How to Make a Sexy Red Valentine's Dress in 8 Simple Steps

1. Take your measurements

Start by putting a piece of tape where you want the top of your dress to be, and then measure the v-line dip that you want to have that will go to the center of the dress. For me, this was 5 inches (12.7cm).

Next, measure from the tape to your side seam, which for me was 8 inches (20.3cm). Then you want to take your bust, underbust, and strap measurements.

Divide the bust measurement by three because we’re going to create three panels for this dress.

The last measurement you’re going to need is how long you want your dress to go (you might need someone else to help you take this measurement).

2. Sketch out the design

Now you’re going to sketch out the design. (You can watch the video from 1:54 - 3:59, where I will talk you through how I drew the design out).

Remember to add a half-inch (1.3cm) seam allowance around all of the sides. Once done, cut out your pattern to scale with larger pieces of paper.

3. Cut the fabric

Fold your fabric in half for your front piece as you’re going to cut it on the fold. Place weights on your paper to keep it down, and proceed to cut your fabric.

The piece that you just cut will be the front of the dress. Continue to cut out the piece that will be the back of the dress.

4. Pin the sides

Next, iron out your fabric to get any wrinkles out. Then, place the fabric one piece on top of the other with the right sides touching and pin the sides together.

5. Sew

Proceed to sew the sides down. I serged my ends as well so that the dress would look neat on the inside.

6. Hem the dress

The next step is to make a double-rolled hem all the way around the top and the bottom of the dress.

To do this, take the edges of the fabric and roll it in by a quarter of an inch (0.6cm) and then again by the same amount.

You will be left with the wrong side of the fabric facing up. Do that all the way around and pin it down.

7. Make the straps

Using the measurement that you took earlier, cut out the straps. My straps measure 1.5 x 16 inches (3.8 x 40.6cm).

Tip: An easy way to do this is to cut out one wide strip and then cut that in half.

Pin the straps lengthwise with the wrong sides touching and then proceed to sew the straps all the way down. I decided to serge mine for a cleaner finish.

Then, take your loop turner and turn the straps the right way out.

8. Attach the straps and sew

Next, pin the straps onto the dress. You might want to do a basting stitch to attach the straps and then sew it over. Once done, go ahead and sew the hem and the straps down.

Don’t sew the bottom of the straps down, as the dress will do up around the back of the neck.

How to make a Valentine's dress

Here we have our completed DIY Valentine’s Day dress. I love the v-neckline and the low back. Satin is such a sleek and sexy material, and of course, red is the color of love.

This is how you can dress the outfit up a bit by adding a furry sleeveless jacket and a handbag in the same color as the dress. 

So now you know how to make a Valentine’s dress, I hope you’ll give it a go!