Vintage Square Neck Dress Upcycle
When it comes to DIY, there is a lot of trial and error! In this tutorial, I refashion a plain, black dress to create a stylish and sleek, square neck dress. Making this dress had me a little frustrated but I am so happy with the end result that it was totally worth all the corrections!
Tools and materials:
- Chalk
- Ruler
- Measuring tape
- Pins
- Seam ripper
- Scissors
- Sewing machine
Pin new side seams
In the first step of this upcycle, I laid the dress flat and made sure it was lying as smooth as possible. I then used chalk to draw the shape for my new dress. Once I had drawn, I pinned along those lines through both layers of fabric.
I also lined up the seams in the middle of the dress and pinned them together because I wanted everything to be in place.
Make the square neckline
Next, I went ahead and drew the shape for my new square neckline so that I could get an idea of what it would look like. I didn’t mind the back neckline of the dress so I decided to leave that intact. I then went ahead and sewed the new side seams for the dress.
Once that was done, I used an old dress as a template for my new neckline. I placed it on my dress and marked each side.
I then connected those two markings with a straight line. I didn’t have a ruler on me so I made a pen work for me instead.
I would cut from where the original neckline ended, so I marked a line down from that point on each side.
I went ahead and measured with a tape measure to make things as equal and symmetrical as possible.
I used scissors to cut the new neckline. I made sure that I only cut the front layer of the dress fabric.
I pinned some of the fabric I had cut off on the inside of the front of the dress so that my new neckline wouldn’t be too revealing.
I also went ahead and seam ripped some of the shoulder seams. I would tuck the seams in and sew them again later just so that the dress would feel more firm and supportive. I folded all the raw edges of my new neckline and sewed.
Correct the side seams
I had to go back and fix the side seams that I had sewed earlier. To correct my mistake, I folded the raw edges towards the inside, making the sides thick enough so that none of the threads would snap when I tried on the dress.
I totally love my refashioned, square neck dress! This is the perfect look for a night out on the town! Let me know what you think about this dress upcycle in the comments!
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I love it, it looks beautiful on you!
So pretty! Love the square neck line!