{Tutorial} Strapless Yoga Dress

I've done it again... do you remember the yoga skirt? Well yoga skirt can now meet yoga dress. It took me just about all summer to complete this dress. I had a few "hiccups" along the way. Like 2 major boo-boo's which caused me to not only have to re-cut out the skirt portion but also the top portion. I learned a lot once again, and am partly glad I messed up. I really like how the dress came out! Technically I had the dress completed before summer and since I live in Florida I still have a few more months that I can wear this gem!

Supplies: 

Coordinating knit fabric for top and bottom *amount depends on your size

Sewing Machine, Tape Measure, Straight Pins, Seam Ripper, Scissor, and Chalk Line

*Knit Sewing Needle (trust me... your life will change after you invest in the set of needles)

I used the yoga skirt I made as a pattern for the "skirt" portion of the dress. On a flat surface, I laid out the knit fabric in half, so that when I'd trace the skirt I would have two pieces already cut out in the exact same shape. I laid my yoga skirt onto the knit fabric. *If you don't have a yoga skirt to trace measure from your hip to the length of where you would like the skirt to fall. Then to measure the band/top portion measure roughly 6inches. I then took my chalk pen and traced around the edge of the skirt. 

Before I cut the fabric I pinned around the chalk line ensuring that the two pieces would match perfectly. *You'll notice that originally this was supposed to be a full print dress. I made a boo-boo... like a BIG boo-boo! I (stupidly) cut the skirt with the  non-stretchy part horizontal. After I sewed up each side... i went to put the skirt portion on me and I felt like a stuffed sausage. There was no give in the fabrci. At that point I didn't have enough fabric left to just cut a new skirt portion, so I went back to JoAnn Fabrics where I prayed they would have more fabric (and they didn't). That's when I decided to use a matching solid blue.  

Next, you will want to cut out the band to form the tube of the top. I measured my bust (plus cheated and used part of the measurements from my yoga skirt).  *Remember, you will need two double sided pieces for the band (top portion). After cutting the first band I then traced around that band onto another portion of the fabric, pinned, and cut it out. 

Next you will want to sew the two top portion pieces together. *As pictured above. Apparently I measured on the large size... this top was swimming on me. That's when I decided to take it in... 

Here you'll see where I had both sets of stitching. I should have only taken it in half of what I did as pictured above. This time around it was way too tight! So I went back to the drawing board... and made another top... perfect on the first try! 

Once part "A" the skirt portion and part "B" the top portion were sewn on each side I then placed them together as picture above. You'll want to place the top band open seemed with the right side of the skirt. Does that make sense? 

Pin the two pieces together and sew it using a zig zag stitch. Be sure to sew close enough to the edge, and sew all 3 layers. 

Next, you'll want to make a tie for the dress. The dress looked very unfinished with the zig zag stitch that held the bottom and top together. To get the length of the tie I just measured around me until I had a desirable length (after being tied).

Sew the fabric into a tube. Then pull the fabric through so it's right-side facing out. Then finish off the ends. 

After I put my dress on I realized that my top was a smidge to long. 

Easy remedy... fold a portion of the dress down. 

I folded it about an inch. 

It will look like pictured above. *Downfall is that you will have unfinished side seems exposed... but who really looks under your arms any ways? 

You can see what I was talking about with the "unfinished" look between the top and the skirt. 

Once you add the tie this is what it will look like! 

One simple (if you don't have any sewing mishaps like me) summer/fall dress! lol. No pattern needed other than a skirt/dress you already own!  For those of you who live where its starting to get cooler you can pair it with a cardigan (which is what I do) and you don't even realize it's a strapless dress! 

Mini Tutorial: Tank Top Dress; Take 2

I made my first tank top dress a little over a month ago, and loved it. I followed the tutorial from Smashed Peas & Carrots. Love the dress, but had tons of hic-cups while constructing it. My friend Anngela at Anngela's Pretty Little Things made a few too. Go check out her blog to see the tank dresses she made. My biggest problem with this dress was the elastic wasteband... my sewing machine did not want to cooperate with it.

A few week's after making the elastic waste-band dress I found this tutorial from Talk 2 the Trees. I liked the fact that I didn't  have to deal with the elastic waste-band.  I gave this dress a try sporadically one evening. I didn't have her tutorial in front of me, but I remembered quite a few of her tips/steps. So I gave it a try like I do most things, and within less than a half hour I had a brand new dress. Granted Talk2theTrees was a bit less expensive, but for about $10 I was pleased to have yet another one of my creations to wear to work or out on the town! I did not make the belt that she talks about in her tutorial, but I did find an awesome red patten leather belt from the thrift store for a dollar!

Here is my mini tutorial on how I made this quick and easy 30 minute tank dress:

Material's needed: 

-1 Tank top; ribbed that stretches

-enough fabric to wrap around you plus an additional 10 inches (measure around your butt and add 10 inches to that number... that way it will accommodate the "junk in the trunk" (you can always add more if you want more room.)

-Thread & Bobin (color of choice)

-Sewing machine, scissors, tape measure

1. Try your tank top on and mark where you want the skirt portion to lay. Whether you want it high or low it's up to you. Next, you'll want to measure your fabric, cut it, and sew the two pieces together. *I folded my fabric in half to make more of a "bubble" like dress plus to give this light weight material a little more oomph. There fore I did not need to hem the bottom. If you do not make it a bubble skirt you'll need to hem the bottom as well. I'd suggest hemming the bottom first then sewing the two sides together. 

2. Once you've sewn the fabric to make what would look like the start of a skirt you'll want to flip it upside down and inside out and pin it to your tank top. *Since I made mine a bubble like skirt I did not have to worry about the inside out portion since it didn't matter which side I used! 

3. Next you will slowly start sewing with a zig zag stitch (this will allow the fabric to stretch a little). Sewing the skirt onto the tank top. Lightly stretching the tank top so that you have some room to be able to get into the dress. Make sure you are sewing as straight as possible (when you flip the skirt over is when you'll really noticed if you sewed straight or not). 

*Here is what it will look like after your done sewing. 

Notice. The bottom of the tank will be exposed and your skirt will be upside down (inside out). 

Now, all you need to do is flip your skirt over (and if you want you can cut the bottom portion of the tank top off). 

Here is the finished product!