Make A Halter Top From Two Bandanas-Tutorial: And Finished The Jeans Skirt!

Well, I don't have a princess here to model it for me :D but this is what it will look like when you finish... better, because I seem to have forgotten how to make buttonholes!! (that's bad considering the sewing machine does it for me!!)
Two bandanas should make a little sundress for a small girl, and a halter for a young girl, up to a small woman's size. Just adjust where you cut the back off , and cut the corners off.

*****************************

So...these gorgeous teal bandanas came from a dollar store..a dollar each naturally :D...about 22" square; which is the average size of all regular bandanas. But wash it and it will shrink to a little over 21"...at least these did. I starched and ironed these before I started measuring and cutting. I made the back 14", and cut off the rest.



***************************************
For the front of the halter, I left 10" at the top center, and lined up the back with the front and marked where the back comes to. Use that mark and a ruler to line up with the top piece where you want to cut it off.


***********************


Stitch along your marked line, to keep it from stretching too much. Cut 1/4" away from your stitch line on the outside, this is what you will turn under.

******************************


With the back piece, turn under 1/4" and then fold down to make a casing for your elastic.


Do the same with the front piece, using the stitch line as a guide for turning and folding for your casing. It helps to iron your folds before you stitch, since I'm awful and don't use pins. But the starch will keep the fabric where you want it. You can certainly pin it :D I'm just too impatient and lazy!

******************

Put the front and back together and mark where to stitch on a bias tape casing for the front of the halter. Mark the center of that line where you need to make 2 button holes about 1/4" from each other.


Cut a small piece of scrap from the corners you cut off and pin to the mark for your buttonholes to add some body. Now make the buttonholes a little larger than 1/4". This will be where the front ties will come out.







Use the bandana scrap you cut from the back piece and cut it into 4 equal pieces across. These will be your 4 ties. Fold them in half then in half again, they should be about 1/4" wide. Don't worry about hemming under the ends. I used a small piece of elastic, 3" or 4",to add fit and comfort to my halter, this will make it adjustable for a few different sizes, too. Add elastic to the back piece; you'll have to measure the princess who gets to wear it for fit :D Use a safety pin to pin to the fabric end of 1 string tie and thread it through the casing from the outside edge. Sew the elastic end down on the outside edge. Remove the pin and tie a knot at the end of the string tie. Do the same for the other front casing. Tie the strings into a bow. Now make 2 string ties for the sides of the halter front to make ties to go around the neck. Thread from the bottom. coming out at the neck edge, sew down elastic. Do the same for the other side. Tie a knot in the ends of the neck ties and tie into a bow.

*****************************


Pin the back to the front -right sides together- and sew up the sides, making sure to catch the back elastic edge in the seams. I chose to stop the side seam about 4" from the bottom, just to make it fit easier, and to make it cuter :D

I hope this wasn't too confusing, it's hard to write a tutorial! Just ask if you need me to explain better......lol

****************
That's it! Wear it as is, over a tank top, or a t-shirt. Make one for every day of the week! Perfect for covering up a bathing suit, and will dry fast.


****************
Ta-da! I finally finished the little denim jeans skirt for my granddaughter! I was just lazy about it, too. I've changed so many colors of thread and filled so many bobbins this week.....lol.


This is the front.

There are a lot of tutorials about making skirts from old jeans, so I didn't make one. Here's a tutorial at Frugal Living, though. Plenty of photos for each step. This one is made a bit longer to go to her knees.


And this is the back.

For this version, after I sewed in the front and back wedges, I trimmed the hem nice and neat with pinking shears, and threw it in the dryer to fray the edges. Take it from the dryer and trim off the uneven strings, and then sew on some eyelet edging with 2 rows of stitching. I also added some eyelet to trim the front pockets. The back needed a patch, since it was worn thin, so I cut some pretty roses from some fabric and zig-zag stitched it to the back, and a small piece of fabric to the front. It came out nice and smooth and flat.
Now go recycle those old jeans and make something unique for yourself, your daughter, or your granddaughter. Or even to sell :D

*****************
Yesterday I saw a sign that made my day......



so we went back and I spent $1.87.....I picked up lots of denim and cotton clothing, and things that caught my eye, either for the trim or the buttons, lol. I only bought one extra thing that wasn't clothing, and that was a very nice milk glass vase for a quarter. I was looking for pink or white t-shirts to use as stretch panels to turn jeans and slacks into capri maternity pants for my daughter. It was a good thrifting day.


Have fun,
Kudzu