Self Drafted Tee Dress

 

Over the winter months, I spent a bit of time drafting my own tee shirt pattern.  It seemed like a simple project but by the time I added in a few sleeve and neck variations, a simple pattern took quite a while to perfect.  Perfect it though I did and now I don't think I would make any other tee pattern.

It was while I was working on the pattern, that I wondered how it would work as a dress and once I had the idea in my head, there was no removing it until I had actually given it a go.  So when I received a lovely piece of rayon lycra knit in the mail as part of Minerva's Ambassador program, I knew that I just had to try.  

The fabric I chose was a lovely drapey knit with a chiffon applique that mean't it has a lot and no stretch at the same time.  This fabric really needed to be made into a non fitted type of garment but I did have concerns that actually the weight of the skirt would make the fabric stretch.  

To help the dress keep its shape, I added clear elastic to the shoulder seams and the back neckline.  I also added clear elastic to the skirt, using the elastic to gather the skirt, before attaching it to both the bodice and the other tier.  

To make the sleeves, I took my classic tee sleeves and slashed and spread it to create a bishop sleeve.  I then gathered this into a self fabric band.  I then hemmed the skirt using my coverstitch machine.

I am beyond thrilled how this dress turned out and have plans to make more.