Geekphoria: DIY: Tank Dress

I have one more t-shirt to alter, and then I'll be done for the summer--assuming that I don't buy any new t-shirts at Chicago Comic Con. (I have a long list of collectibles that I want to buy, so it's actually a possibility this year).

If you've read my DIY: T-Shirt to Tank Top, you'll know that I was trying to make a tank dress. Unfortunately, though, I didn't check the length of the shirt when I bought it. I'm 5'10", and the shirt wasn't anywhere near long enough to be a dress. Fortunately, I also had this awesome Indiana Jones shirt to alter, and it was long enough to make into a tank dress (though I should still really wear it with leggings). The tank dress created here is simple and easy to make. It's a loose-fitting dress, more like a sun dress than a body con dress, and all you really have to alter is the top!

$19.50 on Threadless.com, but I bought it during a sale.

Now, the picture for this first step isn't that great. I began by putting on the t-shirt and tracing the shape of the straps, neckline, and arm holes (is there a technical term for arm holes? Because every time I say it I feel like an idiot). If you look closely at the picture here, you can see the tailor's chalk lines.

Then I went through and trimmed the shirt around the lines, leaving a good inch of space. This was in order to allow my sewing machine to reach the chalk lines, which were the guides for the hem.

Then I went through and did a tight zig-zag stitch along the chalk lines for the neck. As you can see, I made the neck for this tank scoop-shaped. It's also almost twice as low in the front as it is in the back. I repeated the process over every chalk line I drew on the shirt.

Once the hems were done, I went through and cut the fabric just above the stitches, making them into a true hem.

Neck line.

Arm holes.

And then I was done! I might go back in and tighten up the sides of the tank (it's a little too baggy right around my waist), but I also might just wear it over a bandeau. Here's the final shot: