Make a Dress from a Fitted Bedsheet

Trying to find dresses that both fit and are affordable can be very difficult, and making your own is both time consuming and often no cheaper. This simple-to-make dress can be made very cheaply, has an elasticized waist (so no pesky zips or buttonholes) and requires minimal sewing.

Steps

  1. Find or buy a fitted bed sheet.
    • Fitted bedsheets are the type which have elastic at both ends, to hold the sheet onto the bed. While you can still make this dress with a normal sheet it will require more effort as you will have to sew the elastic in yourself.
    • You will need either a double (135cm/53 inches wide) or king (150cm/59 inches wide) sized fitted bed sheet, depending on your size and the size of skirt that you want.
    • Check that you can't see through the material from any side, no matter how hard you look. If there is any simple, or even non-simple, way to see through it, don't use it - it will show your underwear, guaranteed. This trumps everything else, from sales to pushy store employees to softness and comfort. This may be a problem with cheap or pale coloured sheets.
    • If you are recycling an old sheet, make sure it doesn't have any worn patches or marks.
  2. Find the corners of your sheet. These will be near where the elasticized parts end, you can identify them by the seams there. Find the place where the seam starts (not at the edge of the sheet)
  3. Cut along the length of your sheet from corner to corner on both non-elasticized sides. The line to cut along is usually clear from the creases from the way the sheet is folded in the packet.
  4. Unpick the corner seams. When tackling the elasticated part, be careful that you don't lose the elastic inside the rest of the sheet. Then put the side pieces to one side so you can work on the main part of the sheet.
  5. Measure from just under your bust to where you want the skirt to fall. Just above the knee is usually a good length for this type of skirt, if you aren't sure.
    • It's often a good idea to get a friend to help with this step, as measuring yourself can be difficult. If you do do this yourself, make sure you don't bend down to check the measurement, you'll end up making it shorter than you intended.
  6. Cut the sheet to double the length you just measured, measuring from one of the elasticized ends.
  7. Pin the elastic together to form a circle, and check that you are able to stretch the elastic enough to wear it, and that it isn't too loose or too tight around your waist. When you're happy with this, sew the ends of the elastic together.
  8. Sew the length of the sheet together. This should leave you with a tube of fabric with one elasticized end.
  9. Fold the material back on itself so you have a double thickness tube of fabric. The "rough" side of your fabric should be on the inside. Make sure you keep the seam lined up at the top.
  10. Sew the tops of the fabric together. Stretch out the elastic to make this job easier.
  11. Turn the skirt the right way around and try it on, make sure that it is the right length and that it fits you. There should be plenty of extra stretch in the elastic when taking it on and off, as you will lose some of the elasticity when you attach the top part of the dress.
  12. Take one of the side pieces of the sheet and, with the hem at the top, wrap it around you, underneath your arms, crossing the hems over at the front.
  13. Cut off the excess length of the material.
  14. Tuck the top into the skirt and pin the top part to the skirt where the hems cross over and at each side.
  15. Mark the line where the top of the dress will meet the skirt, while wearing the dress, with pins in the top part of the dress. Do not pin to the skirt.
  16. Take off the dress and stretch out the skirt enough to sew the top part of the dress to it, following the line you marked with the pins.
  17. Sew the back of the dress to the skirt, once again stretching out the skirt just enough to do this.
  18. Cut off any excess material from the top.

The Straps

  1. Try on your dress and decide where you want the straps to go. (If you don't want straps on your dress, skip to the next section)
  2. Cut a long piece of material, from the excess from the top, about 3 inches wide.
  3. Fold the material in half and sew along the edge.
  4. Turn the resulting tube the right way around.
  5. Sew on your straps
    • For shoulder straps, cut the tube in half and sew to the back of the dress. Put the dress on and pin the straps to the front, so you get the right length, then sew them on.
    • For a halterneck, put the dress on and pin the tube to the front on either side so that it is comfortable around your neck.

The Sash

  1. Cut the remaining side piece to a width of 5 inches, and fold in half lengthwise
  2. Sew along the length of this piece.
  3. Measure around yourself, while wearing the dress, where the top of the dress meets the skirt.
  4. Cut the tube so that it is that length, plus approximately 2 inches.
  5. Sew one end together, then turn the tube inside out so the rough edges are on the inside. Turn the unsewn end in on itself so the edges are not visible.
  6. Fashion a bow or other decoration out of the remaining length of tube.
  7. Sew the decoration onto the closed end of the tube.
  8. Decide where you want the bow or decoration to be, whether at the front of the dress or at the back and, while wearing the dress, pin the other end of the tube to the dress, so that when wrapped around the decoration will be in the correct place.
  9. Sew the tube into place.
  10. Sew two poppers at the finished end of the tube (the end with the decoration), and sew the corresponding parts to the tube near where it is attached to the dress, so that when wrapped around the belt is neither too loose nor too tight.
  11. Make any finishing touches or alterations that you wish to make.
  12. Finished.

Things You'll Need

  • Fitted bed sheet (either double or king sized)
  • Needle (or sewing machine)
  • Thread
  • 2 popper fasteners

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