Since Upcycling is a great way to transform and add to your wardrobe, why not consider upcyling your next dress. In need of a new dress for a beach date or another occasion that requires a casual dress? Read along to learn the steps to upcycle your next dress.
Materials
To begin, gather up the following materials:
- 1 skein super fine weighted yarn complementary to your dress color
- Thread complementary to your dress color
- Dress
- Crochet needle (G)
The steps to follow to upcycle your dress are fairly simple, depending on your skill level. This tutorial is suitable for beginners who have had some experience reading crochet patterns and sewing simple projects. Since our passion is crocheting and sewing, we've combined both for creating this dress. Just to give you a little back story, this is the explanation of our upcoming store name Sew Cris-Croche. It's a play of words on sewing and crochet, pronounced so cris crosh. In this tutorial we'll be sewing a crocheted belt to the dress. We'll go through the following steps from start to finish:
- Purchase your dress
- Crochet the belt
- Sew the belt to the dress
- Remove the inner lining behind the belt (optional)
Purchase Your Dress
The best place to find a dress worthy for upcycling is your local yard sale. You'll find plenty of options at an extremely cheap price. If there isn't an abundance of yard sales in your area, your local thrift store is the next best option. For this tutorial, you'll want to find a dress that has a seam around the waistline, similar to the one below.
Crochet The Belt
Once you've purchased your dress, the next step is to crochet the belt. You can find the free crochet pattern on our blog. The pattern is straight forward and suitable for beginners. Use a yarn color that is complementary to your dress. Though we used blue to add some color to our black and white dress, black would have been more suitable. We used a super fine (1) weighted yarn so that the belt is not too bulky. Specifically 1 skein of Loops & Threads Woollike in Denim Blue.
The belt is comprised of a center portion and two end pieces. When you've completed 8 rows, the center portion of your belt should look like this:
The belt is comprised of a center portion and two end pieces. When you've completed 8 rows, the center portion of your belt should look like this:
Continue crocheting the pattern. Each end piece will be shorter than the center portion, and look like this:
Once you've completed the center portion and both end pieces of the belt, the next step is to join them together. Place one of the end pieces together with the center portion by lining up the sides.
Repeat for both end pieces.
Following the pattern, the end pieces are joined to the center portion with a row of single crochets.
Following the pattern, the end pieces are joined to the center portion with a row of single crochets.
Sew The Belt To The Dress
Once you've crocheted the belt, it's time to sew it to the dress. Pin the belt to the dress, making sure the bottom of the belt is lined up along the seam line. You don't want to disturb the seam, it must remain intact. You'll be sewing the belt to the front side of the dress just slightly above the seam. Pin from side seam to side seam. The belt will only be attached to the front of the dress.
Sew the belt to the bottom part of the dress about 1/4 inch from the seam, using a short, straight stitch and sewing from side seam to side seam. Then sew the top part of the belt to the dress from side seam to side seam in the same manner.
Remove The inner lining Behind The Belt (optional)
Now that the belt is attached, you have the option to remove the inner lining behind the belt. If you choose to, it will give your dress a more risque look since your bear skin will be exposed through the belt. Remove the inside lining by cutting out a rectangle from side seam to side seam, being careful not to cut the seams you just sewed, or the side seams.
Your dress is now complete! The only thing left to do is to put it on and wear it to your next occasion. You'll feel comfortable and stylish, not to mention proud of the fact that you've attained a new addition to your wardrobe for only a fraction of the price you'd normally pay. Here is our finished product. We'd love to see how yours turned out. Visit our blog and post a link of your finished product. Better yet show us a photo of you having fun in your dress at your special occasion. If you come across any difficulties with the crochet pattern, let us know! We'd love to help resolve it.
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