Home

Tutorials

Patterns

Archives

Advertise

About Me

Contact

May 22, 2012

Last February when I competed in the So You Think Youre Crafty competition, I made an infinity dress. It was Go Red for Women week and I thought a sweet little dress for Valentines Day would be perfect. I scoured other tutorials for convertible dresses, but I was confused and frustrated, and decided make my own. My dress had a few mistakes as I was figuring out the best way to make it and upon its completion, it was unwearable for me. I was newly pregnant and the dress accentuated my belly (that we hadnt told anyone about) and was much shorter than I prefer. Then I discovered the complete lack of modesty in the bust region and lets just say that one the whole, it was better suited for the bedroom than the blog. But since I won the challenge that week, I published my tutorial and went on about my business. Over the last 15 months, that has been the most popular post on my blog! Ive been absolutely blown away by the number of views, comments, and pins! The love for my tutorial has been overwhelming, to say the least. And its made me even more frustrated by my crap-tastic first dress. Dont get me wrong, the math and the technique are spot on. But the dress I produced was a flop. And for 15 months its eaten at me. Ive gotten many comments and emails asking me about the top half of this dress. Many of you, like me, have to wear a bra and have discovered its just not possible. Ive said many times, Oh, just make a bandeau top for it and left it at that. Well, Im proud to say Ive finally put my money where my mouth is and made a convertible dress with a bandeau style top for full coverage.

SPONSORS

MY PATTERN

PDF Sewing Pa sewlikemym

And this dress is wearable! Im so in love with everything about it.

Darling Daisy D sewlikemym

Set of 5 Christm sewlikemym

Search My S

target="_bl href="http: wlikemymom.

Adding the top piece to this dress has opened all sorts of amazing wearing opportunities for me! Areas that would previously be exposed are now nicely covered and allow a bra to be worn.

Its so much more comfortable for me to wear this dress, knowing Im fully covered. And the styles look just as good!

When you see the dress from the front, you dont notice just how much shows when you turn to the side! I know I didnt when I made my first one, anyway.

The steps to make this version are exactly like my first one. Theres just one tiny, simple difference. Ready to make your own? Youll need to first read my other tutorial as it contains information about how to cut the pieces to your right size. Sew Like My Moms Infinity Dress Tutorial Now, heres the trick. The waistband on my other dress was 1 piece I folded in half and sewn to the skirt. For this version I made it 1 layer thick, but taller, so it would come up higher. Thats it! So my waistband piece became the bandeau piece. For me it was 30 wide by 13 tall. To sew, gather your 4 pieces. One skirt piece, 2 straps, and the waistband/bandeau piece.

Just as before, cross your straps over each other and pin to the skirt.

Sew the straps on. Then take the bandeau piece and fold it in half and sew down the side. This will be a side seam in the top of the dress.

Leaving the bandeau inside out, pin the bottom of your piece to the skirt/straps and sew all the way around.

When youre finished, pull the bandeau piece up and your straps will be sandwiched between it and the skirt with the seam on the inside. Its ready to wear!

You might also like:

Easiest Pillowcase Dress Ever

Sofie top tutorial

The Afton Skirt

Linkwithin

Posted in Tutorials

69 Responses to infinity dress with bandeau top

Cara said:
May 22nd, 2012 at 6:09 PM

Lovely! The only reason I havent pinned the infinity dress is that I knew Id never wear it, even as small chested as I am. This I could do!

Athena Grayson said:

May 22nd, 2012 at 6:35 PM

Lovely! I followed your tutorial for the red dress and figured out something similar on my own, so my second dress (with a slight alteration in the skirtI was also using stripey material and I made the skirt using panels so it gave a starburst effect) had a much wider waistband that served as the bandeau. Worked out great and thanks for the updated tute!

kendascrafts said:
May 22nd, 2012 at 6:49 PM

awesome idea!

Lauren Dack said:

May 22nd, 2012 at 8:09 PM

I love it! You look beautiful!

Amy said:
May 23rd, 2012 at 10:30 AM

Thanks for saving the day. I made this dress in navy for summer and was playing with ways I could tie it that werent so bare on the sides. I agree, a bra is a must so? I actually saw a video on youtube about tying these dresses in which the dress had the bandeau. Also saw them yank it way up to make the waistband fit over the bust, but then the dress becomes a baby doll dress, a bit to short for a woman in her 40s thanks. I dont know why I didnt think of this, but as the waistband/bandeau is the last piece to be sewn on this is an easy fix. I shall just cut off the existing band and reapply the taller bandeau. Easy peasey!! And btw: your infinity dress directions are the best I have seen. Thanks for posting it as well as the addition.

Christie @Pathtothehalf said:

May 24th, 2012 at 9:00 AM

OMG I love it! I cant wait to try to make oneI am a bit of a novice though, so I am starting with your upcycled tshirt skirt first!

Jennifer said:
May 27th, 2012 at 12:58 PM

Where did you get that pink striped fabric? Im in love!

Beth said:
June 3rd, 2012 at 12:04 AM

I just made this today and this is the best tutorial! You did so well at explaining everything! I only changed one thing that may help. I put a small seam at the top of the bandeau and put a peice of elastic in it to help keep it from slipping. Great Job!! I Love it!

Liz said:
June 8th, 2012 at 9:16 AM

Hi, I love the dress, I went to JoAnns, not the best fabric selection and Im getting ready to make my first one. I usually make clothes for my girls, but this inspired me to make something for myself. I was wondering also where you got the striped jersey fabric, Ive been looking for that for a while to make pants for my daughter, but now Im in love with it for the dress.

Melissa said:
June 11th, 2012 at 10:58 AM

I got the fabric at JoAnns! Theres also a blue and white version that I grabbed, too. I know I personally bought all there was at my store, so its possible someone was ugly like me at yours!

calce said:
June 16th, 2012 at 5:18 AM

Great idea!!!!! I love it!!!

Holly said:
June 27th, 2012 at 3:34 AM

Thank you for posting this. I made this today and love it. Though i will make minor alterations to the tube top, it is a great dress. I have 3 kids and am still pretty busty so the added cover up is perfect

Dee said:
June 29th, 2012 at 5:01 AM

This is a great tute. Thanks heaps. I am going to make this dress for myself. I love the idea of the bandeau top.

Sanjana said:
July 5th, 2012 at 8:56 PM

I love the idea Im a little confused as to the length of the bandeau and where you sew. i would greatly appreciate some more details because i am new to sewing

Meala said:
July 6th, 2012 at 9:50 AM

Wow, thanks for this. I have to agree with a lot of others, yours is the best infinity dress tutorial Ive come across so far and THIS was exactly the problem that has kept me from finally sewing the thing together ( I already have the fabric xD) great job stuff btw, I love your

carolyng said:
July 6th, 2012 at 1:13 PM

Awesome! I pinned the red dress and was planning to make itpleasantly surprised to find your update with the bandeau top! Perfect for me who has no chest at all, everything gapes

Andrea said:
July 6th, 2012 at 5:13 PM

Thank you for this updated tutorial! I was planning to make your red dress for a girls weekend in Vegas, but was concerned about the sides (my straps will have to be 13 wide, so I feel your pain). I have a question about where you got the measurement for the height of the bandeau. Is it just from belly to breastbone?

Vivian said:
July 9th, 2012 at 1:03 PM

Wow I am just putting together my dress and read this just in time. I am doing the bandeau idea. I would like the coverage as well. I will wear the dress more if I am covered THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS IDEA.. VIV IS SEWING

Lyn said:
July 12th, 2012 at 10:57 PM

Just made your bandeau version for my daughter in a teal-colored swimsuit fabric. It is stunning! Swimsuit fabric has such great drape. And shes having so much fun with tying it up in different ways. Thanks so much for a well-written set of directions!

Lyn said:
July 12th, 2012 at 11:05 PM

Just wanted to add that Im thinking of adding clear/colorless straps to the bandeau to ensure that it doesnt slip

Suzanne said:
July 14th, 2012 at 12:51 AM

You are a genius!!

Jessica said:
July 27th, 2012 at 12:49 PM

Im a very novice sewer but am going to attempt making this for my friends wedding dress and myself a bridesmaid dress. A few Questions: Do you hem this skirt or straps at all?? if so how? And where did you put the seam on the bandeau? in the back? I missed it somehow. We are both big girls with large chests and modesty is definatly for us!! Plus I dont want any rolls hanging out! Haha!!

Melissa said:
July 28th, 2012 at 10:26 AM

No, I dont hem the straps or skirt. The seam on the bandeau is on one side, so it runs along under my arm and is the least exposed.

Lori said:

July 29th, 2012 at 5:02 PM

AHA!! I literally just followed your tutorial of the original infinity, but after wearing it once, I decided that 1) I need to wear a bra, and 2) i was always concerned about skin showing So I made myself a little tube top/bra to wear over the top of at least a strapless bra not quite as permanent as your solution, but I felt MUCH more secure in the dress with the 10 (or so) wide band that can cover at least **that area** and make me feel a lot better while wearing it!

Ashley Cooper said:

July 30th, 2012 at 10:35 PM

did this version also take five yards of fabric or do you need more?

Melissa said:
July 31st, 2012 at 12:52 PM

It took less because I made the straps a little shorter. But I would still do 5 yards if I made it again.

Isabelle said:
August 2nd, 2012 at 3:53 PM

Great idea! I think I might alter the infinity dress I just finished this morning to add a bandeau!

Wolfcat said:
August 7th, 2012 at 6:18 PM

The wider straps and bandeau top make it more likely to wear as well-especially with a small bolero or linen jacket to make it work for work. I own one of the skirt variations that has the 2 layers made of silk/rayon and am looking to see if a variation on this pattern will allow a non-knit reversible dress to be made. It wouldnt be as easy for an inexperienced seamstress, but I think it will be manageable-just take a bit more time and possibly a couple of pieces requiring bias cutting.

Emily said:
August 16th, 2012 at 10:06 PM

How did you arrive at 30 for the bandeau width?

Melissa said:
August 17th, 2012 at 1:38 PM

30 is my waist measurement for the original waistband in the dress without the bandeau. So I kept the same measurement, I just made a much taller waistband, basically.

Michelle said:
August 22nd, 2012 at 8:58 PM

I just made this dress and it is awesome! I bought some fabric for $0.50/yd (I Know!) but could only get 2 1/2 yards. The bandeau top let me shorten the straps to 60 inches ( 99 inches was called for) and still get the coverage I needed tutorial! ) Thanks for such an amazing

sam said:
August 23rd, 2012 at 1:13 PM

awesome, awesome, awesome! I saw the pattern for the red dress and was bummed because I loved it, but dont love showing off my top half (and I am not crafty enough to figure out alterations to cover up!). Thank you for posting this I am so excited to try it out!!!

Christine said:
August 24th, 2012 at 9:45 AM

Thank you so much! My daughter needs a dress for her college choir class and a convertible dress is the first thing I thought of since it would give her the most versatility. Of course all the convertible dresses I found are out of our budget and the exposed sides posed a problem and had lost hope. When I found your tutorial, it gave me that hope back. It has all the information we need and instructions we can follow. Thank you again for solving all our issues!!

Lolita said:
September 10th, 2012 at 12:43 AM

I made this dress in black as a formal! I extended the skirt, and used a laced material as the bandeau and put cups in the front of the bandeau, this keep my breast from moving around and allowed me to have a sexy evening dress that was inexpensive, 25 bucks, and oh so sexy.

Tracy said:
September 14th, 2012 at 10:26 PM

Love it were going to do it for my wedding but Im going to do two different colors Ill send pick in 2 years.

Claire said:
September 27th, 2012 at 6:51 PM

My mom is making these for my bridesmaids as I type- fabulous tutorial! And for PPs who wondered about fabric cost- you can easily find fabric for cheap. Ours was $5 a yard, making these about $30 a dress.

Christie said:
September 29th, 2012 at 9:31 AM

This tutorial is the best out there for the infinity dress! The math is spot on and the directions were simple enough for beginners. I would love to see a tute for a reversible and fabric selections, jersey vs Lycra or the difference in modal jersey to hear which material works best. Thanks for the pictures. It made a difference in more unfinished projects and happy 18 year old.

Aliy said:
December 3rd, 2012 at 4:19 PM

As far as fabric, I used an old set of jersey sheets that my parents were going to get rid of. The kind you can buy for like $15 at target.

Corrina said:
December 23rd, 2012 at 5:13 AM

My friend showed me to your tutorial, she made the original and as were of similar waist size I tried it on. Its brilliant but I did feel a bit exposed for some of the wraps and the straps felt a bit bulky on my waist at times too. I really like the idea of this taller band and the possibility of shortening the straps is a bonus too. I bought some beautiful deep blue, stretch fabric on sale (5/m) from a sari fabric stall Im off to make this my Christmas party dress. Thank you

Emma said:
January 4th, 2013 at 7:55 AM

Thank you soooooo much! Im making a new dress for my 24th birthday and decided on an infinity dress, but they seemed so bra un-friendly and at 38H I definitely need a bra!

Kenz said:
January 14th, 2013 at 11:37 PM

Im not a very experienced sewer, and Im confused about how to sew the bandeau top on. Can someone explain in more detail and without sewing terms?

Kenz said:
January 18th, 2013 at 10:09 AM

Never mind. I reread the tutorial and now I get it. Whoops.

Sewing Nut said:

January 30th, 2013 at 6:09 AM

Thanks for this. Ive avoided making one because Ive never worked out how you remain modest (for a middle aged mum with boobs) from the side. I am now really keen to have a go!

Tifany S said:
February 2nd, 2013 at 3:11 PM

Ive just found your site, i LOVE this. thank you for sharing. i saw your red dress first and thought Id never wear this it would show to much skin and then scrolled down to find youd already considered this!

Lara said:
February 14th, 2013 at 2:25 PM

Amazing dress made it today and fits perfectly i had to gather the skirt slightly cause i cut it a bit too big at the waist but it still worked brilliant pattern thanks

Elizabeth S said:
March 7th, 2013 at 4:19 PM

I love the idea of a bandeau under the straps. Im always looking for things that would be nursing-friendly as well. Could I cut slits in the bandeau for this purpose? Or circles?

Melissa said:
March 7th, 2013 at 10:30 PM

Sure! I dont see why not. You could probably just pull it down, too.

Alison said:
March 8th, 2013 at 5:30 PM

Thank you, thank you, thank you for this great tutorial and especially the addition of the bandeau!!! I have a wedding to go to in a week and just put this together in about two hours, with my inexpensive 3/m stretchy fabric! Now I can focus on making the wedding cake

Michelle said:
March 14th, 2013 at 12:30 AM

Have you ever thought about doing a convertible pantsuit/jumper? Ive seen them on-line I just couldnt figure out how to make one.

Bobbie said:
March 25th, 2013 at 2:27 AM

I just decided to try this even though I dont own a sewing machine and havent sewn anything (successfully) since middle school. I finished the dress in five hours sewing it by hand, and it is ADORABLE! I had been trying to find a modest way to wear an infinity dress because I will be wearing one in a wedding in October and it needs to meet my LDS modesty standards. I am so grateful for this tutorial. I posted links to this and your little red dress tutorials on my post about making my dress because if I can follow your tutorial, ANYONE can! Thanks again! If youd like to see the dress I made, you can check it out at my blog. http://anxiouslyengaging.blogspot.com/2013/03/how-to-make-modest-infinity-dress-for.html

Heidi said:
April 1st, 2013 at 9:50 PM

I really like this version. I wouldnt be caught dead in the original too much showing. I have a question. There is a 20 inch difference between my hips and waist. Would this pattern work or would I need to make the waist larger to fit my hips? Thanks for any help you can offer.

Melissa said:
April 2nd, 2013 at 11:46 AM

I would think you could put it on over your head and be just fine!

Leah said:
April 6th, 2013 at 11:05 PM

Ive been wanting to do your little red infinity dress for ages now. But (aside from coordinating time, material, energy, motivation and space!!!! we have three beautiful daughters and so there is not much left for sewing!!!) I wasnt sure how I would get away from the bra issue. This dress is just as beautiful, far more comfortable AND you look absolutely fabulous in it!!! Thanks for sharing .

Kori Buford said:

April 8th, 2013 at 4:09 PM

I really love this dress but how do you sew the bandeau top on.i looked at the tutorial but did not understand. Thanks!!

Melissa said:

April 9th, 2013 at 10:35 AM

You sew it on like you do the waistband in the main dress tutorial. You put right sides together and sew down the side of the bandeau piece to make a tube. Then turn it inside out and pin the bottom of it around the opening in the dress and sew it on. The straps should be between the bandeau piece and the skirt piece.

Nessa said:
May 13th, 2013 at 10:33 PM

Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!! I just made this, floor length for the formal dinner on a cruise Im taking in two weeks. This was a test and I couldnt be more pleased. The test dress is navy blue, the real dress will be in a stunning red much more expensive spandex/polyester.

Kristen said:
May 22nd, 2013 at 5:40 AM

This looks great. Has anyone considered or tried just making it into a shirt & skipping the skirt? Maybe Im nuts if so tell me but a part of me wonders if you could just make this & just do the bandeau piece and attach the straps and make a cool top.

Magan said:
May 27th, 2013 at 12:55 AM

One quick question Is there a fabric that works best? Im thinking of making this but want to get fabric that will work well. Thanks!!

Melissa said:
May 27th, 2013 at 8:14 PM

A light weight knit works best. The heavier the weight of the fabric, the heavier the dress will be to wear.

Barnheartbabe said:
June 6th, 2013 at 10:30 PM

I used a knit-fabric sheet set (as per a commenters sugggestion in the other tutorial) and its great I used one of the pillow cases as my bandeau.

Some ideas: I used one of the pillow cases as my bandeau. Added a narrow fold over hem at the top & threaded thru elastic to help keep it up. Made bandeau and skirt in navy, straps in royal purple. Looks awesome. Would make an ideal maternity top, just use the measurement at the level of the bra band as the waist, shorten the bandeau to cover, and hem to when you need for your bump.

Ana said:
June 16th, 2013 at 10:56 AM

Really cool, I also always get irritated when Im not able to find proper tutorials and just work my own patterns out You should try making the bandeau dress with a raised waist line (right under the breasts), it sits much nicer that way. Whats cool about it is that you can always just tuck away the bandeau and it becomes a normal infinity dress again, since it already covers everything up to

your breasts. Give it a try!

Angela said:
July 11th, 2013 at 10:04 PM

I love this tutorial! My future MIL and I are making these for my bridesmaids next week, but were trying it with a stretch taffeta instead. How much shorter were you able to make the straps when you used the bandeau top? I have 17 yards of fabric for 3 dresses, so Im hoping that its enough! Thanks!

Melissa said:
July 15th, 2013 at 9:31 AM

That should be more than plenty! For the bandeau one with less fabric I had to make a seam in the straps so I wouldnt recommend doing it that way.

Katie said:
August 3rd, 2013 at 9:09 PM

This is so perfect was trying to figure out brides maid dresses an ran acrost this gonnrun it by my girls Im in love.it

mary said:
August 25th, 2013 at 9:33 PM

I am in love with this dress. I am considerably bigger than you and was wondering if I made the bandeau top, can I make the straps slightly narrower? my strap would be 17 inches, Yes I have big boobs. lol

Melissa said:
August 25th, 2013 at 10:14 PM

I dont see why not! Making them narrower will also reduce some of the bulk from tying them around you. Great idea!

Torie said:
September 18th, 2013 at 12:30 AM

LOVE it!! i was just wanting your opinion on something first I am a plus size woman with very large boobies but want a dress so bad 1) do you think more material is needed for larger women 2) an empire waist dress always fits my body better to you think this dress could be made like that as well and still be functional? Thanks again for posting best pattern I have found for this dress!!

Melissa said:
September 18th, 2013 at 7:54 AM

I do think you need more fabric, youll really want the length in the straps to get them wrapped properly. An empire waist would be precious! Go for it!

Jen said:
October 17th, 2013 at 4:13 PM

I love your tutorial, it was the most easy to follow of the ones I found online! I just made a dress as a sample of sorts for my bridesmaids dresses and ended up swapping out the waistband for the bandeau and it works so much better this way The problem I ran into was that the waist of the skirt ended up much wider than the bandeau so I have a weird gap. Im not sure if I goofed in measuring the skirt of if the knit stretched too much in sewing. Did you use a double stretch knit or something that was a bit more sturdy?

Leave a Reply
Name (required) Email (will not be published) (required) Website or Blog

Privacy & Terms

Submit Comment

Notify me of follow-up comments by email. Notify me of new posts by email.

Sew Like My Mom. | 2010 Site Meter