How To - Thrift to New: Casual Dress Tutorial

Thought I would share this dress tutorial with everyone. Hope you have fun making this Spring/Summer Dress like I did. I actually made it to wear in Miami. Just thought I would record and write down everything incase anyone was interested. Have a question? Comment and Ill get back to you as soon as possible

~Material~

- Fabric 98 inches x 39 inches (Skirt I got from Goodwill a month ago)
- (2) ½ inch wide elastic for top and waist
-Basic sewing supplies

~Instructions~

1) Cut a piece of fabric that will cover your chest by 15 inches. Example: 47 inches x 15 inches. (Keep it at 15 inches)

2) Mark ¼ inch from the top; 4 inches from the top; and 3 ¾ inches from the top.

3) Iron at the ¼ inch mark, making sure to iron so that wrong sides of the fabrics are touching.

4) Iron at the 4 inch mark, making sure to iron so that the right sides of the fabrics are touching.

5) Pin the fold you just ironed and stitch along the 3 ¾ inch mark. This will form the case for the top elastic.

6) Fold and iron so the top meets the 4 inch mark. (At this point, you can add straps of your choice. I will be adding two straps in the center front to achieve a simple halter straps.) Pin and top stitch.

7) Insert the elastic into the top case and stitch each ends to hold elastic in place.

8) Mark 1 inch away from the bottom of the bodice piece; mark 3 inch away from the bottom. Fold and iron so that the lines meet.

9) Pin and topstitch. Turn to the right side and topstitch the flap close. This will be the bottom case.

10) Insert the elastic into the bottom case and stitch each ends to hold elastic in place.

11) Fold bodice with wrong sides facing each other and top stitch along opening. Turn inside out with right sides facing each other and stitch along opening. (This will enclose the raw edges.)

12) For the skirt, you can make it however you want. Just make sure the measurement of the bottom bodice matches the top of the skirt. (I cut out two rectangles and took off a triangle from each side. Stitched up both sides.)

13Attach your skirt to your bodice using a 5/8 inch seam. (You can also attach it the same way you closed up the bodice to get a clean finish (Step 11). I didnt because I might make the skirt part slimmer.) Pull on the bodice piece so that both fabric is even and not gathered when attaching.

14) Hem the bottom and your done!

I'll post actual pictures of the dress once I actually wear it and come back from Miami!

Category:

Howto & Style

Tags:

• Spring
• Summer
• Casual
• Dress
• Tutorial
• DIY
• Howto
• Style
• HANNAHFINDS