DIY Tie-Front Striped Dress for the 4th of July!

7:00 AM

DIY Tie Front Dress
My idea of a perfect 4th of July dress is bright, colorful, cool, comfy and cute. Which brings me to this dress. 
My dress is inspired by this Mara Hoffman dress that retails for $425.
DIY Tie Front Dress
My dress started with the fabric. I lucked up and found a fabric that was very similar to the one used in my inspiration dress to give me a real "See It! Sew It! Style It!" moment. It's this multicolored bold striped cotton from Mood Fabrics.com. Unfortunately, this fabric is so amazing that it's sold out. The good ones always sell fast.
To achieve my inspiration dress, it was all about the empire style bodice.
I had to reach way back in my pattern filing cabinet and dig out 10 year old McCall Patterns 5381, that's been long discontinued.
The first thing I need to do was to modify the bodice. I cut the size 14. The bodice came in two parts: there are pieces that look like bra cups and the overlay pieces that tie in the front.
DIY Tie Front Dress
I omitted that bra cup pieces and cut 4 pieces of the overlay instead, the additional 2 pieces are the lining. I shortened the ties to 6 inches. And I created the cutout in the CF of the skirt.
DIY Tie Front Dress
For the skirt pieces, I left the length as it was. I wanted a length that was shorter than a maxi, but slightly longer than a midi. I like the length where the dress was hitting on the model in the inspiration photo.
DIY Tie Front Dress
I omitted the zipper. Since my bodice is open, it allowed me enough room to slide the dress on over my head. And I also widened my straps to one inch wide.
DIY Tie Front Dress
I could've cut the back of the skirt on the fold, but I cut 2 instead. I wanted the stripe pattern to appear more balanced.
DIY Tie Front Dress
And I finished my dress with a blind 2 inch hem.

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22 comments

  1. Perfect summer party dress!
    Have fun!

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  2. Love it. Sew summery.

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  3. Colorful, cool and pretty. Happy 4th!

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  4. Great dress for summer. And it is amazing that simply changing the widths of the shoulder straps makes such a difference in the bodice.

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  5. I know I already commented on Instagram but I just had to say it again yours is so much better than the inspiration dress. I like your fabric much better. I'm crushing on this dress.

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  6. This dress is beautiful. I agree with Tanya. It is so much better than the inspiration photo. I loved how you placed the stripes. Those happy vibrant colors make it such a fun dress. Love it - gorgeous!

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  7. Looks wonderful on you. Another great reason for sewing to get what you want.

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  8. Such a fun dress! Great job recreating the dress!

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  9. Absolutely love this dress Ms. E!!

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  10. I love this! Bold stripes make this dress so amazing.

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  11. This is wonderful! So sad the fabric is sold out.

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    Replies
    1. I know. The fabulous fabric always goes fast. Thanks Lisette!

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