How to make a Tube Dress + FREE Sewing Pattern

by | May 1, 2014 | Dresses, Dresses for less | 0 comments

Tube dress come maxi skirt tutorial

Tube dress

I know I always say many of my tutorials are easy. But seriously, this is beyond easy. It requires TWO seams. That’s it!

The trick with this dress come maxi skirt is in the choice of fabric. I was given a huge bag of fabric by a friend. Amongst the

Cut dress from fabric

fabrics was this navy heavyweight cotton knit. It has a bit of stretch, is a nice weight – not too thin – and the edges don’t need hems. Perfect. It’s probably a Ponte fabric.

(Please ignore the tiny nick in the top left corner of my fabric in the photo. Not supposed to be there. The

Stitch centre back seam

fabric came with it)

You need: –
fabric
matching colour thread
sewing machine
unbendable elastic

You do: –
I’m not going to show a pattern because I cut this dress straight

Fold over top and sew tube

from the fabric. You need three measurements.

  1. Measure around your chest under your arms. Add 8 centimetres. That is the top width of your dress. 
  2. Measure from under your arms to your knees. Add 5 centimetres. This is the length of your dress. 
  3. Lastly take your first measurement and add 8 centimetres to get the width at the bottom of the dress.
I folded my fabric in half to cut on the fold. I halved the top and

Tube dress with a belt

bottom measurements. The length stays the same. Next cut the dress.

Sew the centre back seam. 
Fold over top to create a space for your elastic. Make sure the space is wide enough for the elastic to fit. Sew top leaving a small opening to insert elastic.
Strapless Dress Pattern excludes seam allowances

Measure your elastic under your arms to make sure it’s a snug – NOT tight – fit.  Slide elastic into top casing and sew ends together. 

If you want your dress short, just cut it shorter. It doesn’t need a hem.
That’s it. Tube dress done. You can wear it plain or with this OBI belt. Find the instructions – here.
You can change the shape of the dress by cutting it straight and not adding extra width at the bottom. Just make sure measurement 1. is wide enough to fit over your hips. 
Or you can make the lower measurement even wider to create more of an A line shape to the dress.
Find more tutorials and DIYs in the Greenie Galleries at the top of the page.
See you next week.
Greenie.

P.S. A friend who has a daughter in the fashion industry kindly came back to me with the name of this fabric. It’s called one way stretch, jersey knit.

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