I knew exactly what kind of dress I wanted to wear to Thanksgiving...the only problem was, I didn't want to pay for it. Ha! (Love making things easier for myself.) So I decided to make it, and here's how I did it.
I used:
- 2 yards of sweatshirt fabric
- 1 yard of faux leather
- A dress I already own that fits me well
- A sewing machine (this one, in case you're curious)
- Pins
- Fabric scissors
Fold the sweatshirt fabric in half longwise. Fold your dress the same way, and pin it to the fabric -- neckhole, armholes (not the sleeves!), side, and bottom.
Next, cut two collar pieces -- one that matches each shape of your collar for your front and back piece. (See here for more details.)
Set these pieces aside. Fold your faux leather in half lengthwise, and pin the sleeve of your dress to the fold.
Cut out two of these!
Pin your two dress pieces together at the shoulder, right sides facing in.
Sew in place, and then open the dress, right sides down, on a flat surface -- like the picture below.
Turn a sleeve piece right side down, and pin the shoulder to the shoulder seam of the dress. Do this for each sleeve.
Sew in place.
Hem the ends of your sleeves.
Next, turn the dress inside out (so that the right side is facing in). Pin all along the sides, the underarms, and the sleeves. Sew together.
Turn the dress right side out. Pin the collar pieces along the collar of the dress, wrong side of the collar pieces facing out. Do the same with the front collar pieces and sew to attach.
Once they're attached, fold the collar pieces in, pin, and sew.
Hem the bottom of the dress, and you're done!
To make the pockets, trace and cut a 4.5" x 5" piece of paper. Use this as a guide to cut out two rectangles of faux leather.
I used a pretty generous seam allowance.
Fold down one of the ends that's 4.5" long, and hem. This will be the top of each pocket.
Pin the pockets in place on the dress (it might be helpful to try on the dress to figure out exactly where you want your pockets), folding the other three sides of each rectangle under for a finished look. Sew in place.
Ta-da! I wore it with leggings and heeled boots. And a double-borrowed necklace (meaning my sister borrowed it from her friend, and then I borrowed it from my sister. I think it's from J.Crew).
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