I know you’ve all been waiting with bated breath for the unveiling of my new project… well, the wait is over. I’ve created a tutorial that tells you how to make a stylish convertible dress in just fifteen minutes. Really. It requires only four seams, and looks deceptively simple before you put it on; the success of the dress lies in the way you wrap the ribbon around your body.
Here’s how to make the Fifteen Minute Dress:
1) Cut two rectangles. Measure or hold fabric up to your body to establish the garment length; it should be about the distance from your armpit to your knees. For the width, measure from the edge of one hip to the other. Add six inches and this is your width. Cut out two rectangles of this size.
2) Stitch the hem (optional). I didn’t sew a hem on mine because I prefer a raw edge on jersey. If you’d prefer a hem, fold the raw edge of the shorter side of the fabric over and press. Stitch along the fold with a tight, even stitch. Do the same for both sides.
3) Create a casing for the ribbon. Iron the top of each piece of fabric, pressing the edge over about one inch. Stitch along the folded edge with a tight, even stitch. This creates space for the ribbon to be threaded through. Do this with both rectangles.
4) Put the front and back together. Lay the rectangles flat, with the right (outside) sides facing towards each other. Pin the sides together from the bottom hem up to about six inches short of the top. Stitch the two pieces of fabric together on each side.
5) Thread the ribbon through the casing. Now, take your ribbon and clip a safety pin onto one end (start with 5 yards of ribbon, and then you can trim it to the correct length later). The safety pin will help you thread the ribbon through the casing. Push the ribbon through the casing on the front of the dress, and continue right on to the back side so that you end up with the two ribbons emerging at the gap on one side of the dress.
And believe it or not, you’re done!
I used jersey material similar to this for my dress, but most fabrics with some stretch will work. Experiment with different types and colors of ribbon to create even more looks. Below are a few different ways to style the dress:
This first style is my favorite. I wore it to a wedding and it was very comfortable the whole evening. Position one seam of the dress down your front, with both ribbon ends coming out at the top. Wrap them over your shoulders, cross them, bring to the front, then to the back again and secure with a bow.*
The style on the left can be accomplished by simply tying the ribbon tight at the back (you may want to use a shorter ribbon for this style). I would suggest a strategically placed safety pin in the gap that will be hidden at the front. The skirt at right is done the same way, only lower. And the ribbon is wrapped a couple of times for visual effect.
For the style at left, the seams will run up the side of the body and your arms will go through the seam gaps on either side. You may want to use a short ribbon for the neck area (tie a bow and tuck it inside the ribbon casing on the back) and a longer one for the empire waist. Same exact directions for the other style, except that one side of the neck ribbon is tucked under the arm.
These process for these last two styles is similar to the first image at the top. For the one on the left, use a shorter ribbon to tie at your neck, and then wrap and tie at the back of the neck. The style on the right is not crossed at the back, creating a slightly different look.
*I would suggest double-knotting your bows… with most styles, an untied bow means that the dress will immediately fall to the ground! Try it, you’ll see what I mean.
Hope you’ve enjoyed this tutorial, feel free to pass it on to your DIY-loving friends. And don’t forget to send me pictures of the finished product!
**Update: My sewing tutorial collection is growing! Check out Faith’s 25 Minute Dress here.
Looking for another sewing project? Check out my Etsy shop for more fabulous sewing tutorials for all skill levels. Automatic downloads mean that you will be up and running in minutes.
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