The other day, I went shopping for a dress to wear to my sister-in-law’s wedding, coming up in about a month. Dress shopping is a love/hate thing for me; I don’t have the worst body image in the world but I’m also not 100% satisfied with my shape, so sometimes I get very frustrated when nothing seems to “look good” on me.
On this particular dress-shopping occasion, however, I actually stumbled upon a dress that I loved. I mean, LOVED. As soon as I put it on, I said to myself – Holy cow, it looks great! – and that almost never happens. After trying on that dress, I went back to the rack to find another one like it in a different color or style, but alas – it was the only one of its kind.
So that got me thinking – Hey, I’m crafty – and I realized that I could probably reverse-engineer a version of that dress, or maybe several. So I hit Pinterest and came up with a billion new ideas. I haven’t actually made any of them yet, but I thought I’d share them with you in case you’re in a similar mood to update your wardrobe.
DIY Dress Tutorials:
1. Make your own dress using a dress (or top) you currently own as a template:
- DIY Red Carpet Dress by While Camden Sleeps (dramatic maxi-length)
- Hint of Vintage Maxi Dress by iCandy Handmade (drop-waist maxi)
- Casually Cute Knit Dress by Made it on Monday (the removable belt means you can wear it several ways)
- My Favorite Tee Dress by iCandy Handmade (basic shift out of jersey knit)
- The Day Date Dress by Elle Apparel (This is one of MANY treasures on this website!)
2. Basic dress pattern recipes (simple instructions without a lot of fuss):
- No Pattern Required Dress by Sew Cook Laugh Live (a basic rectangle becomes a dress)
- Easy Breezy Kimono Maxi by See Cate Create (a maxi dress from just a block of fabric)
- Basic straight shift dress by Morning by Morning (great, classic style)
- Very Easy sheath dress by Cotton and Curls (curvy and classic)
- Boho Maxi by Sweet Verbena (long and flowy, add a belt and you’re good to go)
3. Take a top or tank and add a skirt. Voila – dress!
- Nautical Dress by Elle Apparel (I told you this site was good!)
- DIY Maxi Dress by Imperfectly Polished (I might use this one just to make the skirt part!)
- 30-minute Tank Dress by Sew Homegrown (I love how this one looks less childish.)
- High-waisted dress by Talk 2 the Trees (This one is begging for a thrift store run!)
- And a bonus: 10 Free Women’s Shirt-to-Dress Tutorials
So, what will you make for your wardrobe this spring?
photo credit: Fabric via photopin (license)
