A Dress for $3

My Pinterest board is full of desserts I'll never eat, crafts I'll never make, and a wardrobe I can only dream of having. Isn't that how Pinterest works? If you're not on Pinterest yet, what are you waiting for? I have four invites left if you need one. Just leave me a comment and I'll invite you! Full disclosure though: YOU WILL BE HOOKED.

[1., 2., 3.]

One of my first pins since becoming a member was this white dress above on the left. I adore anything with bows because I find them so feminine and I thought the low back was really unique. I came across a few more dresses similar to the first one, but I rarely found any link that showed the front of the dress or a link to purchase it. There is actually a link to buy the third hot pink dress, but I hated the hem and the design of the front. 

So I kept the pin for the longest time until I gained the confidence to make it myself. I actually bought two yards of fabric for $1.50 at Walmart on clearance and an invisible zipper, thinking that if I messed up terribly at least I only wasted $3. Fortunately, I am in love with the final product. 

I had trouble imagining the front of the dress without any pictures to guide me. I thought about doing either a scoop or sweetheart neckline, but I had concerns about getting everything to look symmetrical. I knew that I wanted to have something somewhat conservative since the back is fairly revealing. This is what I came up with.

I am a terrible model.

The bottom of the dress was made following this tutorial for a high-waisted skirt. I decided to trace the top of a dress that I knew fitted me nicely and just winged it from there. It took a lot of adjusting before I finally got it right.

I knew I wanted the straps to be adjustable so that I didn't have to be too worried about the fit. The bow was also cleverly placed above my zipper because I am terrible with installing invisible zippers.

Each strap is two yards in length and threaded through loops so that I can change up the design of the back if I ever wanted to. Best of all, everything is fully lined so I don't have to worry about figuring out what to do with bra straps.

A few friends have mentioned that I should start a business, but if I ever sold a custom dress I would have to charge an exorbitant amount simply because it took me so long to make. Being able to sew my own clothes has ruined shopping for me and I no longer want to buy anything. I suppose that is a good thing.