I love my Bat Attack Dress by Sourpuss Clothing, but I'm not a huge fan of the strapless aspect of the dress, so I decided to add straps. I want to wear the dress more and style it differently, like layering the dress with a collared button-up shirt. So here's a little DIY picture tutorial to help anyone else who may want to try their hand at adding straps to a dress.
I decided on adjustable straps since it's the easiest option, so I purchased 'bra' style black straps at Joann Fabrics. I got a set of two for about $5 and used my 40% off coupon. I do love coupons for crafting!
Next, I determined where I would like to attach the straps, luckily the front seams of the dress acted as a nice guide. If your dress or garment doesn't have a seam to guide you, look at your other dresses as reference, or try the garment on and mark (with chalk) where you'd like the straps to be placed. To ensure even strap placement, it's always good to use a measuring tape.
Because the straps I bought have hooks on either end, I want to make little loops that I will then sew onto the dress. I decided on black elastic as it's forgiving and it's what I had in my craft drawers. I cut out four 1" strips to make into loops.
You can pin the loops of elastic, or you can use a little fabric glue (see photo) to tack the loops on before sewing.
Sew, sew, sew, sew, times four! I used a small zing zag stitch to make sure the little loops are secure. Use whatever stitch on your machine you'd like, or you can easily hand sew the loops.
Ta-da! Straps attached and I'm loving the transformation, though it's small, I will now wear the dress more. Hoooray!
Good luck on your DIY projects and don't be afraid to make those garments work for you!
Thanks for reading!
XOXO-Meagan Kyla
The dress is drop dead gorgeus and now i think it will probably fit you better and all, i dont do strapless too so i totally understand the decision , how a thing so simple can make such a diference . Regards
ReplyDeleteThe straps really have made a big difference and I will feel more comfortable wearing it. Thank you for your kind words :)
DeleteI love DIY! You can also simply use old bra straps for this, works well, too.
ReplyDeleteYes, good point! I didn't have any around (other than for my bras, haha!) so that's why I purchased some.
DeleteThat's awesome - thanks for posting! I must confess, I've seen this dress before and was just too scared to buy it, haaha!!
ReplyDeleteI have to go through my wardrobe and make some alterations - like making a long skirt/dress into a short skirt :\
The dress is awesome, but it definitely needs some tweaking and a lot of my friends had to have it taken to a tailor.
DeleteI also turned a lip service bat tunic top into a skirt, I seem to always want to alter any Lip Service clothing I have in my closet. Good luck with your alternation adventures!
Great idea! I can't keep strapless dresses up very so this is a great solution! I love the dress, it's a great colour too! I've seen it in bright pink, love this way more!
ReplyDeleteThey also have the dress in red, but I preferred the grey. :)
DeleteYour dress is so nice! I love the bat print but I'm also uncomfortable with strapless dresses. You made a quick and clever alteration of it. I alter lots of things in my wardrobe. If something brake I can always change it to something else :)
ReplyDeleteI think that is great that you make alterations to your garments, makes fashion fit us and not the other way around ;)
DeleteI LOVE the simplicity of this DIY (and love the dress)! I'm also a member of the "I-don't-do-strapless" club, but I never thought of using bra straps, what a great idea. The only thing I personally would add is black lace (1/8 to 1/4 inch) all around the top edge of the dress; if you don't like the look of the strap hooks, the lace would totally cover them up.
ReplyDeleteThanks for this great (and instructional) post! :-)
Very good suggestion! I do like lace, so I will keep that in mind for the next strap add-on!
DeleteThank you!
Love that you helped us all out with a tutorial! I had to add straps to a cute dress I picked up at a thrift store so I'm so with you here! ; ) I used ribbon and sewed 4 pieces onto the dress, so now they tie into bows and are adjustable!
ReplyDeleteI always enjoy your blog!
Thank you dear! That is also a great idea on how to add straps, I will keep that in mind for some summer dress options!
DeleteI'm glad you enjoy, I enjoy your blog as well =D
Excellent improvement, and so simple! You are making me wish I hadn't recently given up and sent most of my strapless stuff to Goodwill... ;)
ReplyDeleteThank you! Darn, I've done that before too!
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