How to make a halter dress {easy sewing tutorial!}

In today's post: Larn how to brand a pretty halter maxi dress for summer!

So yeah, I'thousand a maxi dress aficionado. They're comfortable without looking frumpy, they hide my big calves, and my muffin top tin can jiggle as much as information technology wants without anyone noticing. Plus they're cool in the hot summertime weather condition. What's non to love?

If you're a repeat blog reader, yous know all this already, so you lot won't be surprised that I have another maxi dress tutorial for you lot today. (Want to bank check out all my other maxi wearing apparel tutorials? Click hither.)

How to make a DIY halter maxi apparel

I usually make maxis that take attached sleeves because I more often than not keep my shoulders covered for religious reasons, but I really like the look of a halter sundress with a gathered neckline. So this dress is sleeveless; I'one thousand just wearing it over a white tee.

To make this dress, y'all want to starting time with my Raglan Tunic blueprint (click though to this post to download the pattern). The pattern has 2 pieces, a bodice and a sleeve, and you will just need the bodice for this dress. This pattern is in a size Fifty (made for a 38 inch bosom). If yous are a bit bigger or smaller than that, this tutorial should all the same work fine. If y'all are much bigger or smaller, you lot'll need to find another raglan t-shirt pattern that you can alter to make this wearing apparel.

To make a maxi dress, y'all will need 2.v yards of 55-lx inch wide fabric (get 3 yards if yous are alpine). I used i of the "silky prints" from Jo-Ann Fabrics. Y'all want a very lightweight, drapey woven fabric. Rayon challis would be a great choice, just make sure information technology'south 1 that comes 55 inches wide (some are only 45 inches wide).

Wash and dry out your fabric earlier get-go, then fold it lengthwise and lay information technology out on a long table or the floor. This is how you'll cut your pieces:

Remember, you lot are using the bodice pattern piece from the Raglan Tunic pattern. You lot're going to cut out one clothes piece on the fold, and 1 on the selvedges. Place the pattern about 2 inches away from the fold (or selvedge) as shown above. Cut it out, extending the bottom edge as shown to cut a long wearing apparel piece.

NOTE: If you lot wear size M, just line the blueprint upwardly with the fold or selvedges. If yous are a size XL, move information technology 3 inches away from the fold or selvedges.

Here's a closeup of what you will cut at the neckline (cutting line shown in pinkish):

Please note you will also demand i yard of bias tape or other cording to create the dress straps. If you lot'd similar to make bias record from your material (that's what I did), the pattern placement diagram in a higher place shows where you tin cut strips to brand bias tape. Cut the strips ii inches wide to create double fold bias tape that ends upward 1/2 inch wide.

In one case cutting out, yous volition have three bodice pieces:

• 1 full slice for the front end that was cut on the fold (shown folded beneath)
• 2 one-half pieces for the dorsum that were cut on the selvedges

Your kickoff step is to place the back pieces right sides together and sew downwards that middle seam, so you end up with 2 dress pieces that wait the aforementioned, except one has a eye seam.

The acme of each apparel piece will look like what yous see below, with three edges. Finish each of these edges by serging, zigzagging, or pinking.

On each diagonal edge, plough the edge under 1/4 inch and sew. For the border in the middle, nosotros are going to make a casing (this will exist the neckline). Turn that edge nether 3/four inch and run up.

Echo with the back dress piece.

At present, place the front end piece and back piece right sides together and sew together down the side seams. Also make double fold bias tape that ends upwardly ane/2 inch wide and run up it shut OR cutting 1 yard of cording.

The bias tape or cording needs to thread through the front end neckline, then through the back neckline. Use a prophylactic pivot to help thread it through, gathering upwardly the necklines every bit yous practice and so.

At this betoken, try the dress on and effigy out how long you lot desire the straps over your shoulders to be and how gathered yous prefer the neckline to exist.

When you are happy with the fit of the neckline, sew the ii ends of the bias tape together and prune off any backlog. Hide the seam inside the back casing.

You lot can add a couple of stitches where the straps go into the front and back casings to keep the straps even.

At this point yous have a lovely, drapey maxi dress with lots of volume. Depending on your body shape, it might look peachy as is, or it might look similar a tent. You have some options for adding a little more shape to your halter maxi dress.

1. Y'all can take the apparel in along the sides, especially near the top.
2. You can take the dress in forth the back seam.
3. You tin add elastic all the fashion around the dress to ascertain a waist (I'll show an case of this adjacent week).
4. You can add elastic simply beyond the back of the dress to sure-fire it in a bit. That'south what I did here. It leaves the dress very drapey in the front, but gives a bit of shape so it's non tent-similar.

To add together elastic across the back of the dress, I cutting an 8-inch long slice of 1/iv inch rubberband. I turned the apparel inside out, and placed a piece of masking tape across the mid-back. The masking tape is there to brand sure you sew the elastic in overnice and level, so be sure information technology'southward even.

I pinned the center of the elastic to the center seam of the dress (heart dot above). Then I pinned the ends of the elastic to the outer dots shown above. Each dot was 8 inches from the center. Then I sewed the rubberband to the back of the dress, stretching the elastic then that it laid flat against my textile (the elastic was stretched out nearly every bit far every bit information technology could go). I fabricated sure the elastic stayed right side by side to the border of the masking tape equally I sewed, and I sewed it on using a zigzag stitch, and backstitched at the beginning and end.

Remove the masking tape later sewing. The elastic volition gather up the material in the back of the dress, as y'all tin see higher up, giving the dress a little more than shape. Hem the lesser to the desired length and your halter maxi clothes is done.

Be sure to check out some of my other maxi dress tutorials!

How to sew together a 1-seam maxi dress

The Classic cap sleeve maxi dress

My favorite raglan sleeve maxi

How to sew a half circle maxi skirt

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Source: https://www.itsalwaysautumn.com/how-to-make-a-halter-dress-easy-sewing-tutorial.html

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