• ABOUT
  • PODCAST
  • SHOP
  • BLOG
    • MINIMALISM
    • DIY
    • SEW
    • DECORATE
    • EAT
    • TRAVEL
  • CREATIVE CAMP
  • SUMMER CAMP
  • FREE EMAIL COURSE
  • MEAL PLANNING COURSE
  • ORDER MY BOOK
  • CONTACT
  • ABOUT
  • PODCAST
  • SHOP
  • BLOG
    • MINIMALISM
    • DIY
    • SEW
    • DECORATE
    • EAT
    • TRAVEL
  • CREATIVE CAMP
  • SUMMER CAMP
  • FREE EMAIL COURSE
  • MEAL PLANNING COURSE
  • ORDER MY BOOK
  • CONTACT
Linen Tank Dress DIY
May 5, 2017

Well friends, we’ve made it into May! How did that happen so quickly? For DIYs this month, I’ve decided to focus on linen. Mostly because I made this darling linen tank dress for Plum for Easter, and I wanted to share the super simple DIY.

I love the look and feel of linen. It’s a luxury fabric that is washable, breathable, and so wonderful. The fibers are all natural, made from the flax plant. So, linen is basically the superfood of the fabric world. The material itself has been used for thousands of years. According to Wikipedia, in ancient Egypt, mummies were wrapped in linen cloth to symbolize light and wealth.

Light, rather than wealth, is one of my favorite aspects of linen fabric. It is wonderfully lightweight without being sheer or flimsy. It both washes and dyes super beautifully, and is a great place to begin whipping up a summer wardrobe.

This dress in particular begged to be made of linen fabric. I picked this copper colored linen up last fall, planning to make something for myself. When I never got around to that, and it was time for Easter, I quickly decided copper worked for the spring as well as the fall, especially on my redhead in a field of flowers.

The simple cut and design of the dress allow the richness of the linen fabric to shine, and are super comfy for my girl, too. Not to mention the gathered skirt is perfect for twirling. That’s a big deal for this little one.




 

I would say this is a great project for an enthusiastic beginner.  The lined bodice is an option that I take so that the interior seams are all nice, but it would be even one step more simple simply turing the edges under or using bias binding around the neckline and arms.

Are you ready to make your own linen tank dress? Here’s what you’ll need:

1-2 yards of linen fabric, preached and dried

sewing machine + accouterments

 

  1. Trace around the neckline, arms, and sides of a loose-fitting tee shirt. Measure the height from neckline to high-waistline for the length, then add 1/2″ around the entire bodice for seam allowance.
  2. Make sure the neckline is wide/deep enough to slip over the head.
  3. Cut 4x the bodice. For the skirt, measure the waistline of the bodice front, and double it, then for the length, measure from waistline to desired hem length. Add 1/2″ seam allowance to the sides, and 1 1/2″ hem allowance to the bottom edge.
  4. Place two bodice pieces right sides together and stitch at the shoulder seam. Repeat with the lining.
  5. Place both stitched bodices right sides together and stitch the neckline. Clip and press right side out.
  6. Turn each edge under 1/2″ and press.
  7. Stitch around the outside of the pressed arm holes with a 1/4″ seam allowance to make sure you catch the pressed edges.
  8. Put right sides together of the underarm side seams, and stitch the side seams closed on the inside.
  9. At this point the stitching on the bodice and lining should be complete, with an open bodice hem.
  10. Place right sides together on the skirt rectangles and stitch each edge together.
  11. Gather the top of the skirt using basting stitch. Match the side seams of the bodice and the skirt.
  12. With right sides together, stitch the skirt and the bodice together at the waistline. Finish the seam with a serger and press.
  13. Hem the bottom of the skirt by turning it under 1/2″ then 1″, press, then stitch.

Find all of the DIY Friday posts HERE.

Share

DIY  / For my Kids  / SEWING  / Sewing DIY

  • ABOUT

    Welcome! I’m Miranda, the maker mama behind Live Free Creative Company.

  • More Than Enough Book


    Have you ever felt like you were running a race you couldn’t win in life? Like there was always something more to buy or to achieve in order for you to feel like you had “made it”?In this book, I share how my heart changed and I began to find real, lasting peace, abundance, and joy through focusing on what matters most and disregarding the rest.

    Find out more here.

  • ConvertKit Form

    Five Days to Freedom: Tips for Choosing Less Stuff and More Adventure in your Daily Life

    Five lessons with practical tips and exercises to help you feel more in control of your life!

    Success!

    There was an error submitting your subscription. Please try again.

    We won't send you spam. Unsubscribe at any time. Powered by ConvertKit
  • Recent on Instagram

    livefreemiranda

    My new approach to homeschooling: Have fun with My new approach to homeschooling: 

Have fun with my kids. That’s it!

We’ve worn through the systems, rhythms, and schedule of all being home, together, all.the.time. Something has to give, and so the new goal is just to try to stay connected, hopeful, and enjoy these next few months as much as possible. 

Learning can happen anywhere, doing anything. It has been fun to watch what the kids want to do when they’re no specific plan. (Stop-motion videos! Paper puppet shows! Neighborhood bike rides!)

Admittedly, I’m super jealous of all of the kids going back in person all over the country while we are not. So, just trying to hang on for a few more months...

What’s happening with school in your neck of the woods?

#ourrichmondfixerupper
    Now —> Then 3 years later and I love our little Now —> Then

3 years later and I love our little house more every day. (And after 12 months of staying home all. the. time, that’s saying something. 🙃)

When we choose #ourrichmondfixerupper we decided to experiment with LESS square footage, and LESS storage space, choosing instead to be MORE intentional about what we owned and how we lived. We’ve never felt more at home with ourselves. 💚

Now, if my kitchen could always stay this clean, I’d really be onto something 💁🏻‍♀️
    Do you ever wait to FEEL like doing something befo Do you ever wait to FEEL like doing something before you actually get started? I’ve learned how often, leading with ACTION inspires the MOTIVATION! 

This simple script flip helps me move forward even when sometimes I don’t totally feel like it— and I often find the fulfillment and excitement in the doing. 

This is step 6 in the six-step process for Making It Happen that I shared in this weeks episode of Live Free Creative Podcast. 🎉

If you haven’t yet tuned in, give it a listen and let me know what you think! 

I’m curious if you are more of a thinker or more of a doer first? What motivates you to get started? 

#livefreecreativepodcast
    Feeling wrapped up in hope after a week with a lit Feeling wrapped up in hope after a week with a little sunshine☀️, a little socialization 💚(in-person at the park and online for book club), and a shot in the shoulder. 💃🏻

For book club we read Anne Lamott’s Notes on Hope and these little bits stuck in my heart: 

“As we develop love, appreciation, and forgiveness for others over time, we may accidentally develop those things for ourselves, too.” 

“Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes, including you.”

“Life is richer when it is simple.”

“Hope and peace have to include acceptance of a certain impermanence of everything.”

“We have all we need to come through. Against all odds, no matter what we’ve lost. No matter what messes we’ve made over time. No matter how dark the night, we offer and are offered kindness, soul, light, and food, which create breath and spaciousness, which create hope, sufficient unto the day.”

💛
    Our #littlefreelibrary is open for visits! 📚💙 

The sunshiney days of this week were just the push we needed to finish this project up and plant her in front of the house! We’ve been giddy every time someone walking by has stopped to browse and take a book. 😍

I’ll have a full rundown blog post up next week about how we turned an old kitchen cabinet into this cute lil bookstop. In the meantime, today’s podcast is all about how to Make It Happen, and I use this LFL as an example of the steps I use to bring an idea into reality. Listen in to #livefreecreativepodcast episode 133 on your favorite podcast platform. 💃🏻

(ps I was SO excited to find the perfect place to use up the final couple feet of cactus wallpaper from #ourrichmondfixerupper hallway. Isn’t it perfect out here? 🌵❤️)
    Dusted off the old RN license, and it’s my first Dusted off the old RN license, and it’s my first day back at work! 👩🏻‍⚕️ I’m super excited to spend the next couple months administering covid v*ccines a couple days a week so we can wrap 😷 this 😷 pandemic 😷up! 

Between the quarantine fatigue, social isolation, cold winter, ongoing homeschooling, and generally upside-down life this last year I am READY to get out and do something that feels like direct positive movement forward. There is light at the end of the tunnel. ✨

Wish me luck (it’s been 6 years since I donned a pair of scrubs, and they feel a lot like the athleisure I’ve worn this whole year 😂💁🏻‍♀️).
    Learning to look inside for the answers is one of Learning to look inside for the answers is one of the keys to a joyful, fulfilling life. 👀

It’s something we aren’t often taught— we learn to look for answers online, in research, by consulting friends and family and even social media. But those answers might not be the best for you. And only you will know.

Wake up to the power of believing in your own intuition, intention, and inspiration. ✨

Here are a few of my favorite ways to learn to listen to myself: 
• quiet walks alone without headphones
• guided meditation (I use @headspace)
• journaling (I use @promptlyjournals)
• occasional shopping pauses
• masterminding with friends who help me reflect on my own, personal desires
    I spent a couple hours working at @commonhouserva I spent a couple hours working at @commonhouserva this afternoon and felt so renewed!

There is something important about having a space apart to work and create. 

Somewhere not so enmeshed in everyday life that your brain can escape the continual spinning in routine and wake up to a different type of focus.

Make sure to make space for yourself, and your hopes, hobbies, and heart within your life.

HOW or WHERE are you making space for yourself these days? ✨

(PS my upcoming creative retreats in Utah, Idaho, and Vermont are designed specifically to give you this necessary space! Find out more + register through the link in my profile!)
    Three thoughts I’ve been really enjoying lately: Three thoughts I’ve been really enjoying lately: 

• “Everything is optional.”
I’m an adult and this is my life, so it’s okay for me to make whatever choices I want! Will there be natural consequences? Yes. Is that okay and I can still choose to stop or start anything I want at any time? Also yes. 

• “Something is better than nothing.”
This delightful thought helped me feel like the 8 minutes I spent on my rowing machine watching Bling Empire before taking my daughter to swimming lessons was worth it. And it was!

• “Rest is on of the most productive things I can do.”
I’m tired. (Are you tired?) Allowing, accepting, and embracing the tired has felt more energizing and rejuvenating than any of the beating myself up I might be tempted to do instead. ❤️

What are some of your favorite thoughts lately? I’d love for you to share one with me!

(Shout out to @jodymoorecoaching for teaching me about how even thoughts are  optional! 🙌🏼 I like choosing the ones that serve me best.)
    Polar Vortex cramping your style? ❄️😅 Invit Polar Vortex cramping your style? ❄️😅 Invite those vacation vibes INSIDE with a few, simple ideas! 💃🏻✌🏼

I celebrated my birthday last week with a Mexican Vacation to my living room, complete with balmy temps, home style pasteries (from the local Mexican Market), and a tan-in-a-bottle. 💁🏻‍♀️ 

Today on the blog I broke down 15 ways to take a vacation at home. Some of them were just for one day (like moving my patio chairs inside) some (like using luxe body products in my bathroom) I’m keeping just to invite that relaxing vacation feeling into my everyday life! 

Check out the full post at livefreecreative.co/blog and save/pin for later. ✨

ps who else is READY for spring? 🤩
    Let’s all fall in love more. ❤️ Let’s all fall in love more. ❤️
    Winter wonderland at #ourrichmondfixerupper. ❄️

Luckily, we’ve been practicing our homebody skills for a while now, so cozying up with a blanket, movie, and cup of cocoa feels like second nature. ☕️

We have recently loved: 

• The Dig
• To All The Boys, Always and Forever
• Finding Ohana 
• Enola Holmes
• My Octopus Teacher

What are some of your recent favorite family shows/movies that we should add to our winter watchlist?
    Load More... Follow @livefreemiranda on Instagram
  • FAVORITE CATEGORIES

    • DIY
    • SEW
    • DECORATE
    • EAT
    • LIFE
    • TRAVEL



© Copyright 2019 Live Free Creative Co | View our Privacy Policy