Weekend Project- DIY Striped Dress- TUTORIAL (EASY)

Hey guys here is a tutorial for one of my favourite dresses. It is a very easy dress to make and could be made with any Jersey knit fabric, get creative and try fun colour combinations. You can wear it with leggings and a cardigan in colder climates. Good Luck!

Here is what you'll need

Step 1 - Gather Materials

One meter or more depending on your dress size of a stripped jersey fabric
Half a meter of a co-ordinating jersey fabric(Optional)
Scissors
Coordinating thread
Sewing Machine
Tape measure
Tailors chalk

Step 2 - Take and transfer measurements

Cut out 2 rectangles or squares with these dimensions

if your hips are wider than your shoulder, use your hip measurement divided by 2.

Next fold the fabric in two along the width and measure out these dimensions

(A) Measure from your Shoulder to Bust (widest part of your bust).

(B) Measure from shoulder to waist.

(C) Measure from Shoulder to widest part of your hips.

Divide your bust by 4 and measure across (A)

Divide your waist by 4 and measure across (B)

Divide your hips by 4 and measure across (C)

Join the marked lines like so....

Then cut the fabric adding a 1 inch seam allowance

Result

The neck

*Measure 1 inch down from the top corner of the folded side.

** Measure about 5 inches across on the folded side.

*** Join the 2 lines with a curve

**** It will look like this

Step 3- Sew

I used a serger/overlocker to sew this dress but you don’t need a serger/overlocker to sew Jersey knit fabrics. A normal 2.5 zigzag stitch will do just fine as it will allow the fabric to stretch or stretch stitch if your machine can do stretch stitches. To find out if your machine can do stretch stitches look for the S.S on the stitch length dial.

Sew along the red marked lines

Now try on the dress and check that it fits.

Then mark how low you want your neckline to be, like I have done in the picture below.

At this point you can move on to the last step if you want the dress the way it is otherwise carry on to the next step.

Step 4- The waist band

Most people say horizontal stripes make you look bigger, I believe that with the right tricks it can do the opposite. This next step is about adding the waist band to trick the eyes and make you look slimmer depending on your body type.

Try on the dress again.

If you are apple shaped- Mark a line just below your Bust (thinnest part of your waist) and make the dress shorter to show off your legs

If you are pear shaped- Mark a line just below your natural waist

If you are an hour glass- Mark a line on your natural waist

If you are a rectangle- Mark a line around your belly button.

Now take the dress off and cut across that line

Next measure a strip of fabric from your co ordinating fabric

**The length should be your waist size

**and the width should be 10 inches

Note this- Make sure lenght of the strip is cut so that is stretches horizontally. i.e cut the length along the grain. Do not add any seam allowance as the fabric will stretch horizontally.

Now fold the fabric in 2 along the width so that is doubled and provides support around the waist.

*Turn the dress on the wrong side
place the strip on a table
place the top half on the strip so that the right sides are together.

* Pin in place with a 1 inch seam allowance

* Do the same for the bottom half

* Sew horizontally along the red lines