inc once every 9 sts around. (340 dc)

Rounds 21-25: Dc around. (340 dc each round)

Round 26: Inc once every 10 sts around. (374 dc)

Rounds 27-30: Change to red/berry as desired for the ombre. Dc around. (374 dc each round)

Length after Round 30 should be about 15 inches / 38 cm. Steam vertical pleats at every 14 skirt stitches, creating 17 pleats at the upper skirt that open fuller toward the hem.

Hem Round 31: With berry, ch 1, work reverse sc around OR work (sc, ch 1, skip 1) around for a lighter hem. Join with invisible join. The count will remain 374 stitches for reverse sc, or 187 sc/ch spaces for the lighter hem.

Straps & Edging

Mark your front strap positions 22 stitches in from each side seam. Mark your back strap positions 18 stitches in from each side seam. Try on or fit to a dress form before sewing, and keep a removable marker at each side seam through finishing so your vine and applique placement stays symmetrical.

Straps, make 2: With cream, ch 5. Row 1: sc in 2nd ch from hook and each ch across, turn. (4 sc)

Rows 2-36: Ch 1, sc across, turn. (4 sc each row; about 15 in / 38 cm long)

Sew straps to the inside upper bodice at the marked positions, keeping them flat and untwisted.

Top edging: Join cream at back. Ch 1, sc evenly around the upper edge, working 1 sc in each bodice st and 4 sc across each strap end. (144 sc approx.; lies flat)

Second edging: Sl st loosely around the top edge and straps. Do not tighten.

For that clean camisole shape, keep the upper front edge straight. If your edge ripples, go down a hook size for the edging. If it pulls inward, add 4 to 8 sc evenly across the front edge only.

Strawberries, Leaves & Blossoms

Make 18 strawberries in total: 8 for the bodice, 8 for the skirt front and sides, and 2 for back accents. Make 8 blossoms and 30 to 36 leaves, and sew them on with matching thread or yarn tails.

Strawberry Rnd 1: With red, make a magic ring. 6 sc in ring. (6 sc)

Strawberry Rnd 2: Inc around. (12 sc)

Strawberry Rnd 3: Sc around. (12 sc)

Strawberry Rnd 4: (Sc2tog, sc) 4 times. (8 sc) Stuff lightly if desired.

Strawberry Rnd 5: Sc2tog around. (4 sc) Fasten off, close the tip, and embroider tiny seed dots.

Leaf cap: With green, join at the berry top: (ch 4, sl st in 2nd ch and next 2 ch, sl st to berry top) 5 times. Fasten off.

Small leaf: Ch 6. Sl st in 2nd ch, sc, hdc, dc, 3 hdc in last ch; rotate, dc, hdc, sc, sl st. Fasten off.

Blossom: With white, make a magic ring. (Ch 2, 2 hdc in ring, ch 2, sl st in ring) 5 times. Pull closed. Add a yellow French knot or tiny embroidered center.

Strawberries should be about 1.1 to 1.3 inches / 2.8 to 3.3 cm tall, and blossoms about 0.8 inches / 2 cm across.

Finishing & Assembly

Use green surface slip stitch for the vines after the dress is blocked and the pleats are set. Pin all berries and blossoms first, then stitch the vines so every stem meets a motif neatly. On the front bodice, work two mirrored vine trails from the upper outer bodice toward the center waist and add 4 strawberries and 2 blossoms. On the back bodice, work two shorter trails from the strap area toward the side back with 2 strawberries and 1 blossom. On the skirt, place motifs along alternating pleat valleys and ridges, keeping heavier berries near the lower half so the skirt hangs smoothly.

Leave 2 to 3 inches / 5 to 7.5 cm between large strawberry clusters, and keep vines loose and curved, not straight. Secure the back of every applique with several small stitches, weaving ends through the applique backing rather than through large visible areas of the dress fabric.

Weave all main garment ends on the wrong side. Steam or wet-block the bodice flat without stretching. Pin the skirt pleats every 14 upper-skirt stitches, steam lightly, and let dry fully. Attach the straps, then work the upper edging. Pin the vines, berries, leaves and blossoms, and sew securely after confirming the balance from the front, side and back.

Use gentle steam for cotton blends and do not press the strawberries flat. Cup your hand around each applique while steaming the nearby fabric, and let the dress dry on a form so the pleats set vertically.

Tips

The bodice circumference is controlled by your starting chain. At 16 sc = 4 inches, multiply your desired finished bust measurement in inches by 4 stitches per inch, then round to a multiple of 4. For example, a 36 inch bust x 4 = 144 chains. Skirt Round 1 uses the same 4-stitch repeat and remains balanced.

For length adjustments, add or remove skirt rounds before the final hem. At skirt gauge, 2 dc rounds add about 1 inch / 2.5 cm. Adjust the straps by adding or removing rows before sewing.

If the skirt ruffles too much, block the pleats deeper and reduce steam at the hem. For less fullness, omit the Round 26 increases.

If your vines pucker the fabric, your surface slip stitches are too tight. Remove them and restitch with a larger hook or looser tension.

Hand wash in cool water with mild soap, roll in a towel to remove moisture, and reshape on a form or flat surface to dry away from direct heat. Store folded with tissue under the appliques rather than hanging for long periods.