How to Easily Make Your Own Halter Dress - Bodycon Style

Villamor Twins
by Villamor Twins
9 Materials
$15
3 Hours
Easy

A bodycon dress is simple, elegant, and flattering for any shape or size! You can customize this easy-sew halter dress to your body and it will become a wardrobe staple. Here’s what you’ll need to make a halter top dress that will look gorgeous and never go out of style!

Tools and materials:

  • Your own bodycon dress as a template or see our previous video
  • Self-finished stretchy spandex type fabric
  • Scissors
  • Measuring tape/ruler
  • Marking chalk
  • String
  • Sewing machine
  • Pins
  • Iron
Tracing a dress to make the basic pattern

1. Make the pattern

Fold the fabric in half. Lay a template dress that fits you well on top of the folded fabric. Trace the dress leaving ½-inch seam allowance all around.


Or see our DIY bodycon dress tutorial to see how we made the blue dress, which has a similar silhouette.

How to make a halter dress sewing pattern

At the top of the dress, mark an upside down “V” shape. Find the middle point at the top of the dress and mark 7 inches away from it. Make sure the sides are the same length. Connect them together to form the V shape.

Pinning and cutting the fabric

2. Cut the fabric

After the pattern is marked up, pin the fabric together so it doesn’t move at all when cutting.

Front and back halter dress pieces

Cut the fabric so there are 2 pieces: the front and the back. 

How to make a halter top dress

For the back portion, fold over the upside V so there is one straight line. 

Halter dress sewing tutorial

Use the measuring tape or ruler and mark it so it is as straight as possible. Cut off this piece.

Placing the cut triangle on the front piece

Both the front and back need facing. For the front piece, take the remaining fabric from cutting the pattern and lay it on top of the front piece. 

Making a DIY halter neck dress

Trace the outline of the front panel on this piece and cut it out.

Making facing for the back piece

For the back piece, measure the length of that top section of the back. Use a strip of leftover fabric that is 3 inches wide. Here our strip is 3 X 15 inches long. Transfer the measurements to the fabric and cut it out.

How to make your own halter dress

3. Sew the dress

Lay the front and back pieces of the dress right sides down. 


Measure and cut two pieces of string that are each 25 inches long. Lay them right at the tip of the upside V with about an inch of string sticking up above the V. Pin the strings in place.


Sandwich the strings with the front facing piece laid on top. The facing and the front should be on the wrong sides together. 

Pinning and sewing the DIY halter dress

Pin together and sew with a straight stitch.

Pinning and sewing the back of the dress

Lay the back facing on the back so the tops are aligned. Pin together and sew with a straight stitch.

Step by step halter dress sewing tutorial

When they’re done they will look like this. 

Pressing the fabric with an iron

Turn the front and back of the dress pieces inside out and iron the facing flat down to remove any bumps.

The halter dress pieces after pressing

They should look like this.

Pinning the side seams ready to sew

Place the front and back right sides together and pin them. Then, sew up the sides using a straight stitch.

Hemming the bottom of the DIY halter dress

The last step is to fold the hem over once about ½ an inch. Pin in place and sew at the edge of the hem.

DIY halter neck dress in white


DIY halter neck dress in green

How to make your own halter dress

Your DIY halter neck dress is ready! This style of dress flatters your curves and gives you the illusion of a perfect waist. See how easy it is to make your own halter dress?


Please let us know if you made this dress or share photos of you in it! We love hearing from you so please leave us your feedback in the comments!

Suggested materials:
  • Your own bodycon dress as a template (or follow the previous video)
  • Self-finished stretchy spandex type fabric
  • Scissors
See all materials

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