Making a dress for my birthday (Sleeveless, bow ties, gathered bust, tiered dress) | Sewing tutorial
Making a dress for my birthday (Sleeveless, bow ties, gathered bust, tiered dress) | 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 a dress for my birthday. As it's my birthday dress, I want it to be girly with a little princess vibe. So I won't feel getting older.
Let’s get started!
WHAT YOU’LL NEED
3.5m of floral printing silk fabric
3m of cotton silk fabric for the lining
Pattern paper
Sewing machine
Pins
Scissors
Ruler
Long stick
Zipper
Buttons
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 0:38 to 6:57.
Remember, you can adjust these measurements to fit your own dimensions!
THE FRONT BODICE PATTERN
To make the front bodice pattern, draw a straight line cutting the edge horizontal line first.
From the first straight line, draw another one at 20 cm next to it—this is a quarter of the bust size and will be the bust line of the front bodice.
From the first straight line, keep drawing another line at 35 cm next to it—this is the length from the shoulder to under the breast and will be the ending line of the front bodice.
From the cutting point between the first straight line and the edge horizontal line, mark up 16 cm, which is half of the inside shoulder size.
Then, draw a perpendicular line from it. The width of this line will be 2.7 cm, which is 1/10 of the inside shoulder size minus 0.5 cm.
From the mark on the straight line, mark down 5 cm, which is the width of the shoulder strap of the bodice. Then, connect this mark to the end of the perpendicular line to create a shoulder line for the front bodice.
From the cutting point between the first straight line and the edge horizontal line, mark at 22 cm on the edge horizontal line—this is the depth of the front neck.
Then, connect that mark to the top of the shoulder line to create the neckline for the front bodice.
From the cutting point between the second straight line and the edge horizontal line, mark up 22 cm, which is a quarter of the bust size plus 1 cm.
Continue the perpendicular line at the shoulder to cut the bust line at one point.
From that cutting point, mark to the inside 2.5 cm before connecting it to the end of the shoulder line.
Mark in the middle of the new slanted line.
Then, draw a curved line going through the mark on the bust line to this mark and finishing at the end of the shoulder line to create the sleeve line for the front bodice.
From the cutting point between the third straight line and the edge horizontal line, mark up 21 cm, which is 1 cm shorter than the mark on the bust line.
Then, connect this mark to the end of the sleeve line to create a sideline for the front bodice.
Adding 1 cm for seam allowance. Cut this pattern in folded fabric at the edge horizontal line.
THE BACK BODICE PATTERN
Moving to the back bodice pattern, use the same method to create the shoulder line and the neckline.
From the end of the bust line, mark up 20 cm, which is a quarter of the bust size minus 1 cm.
Continue the perpendicular line from the shoulder to cut the bust line at one point.
From this cutting point, mark to the inside 1.5 cm before connecting it to the end of the shoulder line.
Mark in the middle of the new slanted line.
Then, draw a curved line going through the mark on the bust line to this mark and finishing at the end of the shoulder line to create the sleeve line for the back bodice.
From the end of the ending line, mark up 19 cm, which is 1 cm shorter than the mark on the bust line.
Then, connect that mark to the end of the sleeve line to create the sideline of the back bodice.
From this mark, mark down on the ending line 18 cm, which is a quarter of the under-bust size.
Then, connect that mark to the end of the neckline to create the middle line and the back bodice.
Adding 1 cm for seam allowance, except 2 cm for the middle line. Cut two pieces of this pattern in the opposite way.
THE SKIRT PATTERN
THE MAIN FABRIC
For the skirt part, create three tiers for the outside skirt pattern, which extends from above the belly button to the ankle.
THE LINING FABRIC
For the lining skirt pattern, make it in a half-circle shape, 2 cm shorter than the outside part.
SEWING THE DRESS
THE BODICE PART
Starting with the bodice part first.
After cutting the front and back bodice, connect them together at the shoulder line, doing the same for the main fabric and the lining fabric.
After sewing, connect them together at the neckline and the sleeve line.
Before turning inside out, make a few small cuts at the curved part and cut at the V-neck.
Don't forget to use an iron after that to keep them in place.
Then, connect the sideline together in sewing.
At the end of the front bodice part, make a loose seam first, then create the gathering fabric there later.
Make sure the gathering fabric is at the breast area, and the final width of the front bodice is a quarter of the under-bust size.
Check the final width at the end of the bodice part from the back to the front to ensure it matches the under-bust size plus 4 cm for seam allowance.
Cut two rectangles with the same width and 8 cm in length, which is the length of the waistband plus 2 cm for seam allowance.
Connect one width line of the rectangle to the end of the bodice first.
After turning it inside out, use an iron to make the seam look neater.
THE SKIRT PART
At the first tier, make a loose seam at one width line first, then create gathering fabric there later.
The final width of the gathering fabric should match the width at the end of the bodice part to connect them together later.
At the second tier, make a loose seam first, then create gathering fabric there later.
The final width of the gathering fabric should match the width of the first tier to connect them together later.
At the third tier, make a loose seam first, then create gathering fabric there later.
The final width of the gathering fabric should match the width of the second tier to connect them together later.
After all tiers are gathered, connect them together.
This completes the lining of the skirt pattern after cutting.
CONNECT THE BODICE AND THE SKIRT
Now, connect the bodice and the skirt together.
Make sure to connect them separately between the main fabric and the lining fabric.
At the middle of the back, use a 30 cm invisible zipper to connect them together.
Attach the zipper to the main fabric first, then connect it to the lining fabric later.
After sewing, turn the lining inside out to hide the seam, making the dress look clean inside.
After that, finish the rest of the back dress under the zipper.
Remember to finish them separately between the main fabric and the lining fabric.
Cut two long rectangles with a 16 cm width and around 80 cm in length to create a tie at the shoulder to make the dress look cuter.
Finally, tie the strap on the shoulder.
Making a dress for my birthday (Sleeveless, bow ties, gathered bust, tiered dress) | Sewing tutorial
And that’s a wrap for this DIY!
This is such a cute and girly dress. The floral print and silk fabric make this dress feel so dreamy and feminine—just what I wanted.
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!
