I've had a lot of questions about my shirtdresses, so I just decided to answer them here, that way everyone can see my response.
Shandi asked:
"Do you have a tutorial on how to make these adorable dresses! I have some shirts that aren't so flattering on the bottom and I would love to make into one of these!"
Yes, I have created a tutorial for all of my shirt dresses. The most comprehensive tutorial (and the one that I use when teaching a class) is found
here. This is the tutorial you should follow when creating a shirt dress with a knit skirt.
There are a few changes you need to make when making a shirt dress out of a linen, cotton or any fabric that doesn't have any stretch.
- When cutting out your waistband, measure around the circumference of your shoulders instead of using the width of where the waistband will hit on your shirt. Since this fabric doesn't stretch, you need to make sure that you cut it wide enough to get over your head and chest. If you have a larger bust, use this as your circumference. Pin the sides of the waistband and test it first before sewing to make sure you can get it over your head and around your waist comfortable.
- You will also need to cut out long ties to attach to your waistband. Since the waistband of the skirt will most likely be larger than your waist, the ties will allow you to pull it in at the waist. The bow at the back makes a cute little detail as well. To do this, cut 4 long strips of fabric the same width as your waistband (3") and pretty long in length, depending on how long you want your ties to be. I would start with somewhere around 30" long and trim if necessary. Create your ties by sewing up the long sides right sides together at 1/2" sa and flip right-side out.
- Now sandwich each tie on either side of your waistband so that the ends of the ties and pointing toward the middle. This way when you stitch up the sides of the waistband, and flip it right-side out, your ties will be attached correctly.
- When you sew your waistband to your shirt, you will probably have to stretch out your shirt a bit in order for the sides to match up. Don't stress too much about this since the ties will pull it in and you won't be able to tell that the shirt is stretched at the bottom.
I hope this helps! Happy sewing!
Labels: dress, sewing, tutorial
