# Lavender Dream Butterfly Baby Dress Free Crochet Pattern
Oh, this dress. This is the one that made my jaw drop when the last butterfly applique went on. A lavender butterfly baby dress with a full lace wing bodice, a swishy A-line skirt, and tiny pearl buttons down the back — it looks like something from a boutique window, but every single stitch is doable at your kitchen table.
The construction is modular, which sounds fancy but really just means you make the pieces separately and sew them together at the end. The skirt is simple half double crochet with gentle increases, the butterfly bodice is a lace panel you build from shells, and those little butterfly appliques along the hem work up in minutes. Block everything before assembly and the lace opens up like magic — trust me on this step.
What You’ll Need
- Worsted weight cotton yarn in lavender — approximately 400 yards / 366 meters (I used 5 balls of Lily Sugar n Cream)
- US G-6 / 4.0 mm crochet hook for all main sections
- US F-5 / 3.75 mm crochet hook for the butterfly appliques (optional, makes them a little firmer)
- 4 to 6 small pearl buttons, about 8 mm across
- 8 to 12 pearl beads, about 6 mm across (optional, for the butterfly body)
- Beading needle and thread to match your yarn
- Yarn needle, scissors, and a tape measure
- At least 6 locking stitch markers
- Blocking mat, rust-proof pins, and a spray bottle
Finished size:
- 6 to 12 months — chest 18 inches / 46 cm, dress length 14 inches / 35.5 cm, skirt length 9 inches / 23 cm, bodice height 5 inches / 12.5 cm
The Pattern
Gauge: 16 hdc x 12 rows = 4 inches in half double crochet with the G-6 hook (turning chain counts as the first hdc). One 5-dc shell measures about 1 inch wide and 0.5 inch tall.
The Skirt
Worked flat from the waist down. The turning chain-2 counts as the first hdc throughout.
Chain 74.
Row 1 (RS): Hdc in 3rd chain from hook and in each chain across. (72 hdc)
Row 2 (WS): Chain 2, turn, hdc in each stitch across. (72 hdc)
Row 3 (RS): Chain 2, turn, hdc in first 8 sts, 2 hdc in next st, (hdc in next 8 sts, 2 hdc in next st) 7 times. (80 hdc)
Row 4 (WS): Chain 2, turn, hdc in each stitch across. (80 hdc)
Row 5 (RS): Chain 2, turn, hdc in first 9 sts, 2 hdc in next st, (hdc in next 9 sts, 2 hdc in next st) 7 times. (88 hdc)
Row 6 (WS): Chain 2, turn, hdc in each stitch across. (88 hdc)
Row 7 (RS): Chain 2, turn, hdc in first 10 sts, 2 hdc in next st, (hdc in next 10 sts, 2 hdc in next st) 7 times. (96 hdc)
Row 8 (WS): Chain 2, turn, hdc in each stitch across. (96 hdc)
Row 9 (RS): Chain 2, turn, hdc in first 11 sts, 2 hdc in next st, (hdc in next 11 sts, 2 hdc in next st) 7 times. (104 hdc)
Row 10 (WS): Chain 2, turn, hdc in each stitch across. (104 hdc)
Row 11 (RS): Chain 2, turn, hdc in first 12 sts, 2 hdc in next st, (hdc in next 12 sts, 2 hdc in next st) 7 times. (112 hdc)
Row 12 (WS): Chain 2, turn, hdc in each stitch across. (112 hdc)
Row 13 (RS): Chain 2, turn, hdc in first 13 sts, 2 hdc in next st, (hdc in next 13 sts, 2 hdc in next st) 7 times. (120 hdc)
Row 14 (WS): Chain 2, turn, hdc in each stitch across. (120 hdc)
Row 15 (RS): Chain 2, turn, hdc in first 14 sts, 2 hdc in next st, (hdc in next 14 sts, 2 hdc in next st) 7 times. (128 hdc)
Row 16 (WS): Chain 2, turn, hdc in each stitch across. (128 hdc)
Row 17 (RS): Chain 2, turn, hdc in first 15 sts, 2 hdc in next st, (hdc in next 15 sts, 2 hdc in next st) 7 times. (136 hdc)
Row 18 (WS): Chain 2, turn, hdc in each stitch across. (136 hdc)
Row 19 (RS): Chain 2, turn, hdc in first 16 sts, 2 hdc in next st, (hdc in next 16 sts, 2 hdc in next st) 7 times. (144 hdc)
Row 20 (WS): Chain 2, turn, hdc in each stitch across. (144 hdc)
Row 21 (RS): Chain 2, turn, hdc in first 17 sts, 2 hdc in next st, (hdc in next 17 sts, 2 hdc in next st) 7 times. (152 hdc)
Row 22 (WS): Chain 2, turn, hdc in each stitch across. (152 hdc)
Row 23 (RS): Chain 2, turn, hdc in first 18 sts, 2 hdc in next st, (hdc in next 18 sts, 2 hdc in next st) 7 times. (160 hdc)
Row 24 (WS): Chain 2, turn, hdc in each stitch across. (160 hdc)
Set the skirt aside for now — you will add the hem edging after assembly.
Hem Edging
Row 1: Chain 1, turn, sc in each stitch across. (160 sc)
Row 2: Chain 1, turn, sc in first st, (skip 1 st, 5 dc in next st, skip 1 st, sc in next st) repeat across. (40 scallops) Fasten off and weave in ends.
The Bodice Butterfly
Body column: Chain 7.
Row 1: Sc in 2nd chain from hook and in each chain across. (6 sc)
Rows 2-16: Chain 1, turn, sc in each stitch across. (6 sc) This makes a narrow rectangle about 5.5 inches / 14 cm tall. Fasten off.
Upper wings (make 2): Chain 22.
Row 1 (RS): Dc in 4th chain from hook, dc in next 2 chains, (skip 2 chains, 5 dc in next chain, skip 2 chains, dc in next 3 chains) twice. (19 dc)
Row 2 (WS): Chain 3 (counts as dc), turn, dc in each stitch across. (19 dc)
Row 3 (RS): Chain 3 (counts as dc), turn, dc in next 2 sts, (skip 2 sts, 5 dc in next st, skip 2 sts, dc in next 3 sts) twice. (19 dc) Repeat Rows 2-3 until you have 12 rows total, ending with a WS row. Fasten off.
Lower wings (make 2): Work exactly as the upper wings, but stop after Row 8. Fasten off.
Butterfly Appliques (make 5)
With the F-5 hook: make a magic ring. (Chain 3, 3 dc, chain 3, slip stitch into the ring) 4 times. Pull the ring tight, fasten off, leaving a tail for sewing.
Assembly
Block every piece before sewing — the lace wings open up dramatically with a good wet block. Sew the upper wings to the top half of the body column and the lower wings to the bottom half, left and right, so the upper wing tips extend above the column to form the shoulder straps. Center the butterfly on the front of the skirt at the waist and seam the sides and waist. Sew the pearl buttons down the center back with small chain-loop buttonholes, stitch the pearl beads down the butterfly body, and pin the five appliques along the hem before sewing them in place.
Sophie’s Tips
- Work the skirt increase rows with stitch markers at each increase point for the first few repeats — once you see the rhythm, your hands take over.
- Do not skip blocking the wings. Flat they look like lace rectangles; blocked they look like actual butterfly wings. Night and day.
- If lavender is not your color, this dress is stunning in soft peach or classic white — just keep the yarn smooth so the shell details stay crisp.
Go make an heirloom, friend — this is the dress she will be photographed in for years.
