Hello, and welcome to another free sewing tutorial that is ideal for beginners who would like to sew a simple dress. The floral fabric and the ribbon tie straps help give this slip mini dress a fairycore vibe.
I used a lightweight woven fabric which is easy to sew since it’s not stretchy or slippery. If you have enough fabric I would recommend cutting your slip dress on the bias to give it a bit of stretch. This will give your dress a lovely drape and also help it fit even if your weight fluctuates a bit. The ribbon tie straps are also another working detail that helps the dress be somewhat adjustable. Of course, this pattern includes a pocket, which is always an essential, even if it is just a single one.
Materials required:
- a piece of chalk or a water soluble marker
- a grading ruler and/or measuring tape
- Fabric scissors
- approximately 1m (1.1 yds) of fabric
- matching thread
- a slip dress that fits you
How to cut out the fabric pieces for the simple slip dress
Step 1
First things first, if you would like your mini slip dress to have a little bit of stretch, you need to cut it on the bias. Don’t do this if you don’t have enough fabric for it, just fold your fabric in half normally. To cut on the bias you need to fold your fabric diagonally as shown in the image below. The diagonal angle is 45 degrees.
If this is confusing take note of the selvage, the woven edge of the fabric, which in the case of my fabric is the white strip with words printed on it. I wanted my mini slip dress to have a v-neckline so I just drew it when I cut out my dress by straightening and extending the neckline. The pocket opening I made is 15cm/6 inches wide and is extended about 1.5cm/0.6 inch from the side seam. I only added 1 pocket since I was running out of fabric lol. But 1 is better than no pockets.
After you cut out 1 of the dress pieces, use it to cut out the other dress piece.
Step 2
Cut out 2 pieces for the side ties each 4 by 56cm/1.6 by 22 inches. This is optional but I personally prefer to have my waist cinched in a bit.
Step 3
Now, cut out the pocket pieces about 15cm/6 inches wide. You’ll need 2 pieces for each pocket. Use the image below as a guide for the shape.
Step 4
Cut out 2 neckline facing pieces, about 5cm/2 inches wide. I curved the facing along the V-neck so it would be easier to attach the binding. You can finish the edge of your facings by doing a zig-zag stitch or overlocking, or whatever you prefer.
Remember to also cut out 2 pieces of fusile interfacing the same size as the facings. Iron the interfacing to the neckline facings to attach it.
Step 5
Lastly, cut out 4cm/1.6 inch wide binding pieces to finish the armholes and for the adjustable tie straps. You will need 2 pieces about 110cm/43.3 inches long each. Obviously it will be difficult to cut pieces that long so you’ll have to cut shorter pieces and sew them together, which I will show you later.
How to Sew the Pockets
This is optional (but highly recommended!) However it’s completely understandable if you don’t have the time these days.
Step 1
Sew each pocket to the pocket opening with 1cm/0.4 inch seam allowance.
Step 2
This is optional because you can finish your seams (or not) however you like. But I chose to use some bias tape that I had bought ages ago.
Sew the bias tape to the seam with the right side of the bias tape against the wrong side of the seam. I did a 3mm/0.1 inch seam allowance, and then I also trimmed the seam allowance a bit if the binding was difficult to fold.
Then I folded, pressed/ironed, and then sewed the binding around the raw edge of the seam.
How to sew the simple slip dress
Step 1
Fold the waist ties in half lengthwise and sew into a tube with 0.5cm/0.2 inch seam allowance. You can also sew across the width of each tie on one end so that there will be no raw edges when you turn them out. Before turning each tie out, cut off the corner seam allowance so that the ties won’t have too much bulk. After turning them out, press/iron the ties flat.
Step 2
Sew the dress front to the dress back right sides together with a 1cm seam allowance. You must also insert each tie where your waist is, mine is about 15cm/6 inches down from the armholes. If you are sewing a pocket make sure that the pocket and it’s seam are pressed outwards as shown in the image below.
You can finish the side seams however you prefer, I chose to also do binding for my side seams, I just left about 1cm at the beginning and end of the seams unfinished so that the facing/hem wouldn’t be too bulky.
Step 3
First finish off the edges of the neckline facings if you would like. As you can see I chose to finish off the raw edges by binding them.
Then sew each neckline facing to the dress neckline right sides together with 1cm seam allowance. Before turning the necklines out, make sure to cut a notch in the V of each neckline, as shown in the photo below. Then turn out the necklines and press/iron flat.
Step 4
Sew each of the neckline seams to the facing as close to the seam as you can, referencing the photo below. Then press/iron the necklines once more so that the facing is folded out of sight.
Step 5
Make sure that your dress is your desired length before finishing the hem. It might also be a good idea to finish the adjustable tie straps first before sewing the hem. But, as always, it’s up to you.
For the hem of the slip mini dress I simply folded over 0.5cm/0.2 inch of fabric over and sewed it down. Then I folded over another 0.5cm/0.2 inch of fabric over and sewed it down too. This method ensures that the fabric won’t fray at the hem.
How to sew the adjustable tie straps
Step 1
This step is only if you need to join pieces of bias tape so that your straps are long enough. But you’ll most likely need to do this step.
Join 2 pieces of bias tape by placing them right sides together and sewing a diagonal seam with 0.5cm/0.2 inch seam allowance. You may have to cut off some of the bias tape before/after sewing as you don’t want extra bulk in your straps. Use the image below to guide you.
Step 2
Sew the bias tape to the armholes of the dress with the right side of the bias tape to the wrong side of the dress. The seam allowance should be 1cm/0.5 inch. The angle of the dress armholes made this tricky so I actually started sewing the bias tape at the side seam of the dress.
Step 3
Fold the bias tape and press/iron each of the long edges down by about 1cm/0.4 inch and then fold and iron again so that the raw edges are inside. You should also press the armhole seams to they are facing outwards.
Step 4
Sew the bias tape closed, as close to the edge as you can. But make sure that you are sewing both sides together. You can also trim and then fold the ends of the straps so that the loose ends are hidden away.
And now your simple mini slip dress with adjustable tie straps is complete!
More Free Fairycore Sewing Tutorials
This slip dress is made with the same fabric as my simple half circle skirt, which is another free sewing tutorial on my blog. I plan to wear this slip dress under the skirt to create another fairycore outfit.
If you are looking for another fairycore skirt here is my tiered maxi skirt pattern that also has an elastic waistband and pockets. Otherwise, if you are looking for something a bit different there’s another one of my free sewing patterns, a maxi dress with French seams, pockets, as well as elasticated straps and a waistband. So far I have one tutorial for a more formal fairycore dress which is the red satin slip dress with organza ruffles (and pockets of course!).
And if skirts or dresses are too feminine for you, there’s always my simple shorts with pockets tutorial, or the patchwork pants tutorial, and the free pattern for summery trousers with ribbon side ties!
A sewing project that’s quick and easy but also fits the whimsical fairycore vibe is scrunchies. And I have tutorials for 2 variations: a simple scrunchie and a ruffle scrunchie.
DIY not AI
If you are sick and tired of being bamboozled by those too perfect AI images and want some inspiration from actual human beings, my Pinterest board, DIY NOT AI, awaits. This is the link, AKA magical portal, that will take you there. DIY NOT AI is also a group board that is OPEN TO CONTRIBUTORS!!! Whether you’re a crocheter, seamstress, knitter, or any other kind of DIY/handicraft creator this is The Place for you to promote your work to people who appreciate REAL quality over quantity. So what are you waiting for? Shoot me a dm on Pinterest to be added!
And that’s all for today folks! If you have any questions please comment below and I, or perhaps a kind internet stranger, will assist you.
Lots of love & light,
Maria