quickie dress that anybody can make - Infinity Dress and link to tutorial

[fyrefairee]

I'm so looking forward to making this dress once I finish the projects I'm working on at the moment - I have some gorgeous purple stretch lined up, ready to go

[elderflower]

Keeping the Flame Alive
Many thanks to Rostitchery for this dress.  I should think this thread will go on forever as each new generation of craftsters discovers it anew.  Anyway this is my contribution to the thread.

It was the Rostitchery infinity dress that first led me to Craftster so it seems appropriate that my first post should be of my version of the dress.  This was made as a homecoming present for my daughter who came home for Christmas.  She hadn’t been home in almost a year and it seemed like it had been forever – so an infinity dress was suitable.  I did a half circle skirt rather than the full circle.  It took 2.5 metres and about a day to make.  I haven’t got a picture of her wearing it but it looks lovely on her.  She is thrilled with its versatility and the fact that it drapes so nicely and makes just about any figure look good.

The card is Buzz Lightyear of course.  I got the picture off the internet and wrote To Infinity and Beyond over it and Welcome Home on the inside.
Here are two other ways to wear it.



I had a lot of fun making this and loved the freedom of working without a paper pattern. 

Running with scissors rules!

[hampshirebabe]

Incase any one wants help with the circle bit, try this http://www.rkm.com.au/calculators/calculator-circle-sphere.html Especialy to get the hole in the middle the right size.
I'm off to buy some fabric!

[Marion.J]

My dress.
Thank you so much for the tutorial!

http://a4.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/221852_1895594981966_1004322812_2174995_97716_n.jpg

[Stars_Fire_17]

My dress.
Thank you so much for the tutorial!

http://a4.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/221852_1895594981966_1004322812_2174995_97716_n.jpg

oh wow thats gorgeous. Great color and it looks fantastic

[McJulie-O]

My dress.
Thank you so much for the tutorial!

http://a4.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/221852_1895594981966_1004322812_2174995_97716_n.jpg

Wow! How many yards did that take?? Just wondering?

[McJulie-O]

Incase any one wants help with the circle bit, try this http://www.rkm.com.au/calculators/calculator-circle-sphere.html Especialy to get the hole in the middle the right size.
I'm off to buy some fabric!

This should help a lot!

[pixie24]

signed up for craftser a few days ago NOT because of this dress but for the cooking threads. coincidentally i've also been searching the net for a floor length infinity dress. and lo and behold my search led me back here.

i'm attending a cousin's wedding in 2 weeks and only recently did i realize that the dress code is uber strictly formal (and it specifically says long gowns for women. damn, i had a cute cocktail dress picked out already.) i am on a weight loss period so i didn't want to buy a long gown which will likely cost more. i did some dress window shopping and i fell in love with this flowy dress that fit me perfectly but as expected, it was out of budget. then i remembered this infinity dress my mom had waaay back in the 80's which my grandma made for her. unfortunately the dress has long retired and so did my grandma. and my mom can't sew. my cousin also has a short infinity dress which she bought a while back. though hers was short. so i tried looking for an infinity dress coz i figured that it would be cheaper plus it's very versatile. plus i figured it would be easy to take in when i finally reach my desired weight. unfortunately, the ones i saw were more casual looking like my cousin's. the formal looking ones online are ridiculously expensive. then heaven sent me this link: http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=303004.0

not only is this dress gorgeous, but the flow is almost the same feel with the out of budget dress i fell in love with! and it can totally save me tons of money (i can probably even buy new shoes to match) my concern is, though i love making things with my hands, i've never made a dress from scratch. (oh but i did make an apron way back in high school ) so i wasn't so convinced i can do this. then i got to this thread and 143 pages later, i said "maybe i can do this afterall"

so i did make a test dress on a barbie doll. i used stretchy fabric from a discarded t-shirt. tag said it was 91% cotton, 9% spandex. i used the half circle technique since i figured a floor length skirt would need A LOT of fabric using the circle technique. also i didn't put the band because barbie's waist size is inhumanely small. hand stitching the band was pain so i decided to ditch it. plus i remember my mom's and cousin's infinity dresses didn't have the band. that portion will be covered by the straps anyway. i think the barbie test dress turned out OK for someone who never sewn anything from scratch before (save for the mandatory high school projects). but after actually sewing it (even if it's just a sample) i kinda felt nervous about making the actual dress. (i'd hate to waste fabric that could've been used for something else)

here are my issues (sorry if some of them would sound dumb. but i just really am not a sewing person):

1. the stretchy fabric was difficult to cut and sew. i did mark it so i know where to cut but sometimes when you hold it it kinda gets skewed and all that so the cut gets a little crooked. but then the fabric i used will of course be different from the fabric i will need for the actual gown.

2. jersey seems to be a popular material used (or want to be used) in this thread. i did some research and silk jersey seems to be a nice fabric for a formal dress. but it sounds expensive though. is that ok to use? or is there a cheaper alternative that would achieve a similar look?

3. now how do i buy the fabric. i mean, i've never bought fabric in my life. from what i've read it's usually sold by the yard. so for example i need 1 yard for the width of the half circle and let's say two yards for the length of the skirt. so do i ask for a 1 yard x 2 yard cloth?

4. do you think it's ok to hand sew this even if it's floor length? i don't have a sewing machine. my grandma did leave me hers but i passed it on to my cousin since i don't sew. (i took more of the cooking side in the family's creative genes). i did see one of those stapler looking sewing things one time which sell for a dollar. i'm thinking of buying on at least for the skirt part. but i don't know if those things work (i mean, $1 sewing machine?)

5. the band kinda confused me. but after reading all those feedback on it, i think get it. but i'm thinking of putting it in front rather than at the back. so when it all comes together the order coming from the inside of the dress going out will be straps sown to the skirt sown to the band. sort of like a very thin band just to give it a finished look. what do you think? or i'll probably cross the bridge when i get there.

6. well, this one is not an issue. just a though on the bust support. 2 ideas: a)i have those triangular pads usually found in swimsuit cups. maybe i can place it on when i wear it and just tie the straps well so it doesn't fall off (and some double sided for added help). b) since my skirt is going to start under the bust, i'll just make a separate tube with the same material for added support. i don't want to sew it in so i wouldn't need to take it off later on if i decide on a wrap style that doesn't need it.

so i guess that's it. sorry for the long post. i held it in for 143 pages. lol. i just need to muster enough courage to do this.

[RoaneFaery]

Hopefully some other people will jump in here too but I will attempt to answer some of your questions.

1. Yes, stretchy fabric is more difficult because it stretches. Remember that when you cut your skirt start with a small hole.. you can make it bigger but it is much harder to make smaller.

2. You might ask for advice on a fabric when you go to the store. Hopefully someone can help you with your choice if they know what you want to do with it.  And actually looking at the fabric will give you more of an idea of how it will look finished.  Not sure about the pricing of silk jersey though. A jersey knit is a good choice for this because it will not need to be hemmed.  And pick one that looks the same on both sides.

3. Fabric comes wrapped on a bolt. It is a specific width (like 52 inches) and then many yards long.  The trick with a floor length is that you are unlikely to find fabric wide enough to make the skirt in one piece.  You will likely need to make two half circle skirts using the entire width of the fabric and then sew them together along the edges.  I hope that makes sense.

4. I think you could hand sew it. You will likely only have three seams: two for each side of the skirt to make it long enough, and one that sews the skirt, band, and straps together.  The cheap hand sewing machines aren't worth it, even for a dollar.  They only use one thread ( a real machine uses 2) and the stitching won't hold up to the stretch of the material.

5. I think I made my band go all the way around.. Like a waist band.   And unless you want the band to maybe show you would have the straps in front of it, not behind.  I would make a small mock-up to make sure you have it the right order. I had to re-do mine the first time.

6. Following on 5 some people make the waist band larger to make it a tube top.  Some people have made a separate piece.  Some styles will let you wear a bra even.

I hope this helps and good luck!

[pixie24]

thanks RoaneFaery.

i'm buying the fabric this week. that's what i'm most nervous about. the fabric. i guess, the advice on what kind of fabric will make more sense when i'm there already and actually have the different choices in front of me.

on the band, i really couldn't completely wrap my head around this. i know the original intention is so that the seams won't show (that's it right?) but throughout the thread it has come to have different purposes from acting as an elastic for the "too big hole for waist" problem to a boob tube. so i'm just really taking on a "i'll cross the bridge when i get there" kind of approach to this.

on the boob tube, yes i actually got the separate tube idea from one of the pages here. i prefer the separate tube rather than the attached boob tube so that i don't need to rip it off the dress in the future in case i decide to. plus i like having different tube options lying around in case any of my other everyday clothes need additional "support".

side story: i was talking with my best friend and she has some long dresses that are my size and she's willing to lend them to me to try on. but i just got too excited about this dress so i'll still go ahead and make it. lol