by An Elegant, Textured Garment for Girls Aged 1–6 Years
Tunisian crochet creates beautifully textured fabric that combines the best of knitting and traditional crochet. Among its many stitches, the Tunisian smock stitch stands out for its rich, quilted texture — making it perfect for garments like a cozy, stylish children’s dress.
In this tutorial, we’ll guide you through how to crochet a children’s Tunisian smock stitch dress, from the yoke to the skirt, with detailed explanations suitable for confident beginners and intermediate crocheters.
✨ What is the Tunisian Smock Stitch?
The Tunisian smock stitch involves working a series of Tunisian simple stitches (TSS) and strategically placed decreases, resulting in a lovely diamond or lattice effect.
It creates a denser fabric — ideal for cooler weather — while adding vintage elegance and stretch.
👶 Sizing & Construction
This pattern covers sizes from 1T (12–18 months) to 6T (5–6 years). The dress is worked top-down in one piece with raglan shaping, starting from a simple yoke and moving into the body, finished with a smock-stitch skirt.
Construction:
- Yoke: Tunisian Simple Stitch (TSS)
- Skirt: Tunisian Smock Stitch
- Optional Sleeves: Short or long in TSS
🧶 Materials You’ll Need
Yarn:
- Light worsted / DK weight yarn (#3 or #4)
Soft acrylic or cotton blends are ideal
Approx. yardage:- 1–2T: 400 yds
- 3–4T: 500 yds
- 5–6T: 600 yds
Tools:
- Tunisian crochet hook with cable (5.0 mm or as needed for gauge)
- Stitch markers
- Yarn needle
- Scissors
- Measuring tape
- Optional: Buttons for back or shoulder closure
📏 Gauge (Important!)
- In TSS: 15 sts x 14 rows = 4” x 4”
- Swatch in Tunisian Smock Stitch as well to understand your tension
🔤 Abbreviations (US Terms)
- TSS – Tunisian Simple Stitch
- TPS – Tunisian Purl Stitch
- TSD – Tunisian Simple Decrease
- YO – Yarn Over
- CH – Chain
- SL ST – Slip Stitch
- Fwd Pass – Forward pass
- Ret Pass – Return pass
✏️ Tunisian Smock Stitch Tutorial (In Skirt Section)
Smock Stitch Row Pattern:
- Pick up loop in vertical bar of next st and the one before it (TSD), repeat across
- Return pass: Yarn over, pull through 1, then yarn over, pull through 2 across.
Alternate rows: Simple Stitch (TSS) across
You alternate TSS and TSD rows to create the lattice effect.
🧵 Instructions: Children’s Tunisian Smock Stitch Dress
🔹 Step 1: Start the Yoke (TSS)
- Foundation Chain
CH 60 (for 2T), adjust by +6 for larger sizes - Foundation Row (Set-Up)
Insert hook into 2nd CH from hook, YO, pull up a loop. Repeat in each chain.
(You now have 60 loops on your hook.) - Return Pass:
YO, pull through 1 (beginning loop), YO, pull through 2, repeat to end. - TSS Rows (Yoke):
Continue working rows in Tunisian Simple Stitch:- Fwd pass: Insert hook under vertical bar, YO, pull up loop
- Ret pass: As above
Work 12 rows or until yoke measures 3–4”, depending on size.
- Raglan Shaping (Optional):
You may add raglan increases (like knitting), marking the 4 corners and increasing with YO in those places every 2 rows.
🔹 Step 2: Divide for Sleeves and Body
At this point, mark stitches to divide the yoke:
- 1T–2T:
- 10 (front) – 10 (sleeve) – 20 (back) – 10 (sleeve) – 10 (front)
Using these divisions:
- Work the front panel, CH underarm (4–6 chains), skip sleeve stitches, work back panel, CH underarm again, work final front panel.
✅ Now you have a circle for the body.
🔹 Step 3: Skirt in Tunisian Smock Stitch
- First row (TSS):
Work TSS across full round of stitches, including underarm chains. - Smock Stitch Pattern:
- Row A: Work Tunisian simple decreases (TSD): Insert hook under 2 vertical bars, pull up loop. Repeat.
- Return pass: Standard
- Row B: TSS across
- Repeat Rows A and B
- Continue pattern until the skirt measures:
- 8–10″ from underarm (short dress)
- or longer if desired for a tunic
🔹 Step 4: (Optional) Sleeves
- Reattach yarn at underarm
- Work in Tunisian Simple Stitch in the round (or flat and seam)
- Make short or long sleeves as desired
- Optional: add a small smock-stitch border
🔹 Step 5: Neckline & Finishing
- Work 1–2 rows of Tunisian Purl Stitch (TPS) or traditional SC around the neckline for a clean finish.
- For back/shoulder opening (especially for babies):
- Leave a 2″ opening at the back of the yoke
- Add button loop and sew button
- Weave in all ends
- Lightly block to open up the smock stitch pattern
🎀 Customization Ideas
- Add a belt or ribbon at the waist
- Use contrasting yarn for sleeves or hem
- Add ruffles at the bottom with shell stitch
- Sew on appliqués or embroidery for a fun touch
🧼 Care Tips
- Use washable yarn for easy cleaning
- Hand wash or machine wash on delicate
- Lay flat to dry to preserve shape
💡 Tips for Success
- Keep your tension loose in Tunisian crochet
- Use a hook with a cable to accommodate large stitch counts
- Use stitch markers to track smock stitch sections
- Swatch before beginning — Tunisian smock stitch is thicker and uses more yarn than expected
🎉 Final Thoughts
Creating a Tunisian crochet smock stitch dress for a child is a rewarding and satisfying project. The unique stitch creates a soft, stretchy, and elegant fabric that makes this dress perfect for cool-weather wear, holiday occasions, or photo shoots.
Don’t be afraid to personalize the colors, add a collar, or play with length to make it truly one-of-a-kind.
Video Tutorial:
