Staycation Dress Hack

By Sarah LewisOct 27, 2021

Hi EAM friends! I'm Sequoia from SequoiaLynn Sews and am here to share another super fun Pinspiration look! I was scrolling on Pinterest looking for something fun to make when I found the original dress. I loved everything about it, except it was only available in size 0/2. That size doesn't work for me, but I knew my extensive Ellie and Mac pattern stash could help me out. It didn't take me long to realize that the Staycation Tiered Peplum and Dress would be perfect for this look with only a few small tweaks. I printed my pattern and pulled my fabrics and was ready to get rolling.

Inspired by this look

First let’s make a few slight adjustments. I printed out the Above Knee Dress pattern. For each of the tiers I added an additional 1 inch to the height of the pattern piece. This will allow us to create the lettuce edges instead of normal inside seams. I also added one inch to the front bodice length as I have a fuller bust which causes my patterns to hang higher in the front. I just blended the back edges to match the front length as I don’t need extra length in the back bodice. Next, cut out all your required pieces. You can now sew your shoulder seams, add your sleeves and even the neckband if you’d like. I feel like if I do these steps at the beginning then I am ahead of the game when I am almost finished and can't wait to see the final product. OK, Time to get a little creative!

I used my sewing machine to create the lettuce edge on the top of the mustard fabric and my animal print fabric. You only need to do this on the top edge of these pieces. Go ahead and do all four of the pieces for your tiers.

Now we need to gather the tiers to make them fit our bodice. I ran the gathering stitch roughly one inch from the lettuce edge. I say roughly because it will be impossible to make it perfectly even since we did the ruffled edge. You will need to do this for all four of your tier pieces.

Find the center of your bodice and your tiers. I just marked these with a pin. Now lay your bodice out so you have a straight edge on your work table. Now lay your first tier below the bodice. Line up your middle pins so that you have a reference for gathering evenly. Pull your bobbin threads from the gathering stitch to bring your ruffle in to be the same size as your bodice. I try to pull from both sides so it is more even. Once the pieces are the same width, you can now overlap the middle tier ON TOP OF the bottom of the bodice. Again, use the center pin marks to keep them even. You will be able to feel the bodice fabric under the middle tier to help with even placement. I left about one half inch of the bodice below where my gathering thread is on my tier. Pin in place to keep things even.

Back to the sewing machine to sew these layers together. I used a stretch straight stitch and sewed on top of my gathering threads. Now repeat these last two steps with your three remaining tiers. I know it takes a few minutes, but it is so worth it! You can do it!

Sweet! Now we have the bodice ready to be sewn together. I clipped my front and back together at the tiers, hem, under arm and wrist. This will help to keep your layers together evenly. Now sew the sides using your preferred method. Finish the bottom hem and sleeves.