Sewing: Racerback Dress

So, about 2 weeks ago I was at a BBQ and this one girl had on this awesome racerback dress. I didn’t know her and she was busy with her two kids, so I didn’t want to intrude. Yes, lululemon. Drats. Why? Because it’s likely sold out! I fell in love with lulu’s in the sun dress. It’s adorable and functional. Could I find it? No. What did I do? I made one (well, kinda).

What You Need

a racerback tank
a skirt you like the shape of
1 yard of fabric
matching thread
machine (I used only my serger)

Okay – so for the pattern. I just threw one together quickly…grabbed a lulu racerback tank I had and a skirt that I liked and then traced the dress out (front and back). The most technical part was the racer back – make it a little bigger at first, if you’re nervous, that way you’re not left with a little back if you mess up a bit.

I used standard thread to stitch together the front and back at the shoulders and then the sides. For the hem and the arms I did something a little different. I used this sulky thread and serged the edges – leaving it raw and unfinished. I like the look for this casual dress. The variation in the thread gives the dress some interest – plus, it saved me from hemming over all the edges! Bonus!!

If you use the same thread I did (a colour variation one) be sure to start and finish somewhere less noticeable since unless the colours match up, the transition will be highly visible. For each arm I did it at the bottom where the front and back meet. On the hem, I matched it up at one of the seams and same on the collar.

Looks neat, eh? So fun.

This dress is super comfy and cost me about 4$ with the thread and all – hands down a better price than lulu’s 98$. I could make 24 for that much cash! haha.