I was given this fun dress/tunic by a friend that has a lot more style than me. She is also smaller than me, so I couldn’t wear it. BUT it made for a fun sewing project!
Em poses for the before pic!
Get inspiration and size.
I haven’t used a pattern in a while. What I like to do is take a current item and use that as a measuring tool for how I am going to cut.
I cut off the sleeves and down the sides of the dress so that I can take it in. I also cut a little higher than the waist because I wanted to add elastic.
The dress had a liner which made for a lot more fabric than I was anticipating. I could have done A LOT of different things with this dress. In the end I decided to keep the liner as a liner. I folded down the hem of the top portion to make an elastic casing. Then threaded the cut elastic through. Next, I sewed the skirt portion to the seam allowance. This took some time and wasn’t super easy. I don’t aim for perfection with these projects. They are for fun and not for sale. HAVE FUN!
I pinned the skirt and liner to the seam allowance of the top with the elastic. It took time. As you can see, I am using lamp light and not natural light in this pic because it was late.
Unfinished dress with elastic sewn into the waist.
Next I measured and drew where to cut for the length of the dress. I decided to do a little curved shape…because I can!
Cut off the length.
I was feeling ambitious so I added pockets. Pockets can be tricky because the way they need to face when sewing isn’t intuitive. Usually its right sides together, but if they have a design that you want to see while inside the dress then its opposite. It took me a few tries. I have done pockets with a pattern before many years ago. This was very experimental at this point.
Cut 4 accent pocket shapes.
Pockets sewn to sides.
I sewed up the sides as well and hemmed up the sleeves like a tank top.
I Cut more length off
After Em tried it on, it still looked too long so I cut more length off.
Little embellishments.
To add a little more flare I added a fake bow with beads with the same accent fabric.
All done, super fun!
I recommend using thrift or clothing you aren’t using to experiment on frequently. Its fun and no pressure to get it perfect. And you don’t have to worry about “wasting” precious fabric! Try a few easy patterns so that you understand how clothing is constructed and then go make something! Its super satisfying.
I got this feather fabric from Joann Fabrics. I made all my girls leggings with it and some super easy skirts as well.
I recently started designing my own fabric as well. Check them out on my Instagram
or my Spoonflower shop.
