TRIBAL PRINT T-SHIRT DRESS
This t-shirt dress is a perfect summer essential and is amust-have for every wardrobe. All you need is
around a meter of your favourite colour of print fabric and about 30mins to an hour of your time.
In this tutorial I will show you how to measure and create this top from scratch so that you can recreate it in different shapes and sizes for your friends and families. This top can also be made in any light weight woven fabric.
Preparing Your Machine and Fabric
Preparing your machine
Thread your machine and bobbin with co-ordinating threads.
Set stitch length to 2.5cm.
Set tension to 2 or 3(the looser the better)
Test on a piece of your fabric to make sure the tension is right, if it is right when you sew the
fabric, your stitches will lay flat and if is it too tight it will pull the fabric and pucker up as
you sew. Make necessary adjustments before starting this project.
Preparing your fabric
Make sure you wash and press the fabric if is it crinkled before sewing
This fabric has no stretch so be generous with your seam allowance, you can always reduce
it if is it too large.
Measure and cut the fabric on a flat surface
Gather Materials
1 meter of Africanprint fabric
Scissors
Tailors chalk
Measuring tape
Sewing Machine
Iron
Measure
Fold fabric in half and measure out a rectangle with these measurements. (include seam allowance of 1 inch)
*Shoulder to shoulder
*Shoulder to length of dress
Transfer Your Measurements
- Fold the fabric along the width as shown in the image.
- Measure 5 inches from the top of the folded corner as shown in the image, then draw a curve as shown in the image.
- Then draw a curve for the arm and bodice as shown on the image.
- Cut
- Open up the fabric again, measure an inch from the top and draw a curve as show
- Cut only the top peice.
Sew
- Sew the fabric right sides together. with a 1.5cm seam allowance.
- Next, sew the sides, arms, neck hole and the raw edges.
Hemming and Finishing Up
Hemming
- Measure 1cm from the bottom of the dress and press down.
- Sew the hem with a 2.5 straight stitch.
Finishing
- Press seams flat with a steam iron- this sets the seams in the fabric and makes your sewing look professional.
- It is very important to tidy up the insides of your work. There are two very easy options if you don't have a serger/overlocker.
- Sew up the raw edges using a small zigzag stitch
- Trim the raw edges with pinking shears to stop fraying.
All Done
Project Completed
Well done and thank you for hanging in there!