DIY Simple Strapless Dress

Now that summer is officially here it is the perfect time for all s's: swimming, smoothies, sunglasses and strapless dresses. This tutorial is an easy and inexpensive way to get your own strapless dress.

The result of this dress all depends on the fabric you choose. I was fortunate enough to come across an amazing summery floral while strolling through the fabric store the other day. I fell completely in love with it bought it immediatly.

Stuff you need:

1 meter of fabric

Elastic

Sewing machine (needle and thread will do)

1. Iron the fabric.

2. Measure around above your chest, under your arms. Add 10cm to this measurement. Find the center of the top of the fabric, this should also be where the center of you measurement is. Cut from the sides of the measurements to the bottom corner of the fabric. It should now form a trapezoid.

3. Fold the fabric in half and pin the sides together. Then sew them together.

4. Now fold the top of the dress inwards. The seam should be large enough for the elastic to fit inside. Sew in place and leave a gap to put the elastic through.

5. Cut the elastic so that is 7 cm shorter than the initial measurement you took at the beginning of this tutorial. Use a safety pin to pull the elastic through. Sew the 2 ends of the elastic together and close the seam.

6. Last but not least trim the dress to your desired length and fold to make a seam.

Now that you've got yourself a new basic, dress it up and have fun wearing it all through summer!

DIY Tribal Print Dress

I absolutely hate making clothes using patterns, and that is why I love this dress. It is so easy to make and pretty too, plus you don't have to follow a pattern.

I have seen these dresses being worn just about everywhere, so I wanted one for my wardrobe too. This dress looks best in tribal printed fabric but if you want you can use another light weight fabric.

Our dresses:

Stuff you need:

2 meters of tribal printed fabric

Sewing machine (needle and thread will take a while)

Elastic 4 cm less than the size of your waist

Safety pin

1. Begin by folding the fabric in half width wise. The fabric usually comes pre-folded like this. Measure the length between your shoulders and about add 30 cm to that. Mark that amount at the top of the folded fabric. Draw a line from both marks to the bottom corners, as shown below.

2. Fold the sides inwards. Pin and sew in place. 

3. Next, fold the fabric inside out and sew the sides together. Leave space for armholes on both sides.

4. Turn the fabric right way round, then cut a hole on the fold for your neck. Pin and sew.

5. Trim the bottom of the dress to your preferred length. Cut a strip 3 cm wide from this excess fabric. Turn the dress inside out and sew on both sides of the strip around the dress where you want your elastic to be. Using a safety pin pull you elastic through strip.

Have fun DIYing!

DIY Shirt Dress

Remember this?  Well, that skirt was made from a shirt that was taken from a pile of my dad's old shirts, and so is this dress. There are still a lot more shirts just waiting around to be deconstructed and made into something beautiful. Some of them may even be in your house, so why not try out this tutorial?

Stuff you need:

Large mens shirt

Needle and thread (Sewing machine would be easier)

Dye (optional)

1. Remove the sleeves.

2. Use another sleevless dress or top to measure the size of your armholes and mark. Cut from that mark all the way down on either side.

3. Turn the shirt inside out and sew the sides back together. I dyed my dress yellow because I wanted something brighter. Wear with a belt and you are ready to go!

I quite like the blurriness of this photo just because of how all the colors look together :)

A Day Of DIYing + 4 DIY's

My friend and I had been planning this day for so long! We had a whole list of things planned but only managed to really finish 4. We actually spent 2 whole days DIYing: a day, a night and another day. But it was so much fun! Below are the results and how to make them.

The DIY Tie Dye Top

Stuff you need:
Plain t-shirt
Dye
Rubber Bands

1. Bunch up a bit of the shirt.
2. Tie a rubber band at the bottom of the bunched up bit.
3. If you want you can add 1 or 2 more rubber band to a few of the bunched up bits.
4. Repeat steps 1-3 and cover up the entire shirt.
5. According to instructions in your dye packet dye the fabric.
6. Once the fabric is dry remove the rubber bands and iron.

I really love this method of tie-dye because it is so much more wearable than the multicolored ones, yet still fun to make.

The DIY High-Waisted Dress

We found this amazing tutorial at Talk To The Trees. Below are just a few photos showing how we made the dresses.

The DIY Adjustable Ring 
Stuff you need:
Water hose grip
Pliers
Screw driver

1. Begin by placing the water hose grip on a flat surface.
2. Hold the grip with pliers and pry it open using a screw driver.

The ring is adjustable so you can wear it on any toe or finger that you want. At the bottom of the ring there will be a small hole, possibly a place for a jewel or embellishment.

The DIY Lace Headband

Stuff you need:

Elastic lace

Needle and thread

1. Put the lace around your head and tighten until you feel it fits right. Cut 2 cm more than where it fits right.

2. Sew the 2 ends together and wear.

I love lace.