STITCH ROUND Crochet toddler summer dress with a scalloped collar
Tick off 18 rounds to make a toddler summer dress with a scalloped collar.
- Skill
- Intermediate
- Rounds
- 18 rounds
- Yarn weight
- Worsted
- Hook
- 6.5 mm
- Time
- 4-6 hours
Intermediate
What the original page called it. Nothing here is graded a second time.
18 rounds
Each one gets its own line, with a box beside it to tick as you go.
Worsted
What the sample was made in. Any weight works — the size moves with it.
About this pattern
This toddler dress is built from two separate pieces that come together at the end: a three-round scalloped collar and a fifteen-round main body. Each piece starts with its own foundation ring, so there are two clear sets of rounds to tick off rather than one long continuous count. Working the collar first gives a quick win before settling into the longer main body, where most of the shaping happens.
The shaping sits in the early rounds of the main body, where steady increases widen the chest into a flared skirt, and in round two of the collar, where chains and skipped stitches form the scallop spaces. Slow down on the collar's shell round and on each increase round of the main body, since a missed increase or a misplaced chain-one space throws off every round that follows.
- Start the collar on its own foundation ring and work it in a few quick rounds before setting it aside.
- Form the main body on a separate foundation ring, beginning with a round of single crochet.
- Build up solid double crochet rounds to establish the chest before any shaping starts.
- Increase steadily across several rounds so the body flares outward into a skirt shape.
- Work the remaining rounds even, without further increases, to bring the body down to length.
- Seam the finished collar onto the top edge of the body, matching the first rounds of each piece stitch for stitch.
What goes wrong
- Miscounting the collar's shell round Count each (1dc, ch1, 1dc) shell as it is worked around the collar, since skipping a stitch out of order throws the spacing off for round three. Pause at the halfway point and check the shells sit evenly before continuing.
- Forgetting the turning chain counts as a stitch In the main body, the ch2 at the start of each round stands in for the first double crochet, so it must be included when counting stitches at the end of the round. Leaving it out will make every increase round fall one stitch short.
- Drifting increase points in the main body Each increase round shifts where the 2dc falls, so working from memory instead of counting the plain stitches between increases causes the chest to flare unevenly. Count out loud to the increase stitch on every round rather than estimating.
- Seaming the collar off round The collar must be matched to the main body round for round, not just lined up by eye, or the join will twist. Lay both pieces flat and line up the first round of each before stitching.
Yarn, hook and the rest
Copied from the source pattern's own materials list.
- > U.S K/10 ½ 6.5mm Crochet Hook
- > Lion Brand Vanna’s Choice ( Any Worsted Weight Yarn) Colour A – Radiant Yellow – 510 yards
- > Lion Brand Vanna’s Choice ( Any Worsted Weight Yarn) Colour A – Fisherman – 85 yards
- > Tapestry Needle / Darning Needle – To weave in ends
- You can buy the yarn you need here or here – Buying through this affiliate link helps to fund future free patterns at no extra cost to you. Thank you for your support.
Progress tracker
0 of the 18 rounds on this page are ticked.
The pattern, round by round
Kept in the order and the wording the source used. Tick a round as you finish it; the ticks stay on this device.
Collar
Round 1
With Colour B Ch55, join with a slip stitch to beg ch to form a ring, ch1 (doesn’t count as a stitch) 1sc in each st around, join with a slip stitch to beg sc (55sc)
Round 2
Ch3 (counts as 1dc, ch1) 1dc in next st * Skip next st, work (1dc, ch1, 1dc) in next st * Repeat around, join with a slip stitch to beg dc (27 lots of (1dc, ch1, 1dc)
Round 3
Slip stitch into first ch1 space, ch2 (counts as 1dc) work 4dc in same ch1 space * 1sc in next ch1 space, 5 dc in next ch1 space * Repeat around, in the last ch1 space work 5dc, 1sc in the top of ch2 from previous row, join with a slip stitch to beg dc of row 3 (14 (5dc) 14 (1sc)Fasten off and weave in ends.
Main Pattern
Round 1
With Colour A Ch55, join with a slip stitch to beg ch to form a ring, ch1 (doesn’t count as a stitch) 1sc in each st around, join with a slip stitch to beg sc (55sc)
Round 2
Ch2 (counts as 1dc from here and throughout) 1dc in each st around, join with a slip stitch to beg dc (55dc)
Round 3
Ch2 (counts as 1dc from here and throughout unless otherwise stated) 1dc in next 3sts, 2dc in next st * 1dc in next 4sts, 2dc in next st * Repeat around, join with a slip stitch to beg dc (66dc)
Round 4
Ch2, 1dc in next 4sts, 2dc in next st * 1dc in next 5sts, 2dc in next st * Repeat around, join with a slip stitch to beg dc (77dc)
Round 5
Ch2, 1dc in next 5sts, 2dc in next st * 1dc in next 6sts, 2dc in next st * Repeat around, join with a slip stitch to beg dc (88dc)
Round 6
Ch2, 1dc in next 6sts, 2dc in next st * 1dc in next 7sts, 2dc in next st * Repeat around, join with a slip stitch to beg dc (99dc)
Round 7
Ch2, 1dc in next 11sts, ch5, skip 25sts (armhole made) 1dc in next 25sts, ch5, skip 25sts (armhole made) 1dc in next 12sts, join with a slip stitch to beg dc
Round 8
Ch2, 1dc in next 11sts, 5dc in ch5 space, 1dc in next 25sts, 5dc in next ch5 space, 1dc in next 12sts, join with a slip stitch to beg dc (59dc)
Round 9
Ch2, 1dc in same st as ch2, 1dc in each st around, join with a slip stitch to beg dc (60dc)
Round 10
Ch2, 1dc in next st, 2dc in next st * 1dc in next 2sts, 2dc in next st * Repeat around, join with a slip stitch to beg dc (80dc)
Round 11
Ch2, 1dc in next 2sts, 2dc in next st * 1dc in next 3sts, 2dc in next st * Repeat around, join with a slip stitch to beg dc (100dc)
Round 12
Ch2, 1dc in next 3sts, 2dc in next st * 1dc in next 4sts, 2dc in next st * Repeat around, join with a slip stitch to beg dc (120dc)
Round 13
Ch2, 1dc in next 4sts, 2dc in next st * 1dc in next 5sts, 2dc in next st * Repeat around, join with a slip stitch to beg dc (140dc)
Rounds 14–27
Ch2, 1dc in each st around, join with a slip stitch to beg dc (140dc)
Round 28
ch2, 3dc in same st as ch2 * Skip next st, 1sc in next st, skip next st, work 4dc in next st * Repeat around, join with a slip stitch to beg dcFasten off and weave in ends.
Join
Step 1> Taking a long piece of yarn of Colour B and using a needle, match up the stitches on row 1 of dress and row 1 of collar and seam collar in place.
Step 2Fasten off and weave in ends.
Check your count
- Collar · Round 1: 55 sts
- Collar · Round 3: 1 sts
- Main Pattern · Round 4: 77 sts
- Main Pattern · Round 9: 60 sts
- Main Pattern · Round 13: 140 sts
- Main Pattern · Rounds 14–27: 140 sts
Finish
- Weave in the ends on the collar once its three rounds are complete and it has been set aside.
- Weave in the ends on the main body after the last round of the fifteen-round section.
- Seam the collar to the body with a long strand of yarn, matching stitches round for round, then weave in that seaming tail.
Bigger or smaller
- Smaller
- Drop to a slightly smaller hook, or repeat one fewer of the even, non-increase rounds in the main body, to shorten the finished length.
- Finished Size
- Finished measurements approx: Toddler 1-2 years; chest width 11-11 1/2 inches; chest circumference 22-23 inches; dress at widest point 19 inches; shoulder to hem 18 inches.
- Gauge
- 12.4 dc and 7 rows = 4 inches (10cm); 6.2 dc = 2 inches.
FAQs
Asked and answered
These answers came from whoever first published the pattern, kept word for word.
What size will this dress fit?
It is sized for a toddler around one to two years old, with a chest width of about 11 to 11 1/2 inches and a chest circumference of 22 to 23 inches. Check gauge before starting if a closer fit is needed.
Does the yarn have to be the exact brand listed?
No, any cotton or breathable worsted weight yarn works for this dress. Matching the gauge given in the pattern notes matters more than the specific yarn used.
How does the collar attach to the body?
The collar is made separately over three rounds, then seamed onto the top of the main body afterward. Match the first round of the collar to the first round of the body stitch for stitch before sewing.