Halter dress, any size (no pattern)

Jany submitted a new tutorial:

Tutorial: Halter dress, any size (no pattern)

Read more about this tutorial here...

 

Part 2: The top

There is a similar tutorial for a halter top already, you might want to check that out too.

Next, we need the waistband. For that, we need our helper.
Lauren's waist measurement is 19cm. I add 2cm to this, just to make sure. We also need a little overlap for the closures later.

I decided on 3cm width for the waistband, plus seam allowance.

For the straps, we measure from underneath her boobies ...


... over her shoulder down to where the waistband is going to be:

Again, Lauren comes out at about 20cm. And again, I add a bit of length to make sure - I can always cut it off, adding to it would be tricky. ^_~

For the width of the straps, measure from between her boobs to the side where you want them to end:

... don't forget to add seam allowance.

Serge the straps if necessary, and sew together the bottom 2cm (approximately):


If your fabric stays in place with nothing but ironing, the better; I did not sew up the sides of the straps because my thread doesn't match the fabric all that nicely and I wanted to avoid ugly seams. Whether or not you sew up the sides is up to you and the behavior of your fabric:


So here's what we've got so far: The sewn-together straps, the waistband, and the skirt we prepared in part 1.


Next, to make sure they fit nicely, we need to gather the bottom of the straps. (The tutorial I linked to at the top of this post recommends sewing a dart instead; if you made a fitted skirt, sewing darts will probably look better. With the gathered skirt I prefer a gathered look on the straps as well.)
To gather the straps to the appropriate width, you need your patient helper again; sew a running stitch along the bottom of the straps, hold it to your doll and gather until it fits like you want it to. (The larger her boobs, the more ruffled the straps will be.) Never mind spreading the ruffles evenly now; we'll do that when we sew the straps to the waistband.


In order to do that, find the middle of the waistband: This is where the seam between the straps should end up.


Pin them together - this is where we spread the ruffles evenly: I pin down the middle of the straps (= the seam) in the middle of the waistband (which we marked in the last step), and go on from there. The width of the straps should be identical.

I like to pin it up like this to be able to sew over the needles without distorting the ruffles. I also like to sew a zig-zag stitch over the edges of both layers; this doesn't mess with the ruffles as much. I add a straight seam afterwards for a more finished look from the outside.

That's our top part done for the moment!

Back to ...

 

Part 3: Adding the skirt to the top

Remember the way we ruffled the halter straps? That's what we're going to do with the skirt. This is also why we left the back seam open. Sew a running stitch along the top, get your helper, and pull to gather until you've got about 1,5 to 2cm overlap. (Closures, remember? ^_~)


The next steps are the same as for the straps again - find the middle on the waistband and the front panel of the skirt, coordinate, spread ruffles evenly, and pin. (I pushed the ruffles aside for the next pic for better visibility.)



Sew like you did with the straps: Zig-zag for the ruffles, straight seam for the finished look. If you made a fitted skirt, you can skip the zig-zagging.

Next, we need to hem the waistband:


Now we can finally close that last open seam on the skirt. Make sure to leave open the topmost few centimetres because your doll's bum will need to fit through that! I also recommend leaving this seam a little wider, it helps with the closures later.


Now we need our helper again. Put the dress on her and gather the tops of the straps like you did with the bottom, only this time I recommend sewing the running stitch while the thing is on the doll for a better fit. (If you made a fitted skirt, proceed like the top tutorial recommends for a ruffle-free look. ^_~)






Repeat for other side.



I didn't take a pic of hemming the bottom. Y'all know how to do that.

Now we need the closures. I chose thin velcro, which I wanted to include in the back seam. If you choose snap fasteners, hem the open part in the back of the skirt first, then sew on the snaps.


As a last step, decide how you want the straps to look in the back. The straps on the green dress attach with snap fasteners because it would be a hassle to put on with sewn-on straps; the ones on the blue are sewn in place. Shorten your straps accordingly and fix in the manner of your choice ^_~


Ta da - you're done!



Lauren and Niamh say thanks for your patience, and if you make a dress, please share pics - they'd love to see your versions. ^_^

 

You're welcome! I'd love to see what you make

 

You're welcome!

 

Oh, that looks lovely! The extra layers add a nice detail. Thanks for sharing!

 

The_Modern_Maiden - that's awesome! Melfina looks super cute in it!

Faith In Beauty, have fun! I'd love to see what you make

Maryian and omare I tried my best Glad you like it!

 

Oh wow, that looks gorgeous! Thank you so much for sharing!

 

So beautiful! I'm glad she liked it, and happy I could help getting Alex more fabulous things

 

You're welcome, I'm glad you like it!
The dress looks wonderful with the lace and bow

 

Glad you like it!

 

Happy you guys like it! Do share pics if you make one

 

I'm glad you like it! Good luck, happy sewing and do share what you make

 

Pretty! No need to be shy, Ruby, you look just fine. The lace adds a nice touch, well done!

Kudos for using a zipper, I try to avoid that whenever possible. Zippers are my nemesis.

 

Good luck and lots of fun!

 

Oh, that's adorable! Nice top variation - it's not a bug, it's a feature

 

*squeeee* Oh, that's adorable! Well done! (And I adore that music-patterned fabric she's standing on! )

Fraycheck can be a real lifesaver with all things fiddly. I'm working on a human-sized project that involves mitered corners and the sewing instructions say "clip seam allowance as close as you dare" and I'm like "dude, I sew for DOLLS. Dare me"

 

You're welcome, and thank you so much! Glad to hear it's comprehensible

 

You're welcome! Hope it helps

 

Any time Curious to see what you make! Have fun

 

Yay!
It's pretty easy if you know some basic sewing.

 

Cute! Nice variation with the top, too

 

Any time!