I’ll be the first to admit, as much as I’m not a prude, I can’t go strapless. It has to do with, ahem, other things.
So with the heat of summer upon us, I was flipping through my sundresses. (I’m not much of a shorts person – when it gets hot, I pull out the dresses. If I’m going to swelter, I still wanna look decent.) Anyway, I stumbled on to this one, which has always been a favorite, even though I haven’t worn it much.
On a whim, I decided to add straps, and now I can’t wear it enough. Well, in between washings anyway!
Start by trying on the dress.
Mark the spot where you need to add the straps with a pin – both front and back for one side. You might need a hand to mark the back!
Fold the front of the dress in half to mark the strap placement for the other side. Repeat for the back straps.
To make the straps, cut strips of fabric 3″ wide. I used bottomweight cotton twill.
I discovered after putting this together, that a 13″ length will work great. The length shown in the photo, is 15″ – it just depends on how much extra you’d like. And of course, you can always hold the strips up to the dress, and get a feel forhow long you’ll need them before you add them on!
Fold the strips in half lengthwise, trim one end at an angle, and stitch up with side.
Once you’ve stitched, trim the end, and cut to the length you’d like if you haven’t already.
Turn the strips right side out.
Press with an iron and topstitch.
Pin to the inside of the dress in the spots that you’ve marked. One strip for each of the four markings.
Using a thread that matches the dress, stitch the straps in. Be sure to pull the stretchy elastic out as your stitch, or the elastic won’t stretch anymore!
All finished! Try in on and tie the straps up at the top!
Post if you have any questions! And my apologies for the couple of first photos being blurry! I always think that my iphone 4 takes great pictures – until I compare them to my canon!! LOL
Have a lovely Monday!
Leave a Reply