In Fashion Dress Refashion
August 19, 2009 1:03 pmI have been loving these dresses from Anthropologie. They look like skirts and tops, but are one piece. They are super in style right now and I’ve seen them everywhere- solid on top, print on bottom. Love them!
So I thought I’d try my hand at one. Here we go…I took a wife beater(Sorry, i still call them that. Ribbed tank to be PC) Then Emmy
had given me this dress in a pile of giveaway stuff. It was the perfect combination.
Cut your shirt at the desired length.
Here’s my tip. We’re going to belt this and you always want to belt at the narrowest part of your waist. Always.
So, cut it off at your narrowest part and leave a little extra length to add the skirt on to it.
Cut your dress (or get some material you have)at the desired length of your skirt.
Here’s my other tip. When you work with ribbed material like this it often stretch A LOT when you add another piece of material to it. Figure out how wide you want your shirt. Obviously it’s stretch so you might need to stretch it out a little to get your waist width. Then what I did is I took a 1 in wide strip of fusible interfacing. I measure it to the width I want my shirt.
Then I iron it on to the inside of my shirt. This will keep your stretchy shirt from becoming huge when you serge or sew it together. It also just keeps it really clean looking. It’s not 100% necessary, but makes it look really nice.
Next get your skirt and gather it at the top. I know I go over this every time, but just in case… To gather, set your stitch length to the longest straight stitch and set your tension to the loosest(highest number) it will go. Sew and it’ll ruffle right up!
Now get your skirt and your tank and pin them, right sides, together. Sew or serge them together.
Doesn’t it look great already? Just wait tillwe get to the belt. Almost there!
I didn’t take a picture of this, but I added a side zipper. I’m not going to go through those instructions, just follow the instructions on the side of the package. Add one on the side so you can’t see it. It would look funny on the back.
Now for the belt! I had some extra material from the dress. If you want a belt from the same fabric, make sure to keep that in mind when cutting your fabric.
Cut it your desired length and width.
Then get a piece of fabric for the backing in the same dimensions.
Turn them inside out and sew together.
Turn them right side out.
Here’s mine. I added little ties to it to tie in the back. But you could do snaps, buttons, elastic, a belt closure… really anything!!
I also did diagonal stitches all the way across.
Then I decided to do another one in 2 different colors to give the dress a different look.
Doesn’t it look great?
Here it is!
With the turquoise. Isabel actually told me the dress needed a “pop of color” and picked out this blue. Man, she’s got the eye already.
Here it is with the yellow.
I love how one belt changes the look so much.
I have a tutorial coming up in the next couple weeks for, what I’m calling, “The Fail-proof Dress”. It’s the kind of dress you can wear casually or dress it up for a really nice cocktail party. It also involves interchangeable belts, but the design of the dress is awesome. I’m slowly working on it and will have it ready as soon as I can!
I hope you all like this one!
Tags: belt, dress, jersey, knit, skirt, tank top
Posted in refashions, women's clothing | 24 Comments »
By Heather on Aug 19, 2009 | Reply
Great Job – looks terrific!
By Cassandra on Aug 19, 2009 | Reply
I was just in Anthro this past Saturday and was totally loving these dresses, but hadn't even thought about how easy they would be to do myself! Thanks for the tutorial!
By The Sewing Dork on Aug 19, 2009 | Reply
What a super idea!
By Impish on Aug 19, 2009 | Reply
Oh, I love this! Looks gorgeous and super comfy, too.
By ~julee~ on Aug 19, 2009 | Reply
I love it – thanks for sharing!
By The Coupon Monkey on Aug 19, 2009 | Reply
The interfacing – genius! Can't wait to try this one!
By Christina on Aug 19, 2009 | Reply
This is lovely. I've been thinking of doing a similar dress that I had fallen in love with from Anthropologie!
By Lisa on Aug 19, 2009 | Reply
Wow–so great! You are a very skillful sewer, no doubt!
By casserole on Aug 19, 2009 | Reply
I love this so much!!! And your trick with the interfacing is brilliant!! I posted a link to your tutorial on Craft Gossip Sewing:
http://sewing.craftgossip.com/tutorial-anthro-inspired-dress-with-gathered-skirt-and-belt/2009/08/19/
–Anne
By luvinthemommyhood on Aug 19, 2009 | Reply
OMG!!!!!!!!!!! FAbulous!!!!!!! What a great dress! I have been wanting one of these and now don't have to buy one! Thanks Alexis – you rock!
By awmb on Aug 19, 2009 | Reply
Wow you are so talented, lady! I love your creativity with the belt! I have been meaning to go thrifting to get a bunch of over sized shirts so I make them into fun, new, exciting things. Your blog is truly inspiring.
=)
By urban craft on Aug 19, 2009 | Reply
this is awesome. I have a whole closet full of clothes that need revamping. Thanks for the idea!
By BJ_Mama on Aug 19, 2009 | Reply
A.MAZ.ING! I am always so impressed with your work!
By Anonymous on Aug 20, 2009 | Reply
I really like this! However, I think I would be just as happy with the skirt and belt as separates over a tank top. Do you think that would be easy to put together? I have this old smock/tunic top that would work for the skirt and belt but I'm not 100% sure what the easiest way would be to turn the shirt into a skirt (I'm a beginning seamstress and…well.. lazy!).
Stacy
By Abby on Aug 20, 2009 | Reply
I love this! I actually have an Anthropologie dress just like these… and after I bought it I thought, wow I could really make this. Now I know how!
By Hanna on Aug 20, 2009 | Reply
I just did this same thing with a dress that no longer fit on top and a T-shirt. Wish I had thought to add the fusible interfacing. And I love what you did with the belt. Looks fab!
By Lila on Aug 20, 2009 | Reply
I was just in Anthropologie yesterday admiring them… thinking MAYBE I could do this… will give it a try now for sure!
By Snowbird on Aug 20, 2009 | Reply
That is really amazing!! So easy and very flattering!!
(ok, deep breath, yes, I will lose weight after baby is born! I will look that good again!!)
Thanks for the tutorials and great ideas!!
By Renee on Aug 21, 2009 | Reply
Wow you are so talented, lady! I love your creativity with the belt..FAbulous!!!!!!! What a great dress…thanks for sharing such a beautiful dress…
___________________
renee
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By dana on Aug 21, 2009 | Reply
my favorite part by far is the belt. too cute.
By Emily on Aug 27, 2009 | Reply
I love the belt out of the whole thing. I don't know what it is about that belt that is so alluring to me.
By Jessica on Oct 17, 2009 | Reply
I tried to make one of these a couple of weeks ago before I saw your tutorial. I did everything pretty much the way you did, but I ran into a problem when I tried to sew the gathered skirt waistband to the tank…The foot didn't understand how to go over one fabric that was gathered and one fabric that was straight. My tank ended up all wonky on top of it. Do you have any suggestions for this part? Thanks so much! I have bought a bunch of these dresses in all different prints and solids, but really wanted to make some too!
Jessica
By Erin on Mar 18, 2010 | Reply
I just finished making one of these dresses,and it was SUPER easy!!! I loved it! I am so glad I found this,because I see these dresses in the stores all the time,and I really liked them,but they were $30 and more,and were a little shorter,or lower than I would like them. But I was able to make a dress with the exact fabric, at the exact length,for under$10!!! Who would buy something like that when you can get even better for WAY less?
By Julia on Mar 24, 2010 | Reply
Where do you put the zipper in? I can’t picture how to do that without adding it to the side of the shirt too…
Thanks!
Julia