I know that it still may be winter here but I do start preparing for summer early. One of our fave things to do in summer is take a Sunday drive to the coast to go swimming, shopping & eat way to much! When doing all of those things, you need an outfit that is comfortable & easy. A t-shirt dress is great as a beach cover up, slip on a belt, bangles & cute sandals & you have a super cute shopping outfit, & of course it is loose & comfy for all that yummy food! It can even go to night time by adding a sexy pair of heels, some beaded necklaces & a handbag. Once you have made one of these dresses, you will want one for every day of summer!! You can also wear them in winter. Put a pair of leggings under, a cardigan & a belt & you have a super cute & comfy winter outfit! This tutorial was going to be a step by step for beginners but due to the fact that my camera broke halfway through, it is suitable for someone with a little bit of experience because the middle steps were lost due to the memory card breaking off inside the camera! If you can sew & attach ribbing then you will have no troubles!!
Now, because it is the middle of winter & my legs have not seen the sun for a few months, I am glad I have my torso mannequin to be the model!
Now, to make this pattern all you need to do is trace around your biggest t shirt or raid your mans cupboard & trace one of his. You can trace straight onto your fabric or onto some calico. I prefer the calico option so that you have the exact pattern to make more, which I know you will want to!! Lengthen the top onto the pattern to make it into a dress. I made this t shirt dress out of a nice stretch knit so that it does not require ironing, travels well & can worn from day to night & still look fresh. I chose a navy & white stripe material for that nautical look. I can team it with red, white, blue, silver or gold accessories. I brought 2m of this material & I have enough left to make a top.
OK, so before I go any further, I apologise for my "paint shop" drawings!! I can draw anything with an old fashioned pencil & paper, but with a mouse....not so good!! Back to the sewing! Follow the dotted lines as in the picture above. Make sure to leave your neck opening larger than your old t shirt neck so that you can wear it slightly off the shoulder for a different look.
Cut a neck binding by cutting a 2 inch wide strip of material from the leftover material. Fold it in half length ways & sew it on to the neck opening.
Hem the arm openings & the bottom of the dress.
You then have the basic t shirt dress. Now, left by itself it is a great beach cover up.
Team it with a belt & some beaded necklaces......you have an out fit!!
To give it a bit of an edge, wear it slightly off the shoulder......
Once you have made one of these easy to make dresses, you will want one in every colour!!!
