One thing I have wanted to do is to make a dress from a top pattern. So when I had a chance, making a dress from a tunic pattern became a my next project. The process was much easier than I had thought it would be, and the results turned out really well.
The Inspiration
Above is the inspiration, although I knew I wanted to make mine a bit different. The sleeves and collar in particular would match the actual pattern I was using. At some point, I might like to change up the collar into a more traditional collar like the photo.
My Process
The first thing I had to do is re-trace the pattern. For this, I used the Linda Tunic pattern by Angela Wolf Patterns. Next came extending the pattern pieces (front and back) so that it would be at whatever dress length I wanted. Pockets were also being added, so I needed to make sure to trace a pocket pattern that I could use for the in-seam pockets. By the way, I chose this pattern because the lines of the inspiration photo reminded me of this top. This is something I’ve made many time before so I already had the short sleeve pattern made.
I made sure to measure from back neck to the length I wanted. Here is a picture of the front pattern piece.
I did a slash and spread at the bottom starting at just around the hip area in order to make the dress wearable. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be able to walk in the dress.
The same thing was done to the back piece as well.
The Results
Everything really came together easily with this project. The fabric, which I had in my fabric stash, is a rayon fabric I think. It’s perfect for this because it has really nice drape to it.
Making the muslin for this was very important since I really wasn’t sure how this would look. I had to check the walkability of the dress and whether or not I liked the length. Each time I do something like this, the results get better and better. And as you can see, your inspiration and your project don’t have to be exact. You can use your inspiration photo to expand your own creativity and skills.
Here’s my post from my LTK: https://liketk.it/6fQJg *Affiliate link
I encourage you to give something like this a try if you want to. Just be sure to take the time needed to get a successful result!
