High - Low Tank Top Dress

During the summer, I'm invited to a few events that require dressy attire. Sadly, I don't have many dresses, or dressy attire for that matter, that is light enough for being outside in Michigan's summer heat. When my mom gave me a few old dresses, I went straight to work on making a classy, light-weight summer dress!

Supplies

1 T-shirt ( Size doesn't really matter - as long as you can put the shirt on, you're set!)

A well fitting Tank Top
1 Dress(Size also doesn't matter for this)

Scissors

Seam Ripper

Chalk

Pins

Measuring Tape

Pencil

 

Start off by gathering up all of your materials so you wont have to go searching for them later.

 



Put on the t-shirt and then put the tank top on over it. Find someone (anyone-- there is no technique involved!) to trace the outline of the tank on your back. Trace the outline of the tank on the front of the shirt.

Make sure the final tracing marks are the darkest so the final product wont come out lopsided.



Following the outline, cut out the tank top. Make sure to cut to the outside of the lines, not the inside. It is better for the shirt to be a bit big instead of small.

Try the tank top on inside out and pin the sides until it fits well. Then connect the pins with chalk lines before sewing.







 

Set the straight stitch to about a 5-6 for stretch purposes, then sew the sides.

 



Try the shirt on and make sure it fits, then cut out the extra material.

 

Put the tank top back on and mark your natural waist (or where you prefer the skirt to sit) with chalk. Also mark the center of the front and the back of the shirt.

 

Now to move onto the skirt portion! Lay out the dress and find the seam between the bust and the skirt.



Using either scissors or a seam ripper, take out the serged seam connecting the two.



Now you have a separate skirt and bodice!

 

Put on a thin shirt or the tank top for the dress and measure your waist.

Add 6 inches onto your original waist measurement and then divide this number by two (So because my waist is 28 inches, my final measurement is 17 inches. 28+6=34, 34/2=17)

 



Measure out the waist measurement on the waist of the skirt. Place a pin where your measurement goes to. Then pin the seam that you started with to that point.

Turn the skirt inside out and sew from the edge of the waist to the end of the original waist. This creates the high-low effect. After sewing straight across the top, sew diagonally from the beginning of the seam you just sewed to the long edge of the skirt, removing the awkward pocket that was on your derriere.

 

Measure four inches from the top of the skirt and mark the line with chalk. Then mark the center of the skirt.

 

Lining up the waist and the line you just drew on the skirt along with the two center marks, put the tank top over the skirt inside out.

 



Pin the skirt to the tank top, then sew them together.

Try the dress on and make sure everything fits! I put a belt on over where the two are sewn together just to make it a little more cohesive. Good luck, and happy sewing :)