Dita Von Teese’s Wrap Dress
Well, technically it isn’t her’s as in she didn’t design it. But man, she is owning it. I think wrap dresses are more summer than sundresses. They are the picture of easy dressing and care free style. Although I love the sundress, I think anything that requires a strapless bra looses major points in the easy-to-wear category. The only downside to wrap dress is the inevitable unwrapping. The tie almost always comes loose at some point, and then it’s a wardrobe malfunction in the making. So when I decided to tackle the classic wrap dress, I went for the fake-out route. That’s right, it’s a faux wrap dress. I meant to take pics during the making of this, but the battery was dead on the camera and I didn’t feel like waiting. But anyways, here’s the tutorial:
****If you need help making these shapes, I recommend using a T-shirt you like and adjusting the measurements to match the drawings below*******
1. Find your fabric; I highly recommend cotton-Jersey because it’ll be the most flow-y/breathable dress. I ended up using right at 2 yards of fabric.
2. Since this is a faux dress, one side will always be under the other. We are calling that the inner layer. Cut as follows:
******Update******
For “Waist” in each drawing, measure your natural waist around and divide by 2. So each panel “waist” will be 1/2 your waist measurement.
Your shoulder seam is measured from the base of your neck to directly over your arm pit.
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3. The layer which will be on top of the inner layer is the outer later. Cut as follows:
4. And the back:
5. Cut sleeves (if desired):
6. Gather shoulders on all pieces (inner, outer, and back) until they match your shoulder seam +1″ (for seam allowance)
7. Sew front and back sections together at the shoulder and side seam. If you want sleeve, add here prior to doing side seam (see this tutorial steps 12-15)
Repeat for outer layer
8. Roll the edges to finish. This will include your hem
9. Use chalk to mark your waistline all the way around the dress. Using elastic thread in your bobbin, sew long this line all the way around.
10. Now we are going to close the dress but securing each side. First, sew the edge of the OUTER layer to the opposite side. Then repeat with the inner. You should sew from the arm-pit to about 1″ below the waist. In the below image, I left out one side so hopefully it’s a little more clear. 
Now all you need to do is make a sash and you’re done!
My attempt at styling like Dita
I love it!!! I scheduled a post on Craft Gossip to point to your tutorial:
http://sewing.craftgossip.com/tutorial-jersey-knit-wrap-dress/2011/06/20/
(Link will go live tomorrow morning.)
–Anne
This is amazing! I am currently doing Me Made June, and I think this would be a great a simple addition to my wardrobe! Thanks so much for sharing1
I Love wrap dresses. it would be so nice to make one to fit me perfectly in every color of the rainbow. Thanks!
Your tutorial is amazing! the best one i’ve read yet! Just one question; the diagram states that the shoulder of the dress should be the length of ‘your’ shoulder seams 1.5x what exactly does that mean?
I would truly appreciate your help, thanks again for a great tutorial!
Ardiana, I’ve added another step on how o find your shoulder seam. Thanks for pointed it out! Happy sewing!
This is great!What a great tutorial!I’m visiting from 101 summer sewing tutorials roundup. Have a great day! http://runwithglitter.blogspot.com
This is great. So versatile. And the tutorial is really clear. Thanks!
this is beautiful! I am now on the hunt for pretty knit fabric!
Hi, Your tutorioal is amazing and so easy to follow! I’ve made one of these now
Just wondering do you have any tuts for a wrap around around dress that you actually have to wrap around because I really want to make one for textiles. Thanks for writing such a clear set of instruction again! 
You are so sweet! I’m glad you could make a version. I’d be happy to post a pic of your creation if you want to see yourself on the site
I do have a more traditional wrap dress tutorial : http://iheartjennysart.com/2012/01/winter-wrap-dress/
Enjoy!
Where are steps 12-15 for the sleeves?
There is a link to the steps 12-15 are in the tutorial for the Hot Pink T-shirt dress: http://iheartjennysart.com/2011/03/hot-pink-t-shirt-dress/ Happy Sewing!
I’m confused – both fronts show waist measurements – should the full waist measurement be halved for each front piece and the full waist measurement be for the back?
Good catch! I’ve updated the tutorial. Typically I measure the front and back of my body for each measurement, which is why I forgot the label. But for this tutorial, “Waist” in the diagrams is 1/2 your waist measurement. So each front panel will be 1/2 waist measurement, and the back panel will be 1/2 waist measurement. Hope that helps. Happy sewing!