This is an easy project a beginning designer can take on. I think my dress here turned out a little short but that was what Isabelle wanted. Just like her favorite shop Urban Outfitters which is chock full of little dresses just like this.
Pattern:
Traced from a loose fitting T shirt.
Fabric:
Too late for love comic print I have had in my stash for over ten years. As I pat myself on the back for getting through my fabric stash...
Inspiration:
This Striped Mod Cloth Dress.
Would you like to make a knit tunic too?
Here's how.
Trace around a t-shirt. Extend the armhole as pictured to make a one piece dolman sleeved dress pattern.
Mark on you fabric where your side seam ends. Draw in your neckline. You can make it lower to create a scoop like I did or leave it as is. Mark where your casing will be sewn on at the waist. Also measure how long your hem will be.
Also add your 5/8 inch seam allowances now.
Lift up your hem at the side seam about 1/ 2 inch to eliminate side droop. A good way to do this is to measure from the waist line down to the hem from the CF and then the side. Make sure they are the same length.
Above is the line I drew to sew on my casing for the elastic. I finished my neck , sleeves and hem with a cover stitch machine but you can get the same effect with a twin needle on a basic machine. Just fold over your fabric 5/8 inch, press them, and stitch.
For my waist casing I have this great lycra knit binding which works. You can also use bias tape ironed flat or make your own casing from your dress fabric. Just make it about 1/2 wider than your waist elastic. My elastic is 3/4 inch wide so I made my band. Sew it on with a very small seam allowance, between 1/8 and 1/4 inch.
Elastic for the waist should be about 2 to 3 inches smaller than the waist measurement.
If you are quick this pattern will take about 1/2 hour to make and cut and about an hour to two hours to sew.
Let me know if you make one.
You can post it on my FB page!
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I love the choice of fabric-- it's original and spunky but not so different it stands out in a bad way. I also love the black and red, so easy to match in my wardrobe!
ReplyDeleteReally cute, I see a lot of these in my future this summer :)
ReplyDeleteWhat a great tutorial! I would really love to try this
ReplyDeleteOh, that is a cute dress-and thanks for the tutorial. I am going to follow it and leave off the elastic. I think a belt would be better on me.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutly love your fabric, thanks for the tutorial. This is great.
ReplyDeleteGreat tutorial and love the fabric, just shared this on my facebook page :)
ReplyDeleteOther than a drawstring skirt, I have yet to make myself an article of clothing. This changes my mind! Thank you so much, I love this little dress ~ and even though mine will have to be um, less little, thanks to my mama size, I'm sure it will be fun to make & wear. THANK YOU THANK YOU!
ReplyDeleteLove the fabric!! Can you tell me what type of fabric it is? It looks like maybe a jersey but I'm really not positive. I'm new to sewing and have very little experience. Thanks! :)
ReplyDeleteThat is darling! Mine would have to be longer, but that should be easy to achieve. Thank you for the very clear tutorial!
ReplyDelete