Sewing a stylish shift dress is surprisingly simple with this how-to from Summer Phoenix and Ruby Canner, owners of the Some Odd Rubies vintage store.
Tools and Materials
- Long secondhand skirt with elastic waist
- Ruler
- Disappearing fabric marker or pencil
- Scissors or rotary cutter
- Seam ripper or small, sharp scissors
- Sewing machine threaded with coordinating thread
- 3-4 yards of coordinating ribbon
- Safety pin
DIY Shift Dress How-To
1. Cut elastic waist from skirt. Lay skirt flat, and cut top edge with scissors or a rotary cutter to make even.
2. Measure 1 1/2 inches from top raw edge and draw a line across skirt.
3. With a seam ripper or small pair of sharp scissors, open side seams 10 inches down from drawn line (this will create a 9-inch armhole).
4. Finish opened seam edges with a machine-sewn baby hem.
5. On one side of skirt, fold top raw edge down one half inch, then another half inch. Pin in place. Machine-sew across skirt, along bottom edge of folded "tunnel." Repeat on other side of skirt.
6. Attach a safety pin to lengths of ribbon and thread through the tunnels you have created on both sides of top of dress.
7. If desired, tie a length of the same ribbon around middle of dress to create a belt.
Resources
Singer 4423 Heavy Duty sewing machines are available at Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft Stores or Amazon.
