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DIY dressmaking + crafts with Emily

A reversible velvet slip dress!

Um, by reversible I don’t mind inside out but back to front! That makes sense, right?

I love the slip dress look. It’s been around for a little while but I’d never actually gotten round to making one! I’d picked up one from H&M a couple of months back (it was on sale for the bargain price of £5!) and since I quite liked the fit of it, I thought I’d use it as a template for future versions!

So this is the original dress –


It’s a very simple jersey dress, same shape on the front and back with slightly different necklines.

I traced off a pattern for the dress by folding it in half length wise and laying it out on paper. I copied over the necklines for the front and back as well as a guide though I planned to make some changes to these. I also remembered to add on seam allowances!

The front of the dress I altered to make a shallow V rather than the scooped neck it came with. The back I changed to a deep V. I planned on adding a lace panel insert here.

I used these pattern pieces to create facings to finish the neckline.

So this is a super simple dress to make. Really just a hand full of seams. I used a lovely black stretch velvet for it and cut it against the nap so it looks super luxurious. The only tricky part was attaching the lace! I used some black lace I had laying about from a project a while back. It’s really pretty – it has a lovely repeating pattern but I hadn’t realised it was slightly off centre so the pattern on my lace panel looks a bit wonky! It was also a bit flimsy… I’m starting to think I’ll be better off just replacing that bit!

Please forgive the white bra straps…

I attached the lace first then the side seams, and then the facing. For the straps I used some black velvet rouleau loop that came from the prize pack Simplicity sent me (from the Simplicity Sewing Challenge). It’s like they knew what I would be making!

So I realised after I’d finished it that it could easily be worn both ways!

Check it out!


Two dresses for one!

I love styling these kind of slip dresses over long or short sleeved t-shirts. It makes the dress much more suitable for daywear! (Otherwise it kinda looks like a nightgown!). All in all, not bad for a couple of hours of work!

I managed to not use too much of the 2m of black velvet I bought for this dress. I’ve got enough left for either a crop top or maybe a Nettie bodysuit? I can’t decide what to make! 

Thoughts?

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22 Comments

  1. Looks great! A Tilly Agnes would be ideal underneath at this time of year.

    I’d go for a Nettie body suit but perhaps that’s just me!

  2. Very nice! I think when a garment can be worn different ways it’s called “convertible” as opposed to “reversible” which means it can be worn inside out.

  3. Gorgeous slip dress, loving the velve mixed with the lace, classic combo. I’ve been thinking of buying the Nettie bodysuit and like the thought of a velvet one

  4. Super cute! I never owned a slip dress (can you believe that). I really love this one you’ve created. It looks very pretty on you and I think your lace is stunning!

    1. Thanks! Yeah, slip dresses really went out of fashion at one point! Glad to see they’re back now though. They’re such a simple classic shape!

  5. I think the slip/dress will be gorgeous and vampy if nothing is wore inside. You can so carry that off! Maybe even add leather jacket, texture galore! I love how you pair it with short boots! (Hopefully my comment shows!)

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