DIY a Gorgeous Mini Dress

9 Materials
$15
1 Hour
Easy


I absolutely love creating my own clothes. I had been wanting to sew a mini dress for the longest time. I decided to DIY a stunning Sacai style dress and I am so excited about how it turned out! If you are searching for an easy and simple DIY sewing project, this dress is what you have been looking for! Follow my easy, step-by-step tutorial, and learn how to recreate this amazing piece for yourself. I love that this dress can be dressed up or down and can be worn all year round! Get started on sewing your own gorgeous mini dress!

Tools and materials:

  • Button-down shirt
  • Oversized t-shirt
  • Pins
  • Needle and thread
  • Sewing machine
  • Scissors
  • Iron
  • Paper
  • Pencil
How to sew a simple dress
Cut the shirt


To get started on the gorgeous mini dress I had to cut off the back of the button-down shirt. I made sure to leave the collar intact. I also cut the sleeves off of the shirt. 

How to cut and sew a dress for beginners


Once the sleeves were off, I cut the seams at the top of them off as well. I didn’t want to have the thicker material there when I attached them to my new dress. 

Measure the sleeves
Measure the armholes



Next, I measured around the armhole of the t-shirt.

Gather the sleeves
Gather the sleeves


With that measurement done, I moved over to my sewing machine and gathered the tops of the shirt’s sleeves.

Sew on the sleeves
Sew on the sleeves


I could then finally attach the sleeves to my black t-shirt. I made sure that the seams of the two sleeves were aligned and sewed all the way around. 

Pin the shirt
Try on the dress


I couldn’t believe how quickly this dress was coming together! I placed the white shirt inside the black t-shirt and pinned them together along the sides. 

Try it on


I made sure to try it on before I sewed so that I knew it would be the perfect fit! 

Cut the shirt in half
Creating the bottom of the dress



I then cut the shirt in half. I would use these two pieces to add to my dress so that it would be the perfect length and style.

Press the fabric


I hemmed all of the raw edges of the bottom of the shirt and then pressed the fabric to make sure it was sitting perfectly. I then folded the edges of the fabric and pressed them down. Once they were pressed in place, I stitched along the folds.

Learn how to sew a dress


Next, I buttoned up the bottom of the shirt and made sure to sew the two pieces together above the top button.

Sew on the bottom


Finally, I could sew on the bottom of the shirt. Following the pinned lines I had made earlier, I sewed the bottom of the white shirt on the inside of the dress. 

Mark the top
Creating the top of the dress


Using a piece of paper that I measured and cut to size, I marked around the collar of my shirt so that I would know exactly how much fabric I would need for the top part of my dress. 

Cut at your markings


Once I had marked, I cut the fabric and couldn't wait to add the collar to my new dress.

Press down the edges


Using the pieces of paper as a size guide, I pressed the edges of the fabric down. 

Sew the folded edges


I then hopped back over to my sewing machine to sew down the folded edges, giving my dress the professional finish it needed. Now I had a trendy movable collar and I was so excited to try it on! 

How to design and sew a dress


I absolutely adore this mini dress! How would you style this piece? Let me know in the comments below!  

Suggested materials:
  • Button-down shirt
  • Oversized t-shirt
  • Pins
See all materials

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