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Flowers galore and an easy dress!

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(What a goofball, trying to figure out the timer on the camera and a storm is blowing in!)






Hello!



I saw a dress that a friend had made in her Facebook pictures. I thought "I could make that!" Being almost 6ft, it is nice to be able to make my own clothes now and again, especially dresses. Most of what i find in the store is either too short in the skirt, making me look like I am wearing a mini, or too short in the torso, and then everthing looks wrong. It takes a LOT of trying things on and rejecting before finding a hit.

She sent me to a site that had a mock up of it and instructions. Loose instructions. Pictures did it for me! Especially since I dont have internet at home and end up surfing during my lunch break. I tried to remember what I could when doing mine last week. It had been a few weeks since I saw it, but no instructions and no patterns to really look at = FUN!









Have I told you I am cheap? Some like to say thrifty, and yes that would be true. I dont like to pay full price for anything and I like to make a dollar go far!





I got this tank top at Old Navy like 5 years ago for $0.75. That is right, seventy-five cents. I got this material from an old sheet that was in with a box of things for $1.








So I cut off a 48 in section long ways and then folded it over. (Normally this would be a yard and a half or more of fabric. Fabric always comes folded over already, so you would jut need a yard and a half. I chose a sheet so I could make it a little longer (aka, skirt goes down to my knees).







I folded it in half again and pinned it so I could make a seam. I then sewed it together.










The next part was a little tricky. I had to change the tension on my needle, to make it very loose and I couldnt back stitch. Normally, my setting is on 1, I changed it to 11. This inables you to move the fabric and bunch it up. After you bunch it, try it on to make sure you didnt bunch it so tight it wont fit you! Always try it on. Stitches are not permanent, and you can always rip them out and start over.





Turn your tension back to normal. Then you cut your tank to the size you want it, and put it together with you skirt. Now, you have to turn both inside out and put the shirt inside, like it the picture. I had to check it several times after I pinned it together to make sure the tag wouldnt be on the wrong side when I turned it the right way. Sew it together.








Then turn it right side out and try it on! (If it isnt right, just pull out the threads. Sewing a piece does not mean it is permanent if there is a mistake. Cutting however...)







You arent quite done yet though, unless that was enough for you. You can embelish the middle with a belt or ribbon of a different fabric, or you can use some leftover fabric (if you have any) to make a belt. Just use a long piece and sew it up the side and ends. Bunch it up, tie it (or pin it) and away you go!








I pinned mine. Next Monday I will show you the pin I made for it. Wore this ensemble to a wedding on Saturday!
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Comments

Hannah said…
Cool! I thought it was a skirt! lol! Maybe it was because I had seen the tank before... not sure. Possible to use some of the left over "sheet" to make a ruffle on the outside of the sleeves? That would make it easily identifiable as one cohesive piece! But it's awesome! Just trying to add some constructive crit. not that I could make it if I wanted to and it DEFINITELY wouldn't look that good on me!
July 4, 2011 at 6:41 AM
Julia Hazel said…
Jeannette!! I love how talented you are with the sewing machine! Came out real purty. And I have the EXACT SAME problem finding dresses that fit me. :( Just this spring I bought a dress I loved but was too short to really be decent and then asked my mom to fix it by cutting some of the lining and adding it to the hem...it came out great a trip to the fashion district, several phone calls, and one express package later and I wore it to a rehearsal dinner and to 5th grade graduation...but it would be nice if I got some better sewing skills myself.
July 4, 2011 at 8:46 AM
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