Monday, March 12, 2012

"Here Comes the Sun" Dress

A couple of weeks ago I found a pin on pinterest that caught my eye. It was for a maxi dress tutorial and used a tank top and knit fabric to create a cute and comfortable dress. One night in bed I had this picture of a yellow and white dress pop into my head with a ruffle on the bottom...does anyone else dream up their projects as they try to fall asleep? That seems to be my most creative time! And here is how it turned out...




Want to make one? I highly recommend it. It comes together quickly, it is inexpensive, and the one day I have worn it so far I was flooded with compliments...can't beat that!

What you will need:
A tank top
Knit Fabric that is wide enough to wrap around your body one and a half times and long enough to create a maxi dress and enough left over for a ruffle and sash.
Elastic Thread (a must for this project)
Scissors
Sewing Machine

For my knit fabric I used a bedsheet that I bought at a thrift store a couple weeks ago. It was $6 for the sheet and was a wonderfully soft jersey knit and happened to be in this lovely mustard color. I first trimmed off the elastic casing and rounded corners. Then using a straight edge and rotary cutter I created a rectangle from the fabric wide enough to wrap around my body one and a half times and plenty long enough. I used an old tank top that was too short to be worn anymore.


I created the main dress using the tutorial referenced above. Her use of elastic thread is brilliant and helps create ease when taking the dress on and off. Once the dress was completed I decided to add the ruffle from my dreams (ha ha). I cut three 2 inch wide strips that were each the width of the dress.

Sew the three strips right sides together on the short ends to create one long strip of fabric. Next sew a long stitch (my longest stitch length is 4) all the way down the center of the strip. There is no need to finish the edges as it is knit and won't fray. Next, pull the thread using the bobbin thread tail and watch your fabric ruffle easily.

I then hung my dress on my dressform and began pinning the ruffle onto the bottom hem of my dress.


 I then stitched the ruffle on to the dress and called it good! On a side note, a real seamstress would probably attach all three pieces of the ruffle together to create a circle prior to attaching it to the dress. But since I only pretend to be a real seamstress I was lazy and skipped this step. Instead, when the two ends met as I stitched the ruffle to the dress, I tucked each end of the ruffle under by about a half inch, overlapped the pieces and sewed. It still hides the seam and gets lost in all the ruffles.

The day this dress was finished was beautiful all around. My hubby watched these two cuties while I went to a BLOG meet up hosted by Ashley from this great blog Make It and Love It
Not sure if my toddler or husband picked this outfit...
but she is rocking it anyway



And my hubby bottled his latest homebrew batch -Apricot Blonde- yum! Can't wait to sip one of those while wearing my new dress and soaking up the sun.
Shannon

119 comments:

  1. I like this too! Very very cute. The color is fantastic.

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  2. I've only seen these as maternity dress, but seeing yours makes me want to make one myself! Love the color choices :)

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    1. Thank you for stopping by...I never thought of it as a maternity style but you're right- it would make a great maternity dress...maybe next time...if there is a next time (thanks for the idea) :)
      Shannon

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  3. Love this color combo! The dress looks great on you.

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    1. Thank you for stopping by- love the yellow/white dress you just posted about as well. It is beautiful! Shannon

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  4. I am SEW glad I found you - I was at the blogger meet-up too and kept meaning to talk to the "yellow dress girl" but never got the chance and then at the very end I looked for you agian and poof you had vanished! Kristen from Kojo and I were both sad we missed you - then I saw the yellow dress comment on her blog post and had a feeling it was you!

    I am your newest blog follower and I think we have alot in common...please follow back at LoveItSewMuch.blogspot.com
    Facebook Page: Love It Sew Much ~ Studio Julie Snow.

    I look forward to getting to you through your blog!

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    1. Thanks Julie, sorry we didn't get a chance to meet. I began following your blog too, looking forward to seeing more great ideas. Hope we get a chance to meet at another future meet up event

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  5. love this dress. thanks for explaining it to me and some friends at the meet up.

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    1. Thank you- would love to see a pic if you decide to make one- good luck :) Shannon

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    2. Yes! I'm one of those friends who was eyeing that dress all afternoon! :-) Now I can make one for myself! Thank you!

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  6. I love maxi dresses and now I'm stoked to make my own!
    Biz
    www.busybizblogs.blogspot.com

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    Replies
    1. I am addicted to maxi dresses now..there will be a new post coming soon for a tutorial on another maxi I just created...hope you check it out! Thanks for your comment

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  7. So glad kristen answered my "quest" for the yellow dress tutorial on Make It and Love it. I knew your blog address started with 2nd... but couldn't remember the rest (lame of me). It's a very pretty dress. It was nice meeting you at the meet-up!

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    1. Thank you Laurie- nice to meet you too. Hope you enjoy yours if you make one! Shannon

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  8. Yay! I am so glad, like others above me, that I found your blog~ truly, the greatest dress ever :) Thanks for the tutorial-- I would have never thought of a bedsheet, but it makes perfect sense to get it to the right (perfectly long!) length!

    Thanks again and it was great to have met you last weekend at the Meet Up :)

    ~Stephanie
    www.lilybeanstore.com

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    1. Thanks Stephanie- it was nice to meet you too. Thanks for the info on the wipes case- it is on my to do list :) Your shop is adorable by the way!
      Shannon

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  9. So pretty- I love the color and I love the way you styled it. I would love if you would link to my new linky party- Scout's Sweet Sundays- http://xstitchandcrafts.blogspot.com/2012/03/scouts-sweet-sundays-features-and-linky.html

    Have a great day!

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  10. Gorgeous! Thanks for linking to Sew Crafty Saturday! You are this weeks featured blog! Stop by and check it out! And you can grab a featured button here if you like!

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  11. you know....if you type in "DIY Maxi", your last picture comes up!!!!!!! You are FAMOUS!!!! :D

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  12. This is so cute! Love how you have the denim jacket with it!

    Helen
    Blue Eyed Beauty Blog

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  17. Can't wait to try this and I'll make sure to send pic. But what exactly did you do for the waistband???

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    1. Hi there- the tutorial that is linked has directions on making the sash which is tied on over the waistband area- hope that helps :) I would love to see a pic if you try it! Shannon

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  18. I am so excited to try this!! I just have one question when using knit would you make the stretch of the fabric go across your legs or up and down? Thanks!

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    1. You want the stretch to go across your legs/hips. I hope that helps :) Would love to see a pic if you decide to try it!

      Shannon

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  19. Oh my I found it and going to make one. Im 4"10 and everything is way to long or too short. I hope it turns out. We will see. Thank you.

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  20. HURRAY for you! I too have a beautiful sheet I've been wanting to use, and this is just perfect!

    One question, though: does the top have to be ribbed, or will a fairly thick stretchy t-shirt do?

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