How to Make a Dress Out of Sheets
Give an old set of sheets a new purpose by transforming it into a summer fashion essential. You can make an easy A-line dress from a sheet for a great environmentally friendly sewing project and customize the dress for an adult or a child. Embellish the dress with a ribbon hemline or shoulder straps, a row of silk flowers along the neckline or an adorable pompom hemline for a child's dress.
Instructions
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1
Measure the circumference of your chest, just below your bust line and add 1 inch. Draw a line this length across one edge of the sheet.
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2
Measure the distance from just below your bust line to just below your knees. Add 1 inch to this measurement. Find the center of the line drawn on the sheet and measure down this distance. Mark the spot on the sheet.
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3
Triple the chest circumference measurement and draw a line this length through the mark on the sheet, with half of the line on either side. Connect the ends of the top and bottom lines by drawing lines down the length of the sheet to make the sides. Cut out the shape. This is the skirt of the dress.
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4
Fold over ½ inch of the long bottom of the sheet. Fold it onto the wrong side of the sheet and sew it in place to make your hemline.
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5
Fold the skirt in half lengthwise and pin the rough side edges together. Fold the fabric so that the good sides are facing inward. Sew the sides together about ½ inch away from the rough edges.
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6
Measure the distance from just underneath your underarms to just below your bust line and add ½ inch. Measure the circumference of your bust around the fullest part and add 2 inches. Trace a rectangle with these measurements on to the remaining piece of the sheet and cut out the shape to make the top of the dress.
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Fold over 1 inch of fabric along both long edges and pin it in place near the edge to make channels. Fold the fabric in half and sew the short edges together. Do not insert any stitches through the channels.
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8
Measure above and just below your bust line and cut a piece of ½ inch-wide elastic to each of these lengths, minus 1 inch. Thread one piece of elastic through each of the channels in the fabric and then sew the ends of the elastic to the fabric. Sew the channels closed.
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9
Turn the skirt and top inside out and pin the top of the skirt to the underside of the bottom of the top. Sew the pieces together.
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10
Make straps for the dress. Try on the dress and measure from the top front, over the shoulder and to the top back. Add 1 inch and cut two pieces of the sheet to this length by 2 ½ inches wide.
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Fold the strips in half lengthwise with the good sides together and sew the long side and one short side. Turn the strips right side out and sew the open end closed.
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Pin the ends of the strips just inside the dress to make the straps and sew them to the dress.
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References
- Photo Credit Jupiterimages/Polka Dot/Getty Images
