How to Sew a Cute Slip T-shirt Dress

Tools and materials:

• Knit stretch fabric
• QT Tee pattern
• Eta skirt pattern
• Pencil
• Ruler
• Curved ruler (optional)
• Scissors
• Pins
• Sewing machine
• Serger (optional)

1. Make the T-shirt dress sewing pattern

The QT Tee is a ruched design and the back is designed to be larger than the front.

I originally made this dress with the wider back and had to resew it when I tried it on, so you may want to make this adjustment from the start.

I joined the top and skirt at the waist point, so I marked this on the top pattern at 8.5 inches (22 cm) below my bust line.

I reduced the seam allowance for the top from 3/4 inch (2 cm) to 1/2 inch (1 cm) on the back and front.

I placed the skirt pattern on the front and back of the top, lining up the waist points, and retraced the curve on the top to match the skirt at the side. 

I cut the top pattern pieces along the new line. 

2. Cut fabric pieces

When cutting, I decided to add 1/2 inch (1 cm) of width on the skirt side seams and extended the length by 20 inches (50 cm) to make a maxi length dress.

3. Sew shoulder seams

Join the front and back, right sides together, at the shoulder seam.

I used a serger, but on a regular sewing machine you'll want to use a zigzag stitch.

4. Insert sleeves

The notches on the pattern indicate the front and back placement of the sleeves, so you don't need to match them exactly.

Pin the sleeves at the center and ends, then ease them to fit the rest of the armhole. Sew the sleeves along the long curved edge.

5. Sew side seams

Place the dress right sides together and sew the sleeve and side seams from the end of the sleeve to the hem on each side.

6. Fitting

Try on the dress and check the fit. As I suspected, the top was too big on me.

I removed a total of 1/2 inch (14 mm) on each side from the sleeve to the waist and a further 1/4 inch (7 mm) from the underarm to the waist.

7. Attach neckband

Transfer all the markings from the pattern to the fabric. Join the ends of the neckband with the right sides together.

Open the seam, fold the neckband with wrong sides together and pin. Pin the neckband to the neckline with right sides facing and sew the three layers together.

8. Hems

I turned in 1/2 inch (1 cm) on the sleeve hems and sewed them with a zigzag stitch, and did the same for the bottom hem.

Slip t-shirt dress

This is a close-fitting design, and I'm very pleased with how my T-shirt dress pattern turned out.

The original skirt pattern is shorter, so you could certainly make this up as a mini or knee-length dress and extend the sleeve length for a different look. The stretch fabric makes fitting so much easier.

Please let me know in the comments if you like this style and how you get on when you make it yourself.