Sewing: Week Forty Eight: White Bat Wing Dress Tutorial

The bat wing dress is back. I made this back in April of 2014 and it’s such an easy and fun sewing tutorial. My original post – bat wing dress – lead you back to Mollytov’s site for the full tutorial, however, it’s now gone. As a result, here (after searching the internet and piecing bits of info together) I have a version of the tutorial – all you’ll need.

What You Need

2 yards of jersey stretch fabric
matching thread
serger
scissors
pins
iron
ironing board

Measurements

First, you’ll need to take some measurements – measure your hips and your forearm. Write down those numbers.

Now, below you’ll see a screen shot of a Pinterest Pin – this is key. Before you use those measurements and cut your fabric, do two things. Measure from the nape of your neck down to you waist (where you want the gathering of the skirt to start). On me, this is about 20 inches, not 18. So I add in 2 inches to the length of the body. Also, I take away 2 inches from the neck – a 10 inch opening is far too big (it shows the straps of my tank tops when I wear one underneath). I suggest putting on a top with a neck you like and then measure it to get an idea.

Time to Cut

Once your measurements are done – time to cut out your pieces. For this white bat wing dress tutorial I cut out 4 body pieces so I could double them up (just like the skirt and the cuffs, since they are folded) – if your fabric is a tad sheer, I suggest doing the same.

Time to Sew

The next step once everything is cut is to sew the body together. With right sides together, seam the sides of the body and the shoulders. Press.

Then, it’s time for the seams on the neck piece, the cuffs and the skirt. With right sides together, serge along the side seam. Press the seam.

Now, time to attach the neck and then the cuffs. Fold the neck piece in half like a hot dog, wrong sides together (the seam will be on the inside). Press. Pin right sides together around the neck and serge. Press when you’re done.

Repeat the process for the cuffs and then the skirt.

Done

That’s it – this white bat wing dress tutorial is easy once you take all of your measurements and cut the fabric. Here is the grey one I made last time – it looks better me than on my mannequin.