DIY Summer Baby Shower dress (adjustable shoulder strap and fake shirring) | Sewing tutorial
DIY Summer Baby Shower dress (adjustable shoulder strap and fake shirring) | Sewing tutorial
Welcome or welcome back to my channel. My name is Jess and I love doing DIY, making clothes in a "simply but pretty" way.
In today's tutorial, I'm going to share with you how I made Summer Baby shower dress. This dress come with adjustable shoulder strap, v-neck at the front and fake shirring at the back to make the dress tight but still comfortable. The A line skirt brings the flattering vibe for the whole dress, comes with the side pocket for more function. That's why it'll be a perfect option for your summer wardrobe.
So I hope you like it and try it out. Let’s get started!
WHAT YOU’LL NEED
2.5m of linen fabric
Pattern paper
Sewing machine
Pins
Scissors
Ruler
Long stick
Elastic band
MAKING THE PATTERNS
Here’s the pattern for the project. To get a clear understanding of all the measurements needed for the pattern, watch the video from 0:29 to 4:26.
Remember, you can adjust these measurements to fit your own dimensions!
THE FRONT BODICE PATTERN
Draw a rectangle with 18 cm length, which is the length from above the breast to under the breast, and 23 cm width, which is a quarter of the bust size.
From one top length line, mark at 12 cm on the width line next to it. It is the half width between two breasts. It is also the position for the shoulder strap later.
Also, mark down 8 cm on the length line, which is the depth of the front neck of the dress that is wanted.
Then, connect two marks together.
From the top of the other length line, mark down 8 cm, which is the depth from above the breast to the middle of the breast.
Then, connect this mark to the one on the width line next to it to create the underarm line.
From the end of the first length line, mark at 12 cm on the width line next to it. It's the same position as the mark made on the other width line.
Then, draw a straight line from that mark. The length of this straight line will be 8 cm, which is half of the rectangle minus 1 cm.
From the first mark, make two more marks at 1.5 cm on two sides of it.
Then, connect this mark to the top of the straight line to create the dart there.
Add 1 cm for seam allowance after that, except for the first length line. The front bodice pattern will be ready after cutting.
You will need to cut this pattern in folded fabric at this length line.
THE BACK BODICE PATTERN
Draw a rectangle with 10 cm length, which is the length of the side of the front bodice, and 23 cm width, which is a quarter of the bust size.
From the top of one length line, mark at 10 cm on the width line next to it. It's the position of the shoulder strap at the back bodice.
Then, draw a straight line from that mark.
From the end of the length line, mark 3 cm on the width line next to it. It's the width of the dart at the front bodice that was made before.
Then, connect that mark to the top of the length line to create a side line of the back bodice.
Add 1 cm for seam allowance after that. Two pieces of the back bodice pattern will be ready after cutting.
To create a fake shirring part at the back bodice, increase the width of the middle back bodice pattern to two times. And here is the final pattern of the back bodice.
THE SKIRT PATTERN
Draw a straight line cutting the edge horizontal line first.
From the first straight line, draw another one at 40 cm away from it. It's the width between under the breast to the middle of the hip. It is the hip line of the skirt pattern.
After that, keep drawing another straight line at 110 cm from the first straight line. It is the length of the skirt from under the breast to over the ankle.
From the end of the first straight line, mark up 30 cm, which is 1.5 times the width at the end of the front bodice.
From the end of the hip line, mark up 46 cm, which is a half width of your hip size.
Then, connect two marks together. This line will cut the ending line at one point to create a side line of the skirt pattern.
Measure the length of this side line to be the same with the horizontal line.
Then, draw a curved line to connect the end of this side line to the end of the horizontal line to finish the ending line of the skirt pattern.
Add 1 cm for seam allowance after that, except at the end horizontal line.
THE SIDE POCKET PATTERN
Draw a rectangle with 20 cm width, which is the width of the pocket, and 30 cm length, which is the length of the pocket that is wanted.
Mark in the middle of one length line first.
Then, connect that mark to the top of the other length line by a curved line.
SEWING THE DRESS
After cutting the front bodice pattern, finish the dart there first.
Then, connect it to two side parts of the back bodice at the side line and make the same piece for the lining part.
To make the shoulder strap, cut a long rectangle with 4 cm width, which is 4 times the width of the shoulder strap that is wanted, and around 70 cm length.
Fold two length lines of the rectangle together and sew to create a fabric hole.
Then, use a small hair clip to turn it right side out. Don't forget to use the iron to make the seam stay nicely.
Four pieces of the shoulder strap will be ready for the front and the back bodice.
Add one end of the long shoulder strap to the top of the front bodice.
At the back bodice, fold two ends of the short shoulder strap together after adding the circle ring there.
Then, add it to the position at the back bodice.
And sew to connect them together.
To create a fake shirring at the back bodice, cut the middle back bodice pattern in folded fabric at the top width line.
Then, fold them together. This will be the middle back bodice pattern.
From the folding fabric, draw a horizontal line at over 0.5 cm under it. It will be the width of the fabric hole for the elastic band to go through later. Then, keep creating this fabric hole like that.
The width between two fabric holes will be 1.5 cm.
Then, sew by the drawing lines.
After sewing, use a 0.5 cm elastic band with 26 cm length, which is the width of the first middle bodice part, to go through the fabric hole.
Then, sew two ends of the elastic band to two ends of the fabric holes to keep them from moving.
And here's the final fake shirring at the back bodice.
Connect it to two side parts of the back bodice at the middle and sew.
After that, finish the shoulder strap by adding the adjustable ring to the end of the long shoulder strap before connecting it to the first shoulder strap.
Then, sew.
After that, sew the ending line of two pieces of the front bodice together.
Moving to the skirt part, add the side pocket to the position at 12 cm under the top of the skirt piece and sew.
After that, connect two pieces of the skirt part together at the side lines.
To finish the side pocket, mark down at 14 cm from the top of the side pocket, which is the width of the open part of the side pocket where you can put your hand in.
Then, sew the rest together to create a depth for the side pocket.
Finish the end of the skirt by folding the end fabric inside two times with 1 cm each time and sew.
At the top of the skirt part, make two loose seams first.
Then, create the gathering fabric there later.
The final width of the gathering fabric will be the same as the width at the end of the bodice.
And make sure you don't create a gathering fabric at the fake shirring part.
And here is the final of the skirt part.
The last step is connecting the skirt and the bodice together.
DIY Summer Baby Shower dress (adjustable shoulder strap and fake shirring) | Sewing tutorial
And I finished this DIY. Here’s my final result!
This dress turned out so pretty yet still super comfy with the fake shirring detail. The A-line skirt gives it a lovely shape and plenty of room for the belly.
I hope you found my step-by-step guide helpful and inspiring.
If you’re interested in making your own, give it a try and let me know how it goes!
Until then, happy sewing!
