How to Do a Slip Top on a Pageant Dress

Pageant dresses are great DIY sewing projects.

The slip dress and slip top were originally designed as an undergarment for women that provided an extra layer of material between lingerie and sheer blouses or dresses and helped clothing to hang properly on the body. In contemporary society, the slip dress is more popular as outerwear than underwear and has been featured in the catwalk collections of Calvin Klein, Helmut Lang and Prada throughout the 20th and 21st centuries. If you want to put a modern twist on a pageant dress with a slip top you can do so at home with a few basic sewing materials.

Instructions

1. Purchase a basic thin-strapped singlet in the appropriate size to use as a rough pattern for your slip top. Visit your local fabric retailer and purchase 1 1/2 yards of silk, satin or polyester fabric in the color of your choice.

2. Lay the fabric on a flat surface in front of you. Tuck the straps of the singlet inside the singlet (these will be made separately later) and place the singlet on top of the fabric. Pin the singlet to the fabric with sewing pins.

3. Measure 1/4 inch for seam allowance all the way around the singlet and mark with fabric chalk. Cut around the singlet with sewing scissors.

4. Repeat Step 2 in order to create the second side of the slip top.

5. Place one piece of fabric on top of the other with the right sides facing inward. Pin the side seams of the top together with sewing pins. Fold over 1/4 inch of fabric at the bottom of the slip top and pin into place with sewing pins. Fold over 1/4 inch of fabric around the neckline and armholes of the slip top and pin into place with sewing pins.

6. Measure the length and width of one of the straps on the singlet with a measuring tape. Add 1/2 inch to each of these measurements.

7. Draw two rectangular shapes with the length and width you just calculated on a piece of your fabric.

8. Cut the rectangles out of the fabric with sewing scissors and place the scrap fabric to one side.

9. Fold 1/4 inch over on each long side of the first strap and pin into place with sewing pins. Repeat this process with the second strap.

10. Sew along the long edges of both straps with your sewing machine.

11. Pin one end of the first strap to the front side of the top on the left hand side and the other end to the back of the top on the left hand side. Pin one end of the second strap to the front side of the top on the right hand side and the other end to the back of the top on the right side. You have a 1/4-inch margin to overlap the straps with the fabric of the top on both sides. Make sure your straps don't twist when you perform this task.

12. Sew along the side seams and around the hem, neckline and armholes of the slip top with your sewing machine. Sew the straps to the slip top with your sewing machine.

13. Turn the slip top right side out and try it on. You can now pin the skirt to the bottom of the slip top to complete your pageant dress.

References

• Vogue: The Verdict Is In: The Slip Dress