Monday, August 26

DIY Tie Back Dress

Hello.  My name is Katie and I'm a sucker for Instagram sales.  It's true.  I have bought so many dresses from different "closet clean-out" sales... let's just say that I had to ban myself from looking at those anymore.  I got this dress from a friend on IG-- you might actually remember it from this post.  Here's a little secret: the dress is too small.  That's the thing about buying online, you can't try it on first!  I was wearing it under cardigans and just leaving the back unbuttoned during chillier days, but once summer came around I had to say bye-bye to the dress... until I found a solution.

Here's the dress before.  I know, I know... it's gorgeous and if altering wasn't necessary, I wouldn't have done it.  The little pearly blue buttons are so pretty.  Anyway, here's what I did:

First, I removed the buttons and then stitched up the button holes with a zig zag stitch.  I chose a fabric and cut six 4 1/2 x 6 1/2 strips.  I then folded each one in half and stitched all the way around, leaving one end open (make sure your strip is inside out at this point).  Then I flipped them right-side out and positioned them onto the dress.  I proceeded to stitch them to the edges of the dress, and then I was done!

When you tie the knots they make sweet little bows up your back.  You could either wear this with a bandeau underneath (learn how to make one right here!) or you could use my other solution for backless dresses.

Happy stitching!

46 comments:

  1. You are the cutest. Such an adorable tutorial.

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  2. This is such a cute idea!! Now if only I knew how to sew..

    bisous,
    www.bighipsredlips.com

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  3. This is such an amazing idea! Definitely going to bookmark this. :)

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  4. This is such an amazing idea! Definitely going to bookmark this. :)

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  5. This is the best idea ever! I love it! :)

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  6. This is such a beautiful idea. I love it! :)

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  7. This is SO cute! Such a good idea!

    Helen at "Hels Yeah" xx

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  8. what a smart idea! I think it makes the dress even cuter!

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  9. Great idea! I can't imagine how many things I could have saved and altered if I had seen this post years ago!

    The Occasional Indulgence

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  10. That is such a clever idea. Do you think it would work on a dress with a zip back? Also I think that if you marked the point that the back of your bra sits on your back you could sew a tie in the right place to hide it.

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  11. Okay, you seriously have made me realize that I MUST learn how to sew. This is such a cute idea! And a great idea when buying thigs online and being unsure of whether or not the things will fit

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  12. That is such a cute idea, I have a few dresses with that problem that I just couldn't let go of so I think I'll try this!
    Amia
    www.teapotsandbelles.blogspot.com

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  13. Very cute! I sure wish I had my old sewing machine :S It's doable by hand, but what a pain, right? Haha. Thanks so much for sharing!

    Elyse @ Cuddly as a Cactus

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  14. Great idea! Love it! That color is perfect for ya. :)

    http://sometimesgracefully.com

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  15. What a creative and cute idea! I think I like the dress even better now!

    xo honestly, b.

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  16. What a great idea ad it gave the dress extra cuteness.

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  17. Hi Katie, first off I've been reading your blog for a few years now and you and your family are just the cutest <3 I love this post, I try to do fixer up 'ers like this all the time. Mooost the time they work out... haha. Thanks for sharing <3 xo -Annejelina
    Visit my shop: http://www.etsy.com/shop/CrownofCreationShop

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  18. Absolutely perfect! Why didn't I think of that before! Thanks for sharing and Happy Tuesday!

    Silver from A Silver Snapshot
    http://starthinker-silverbarter.blogspot.ca/
    asilversnapshot@hotmail.com

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  19. I think the bows make a huge improvement to the dress. Love the contrast...Very clever idea, thank you so much for sharing :)
    Jen@madeinminch

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  20. What a cute solution! This looks great!

    -Becca
    Ladyface Blog

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  21. So smart! I think your true calling in life is finding amazing, creative solutions to wardrobe challenges. Seriously!!!

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  22. What a great idea Katie! Love the fabric choice too! You made a fabulous dress even more special.

    :-) Tabitha

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  23. Very cute! I love the pattern and it's a lovely idea to add these little bow, very pretty!
    Kisses
    Melodie
    http://sevenlivesandmore.blogspot.fr/

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  24. This is such a cute idea, I can't wait to try it and experiment with different colors & patterns!!!

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  25. love this! ive got a sort of large ribcage for my height and have the HARDEST time finding dresses that fit, this is the PERFECT solution!

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  26. This is adorable Katie. Even cuter with the ties than with the buttons!

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  27. SO cute! I love the bows. And I love that I'm not the only person that wears things that don't fit properly and just put a coverup shirt/cardigan over! :)

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  28. this is so cute, and I bet it would be the perfect solution for little girls dresses when they just start to outgrow them.

    Mana
    Fashion and Happy Things

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  29. What a great idea of making a dress like that work for you!

    xoxo,
    Laura
    http://lauraisthriftingthroughlife.blogspot.com/

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  30. That's a really great idea! And it looks so cute.

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  31. Oh my gosh. LOVE this! So so cute!

    http://healyrose.wordpress.com/

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  32. I love this idea! It's cute even if the dress does fit correctly but needs a "face lift."

    Thanks for sharing!

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  33. This is so lovely! Thanks for this :)

    Lauren x

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  34. This is such a good idea! Thank you so much for sharing!

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  35. You are a genius. I have about a bajillion too-small dresses that I didn't want to part ways with, hooray now I don't have to!

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  36. Great idea! Check this:) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Lrx3lF1eOQ

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