EASY T-SHIRT DRESS

So for my first project of the year, I wanted to start off with something pretty simple, but still very wearable and useful. And the result was this T-shirt dress. I LOVE IT. It's flattering but not too tight, long enough, casual but can-be dressed up, comfy, and easy! I love the knit fabric and the ease
of pairing it with a jacket and some booties, or by itself with some cute sandals in the summer. 

So, I definitely got the DIY gene from my mom, and I am thankful for that. My mom always says that she has no creativity whatsoever and she often calls herself a "copier." But I definitely disagree with her-- she's TOTALLY creative. I think that being able to see what other people have done and do it yourself with your own personal flair is definitely c r e a t i v e. 

Anyway, I love gathering ideas and tips from other people and then putting my own spin to it.

A while ago, I saw a few t-shirt dresses on Pinterest that other fashion-bloggers and DIY extraordinaires had made and I was like WAIT, I CAN MAKE THESE? Duh! That was a magical moment. So, for this particular sewing project, I got inspiration from these spectacular people:

Merrick's Art: The Tee Dress

Cotton & Curls: Oversized Tee Dress

I decided to try to make my own. This was my first attempt, so it's definitely not perfect. But, I'm proud of how mine turned out, and I will definitely be making many more t-shirt dresses in the near future. It's time to go fabric shopping. :)

I made this dress in one night (probably about 4 hours). How awesome is that! I love fast, easy projects like this one that I can bust out in less than a day.

Materials: 

1 1/2 yards (depending on size) of knit fabric 

Parchment or pattern paper

T-shirt dress to pattern after (or t-shirt and pencil skirt)

Time: 

4-6 hours

Directions: 

Step 1. Fold your T-shirt dress pattern in half. Place folded edge onto edge of parchment paper.

Step 2. Trace around dress shape twice (on separate pieces of parchment paper) (exclude sleeves and instead, trace inside armhole). First time, use back neckline. Second time, use front neckline. 

Step 3. Cut out parchment paper pattern. Label pattern DRESS FRONT and DRESS BACK mark where the fold is, where bottom is, and add any other notes (like if you need to extend hemline by any amount, etc.).

Step 4. Unfold dress. Lay sleeve on parchment paper with top of arm (fold) on edge of paper. Trace around sleeve. Make two. 

Step 5. Lay fabric out on flat surface. Take both edges of fabric and fold inward toward center.

Step 6. Lay your DRESS FRONT pattern piece on left fold. Make sure you match the side marked "fold" with the fold of the fabric. Pin pattern in place.

Step 7.  Repeat Step 6 with DRESS BACK pattern piece on right fold.

Step 8. Place two sleeve pattern pieces on fabric. Make sure to match folds. Pin in place.

Step 9. Cut out fabric pieces. Unpin patterns. 

Step 10. Take your DRESS FRONT and DRESS BACK and pin with right sides together. Double pin where sewing should stop and start (before and after arm holes, before and after neck hole) to prevent sewing together the places that should be left open. Sew sides and shoulders together.

Step 11. Turn DRESS right-side-out. Fold sleeve in half to find the to point of the shoulder. Match to shoulder seam of the dress. With right sides together, pin the sleeve to the armhole of the dress. The sleeve should be overlapping  with the shoulder/chest area of the dress. It should not look like a sleeve when you pin it in place. Sew sleeve to dress. Repeat with other sleeve.Unfold the sleeve piece. Turn inside out and iron seams flat. 

Step 12. Place a piece of fabric over the FRONT NECKLINE of the dress and trace the curve (sometimes I put the fabric on top of the neckline, sometimes I try to put it inside/under the neckline. Do whatever works for you) Cut along the curve and add about two inches of length under the curve. Do the same for the BACK NECKLINE. This new piece is your NECKLINE LINING.

Step 13. Pin the FRONT NECKLINE LINING to the FRONT NECKLINE, right sides together, matching curves. Do the same with the BACK NECKLINE LINING and BACK NECKLINE. Sew. 

Step 14. Fold the NECKLINE LINING pieces under, to touch the inside of the side. Fold the piece under to hide raw edges. Iron in place. Sew close to the edge of the neckline. Sew again close to the edge of the inside, hidden fold of the neckline lining pieces. 

Step 15. Hem the sleeves. 

Step 16. Hem the bottom. 

And Voila! There you have it. Pretty simple, right? Just finish by snipping your threads, ironing where needed, and then trying it on! Such a fun, easy dress. Like I said, I will be making many more of these in the near future.