DiY Safari Dress

Can I just say that I love Indiana Jones?




I'm pretty sure I've been in love with him since I was 3.

So if I plan on being Mrs. Indy- I'm gonna need the right outfit. Que this diy.



Oh I would go with you anywhere Indy!

Ok so what you're going to need for this project is fairly basic materials for any diyer.

One Men's button down shirt ( and one I learned from this project is that you have your basic men's button down shirts and then you have your super men's button down shirts that are longer and make a decent dress.)

You'll also need some bias tape, a seam ripper, straight pins, tailors chalk scissors and a sewing machine.

Start with your shirt and remove the sleeves because you don't need those.



Also remove the collar because you won't need that either.



Then cut out your neckline just below the first button and about an inch before the second.



Next remove your pocket but keep it to the side because you'll be re-adding it later.



Next you're going to cut out the shape of your dress. It's a basic triangle shape so what you'll want to do is mark the size of your arm holes and bust using a tank top that fits you well and then draw straight down from there to the bottom of your shirt/dress. Make sure you leave enough for seam allowance.





Next flip your dress inside out and pin and sew down the sides.



If you're not using a serger which I'm not then press open your seams and sew them down for a neater finish.




Next bust out your bias tape. I didn't have enough lying around in my stash so I made some. And because I was making my own I decided it was a good idea to have fun with it and use a fun material- like a plaid.

Pin and sew it to your neckline and armholes.



Next take out that pocket and sew your fun and funky bias tape to the top portion of that.



Pin and sew your pocket back onto your dress using the seam lines that are already there as your guide.



Now I found that the bottom of my dress needed an extra button so I took an available matching button and made a new button hole at the bottom of my dress to help me cover up a bit. (If you don't know how to make a button hole on your machine check your machine's manual.)



Now grab your accessories, your hiking boots and your fedora and you're done!