Thursday, March 29, 2018

Union St. Tee Dress Hack

Add this project to the "why did it take me so long?" list. After three kids, I've realized that dresses with a waist seam are just not working for me any more. Empire waistlines make me look pregnant, and natural waist seams highlight my mama pooch and make me super self-conscious. I like a drop-waist but they are hard to find. That leaves me with loose-fitting dresses with no waist seam at all, like the Style Arc Eden I made a few weeks ago. But I wanted another option with less seaming (i.e. a faster cut/sew). Rather than reinvent the wheel, I decided to hack the Union St. Tee from Hey June.


I have made a LOT of these tees (many never made it to the blog) and I can't stop wearing them. They have the perfect loose fit without looking too sloppy. There's a V-neck or scoop neck. Three or four sleeve length options. It's perfect with drapey knits like rayon or merino. LOVE LOVE LOVE. To hack the pattern into a t-shirt dress, I cut the pattern horizontally at the waistline and moved it down and out. Sort of like the Lane Raglan tunic I made. I measured the distance I wanted from shoulder to hem and added that in; some was added at the waist and most at the hem. I made a quick muslin of the front and back and realized it was a bit too big. I ended up nipping in under the arm (and making the sleeve a little smaller) as well as shaping the center back. This means my back is not cut on the fold but that should actually help me, as I can preserve fabric when needed. It also helps with a bit of a sway back issue I'm sure I have but haven't investigated. I am using the non-updated file because I bought it right before the update was announced.

Any ideas on these wrinkles at the hips?

I used the scoop neck, which is actually my first time sewing this view. From the side this definitely looks like a nightgown...but hey, I slept in it and it IS a good nightgown. So there?


Okay, boring fit stuff aside...I love this dress. It's made with a rayon knit that I just got from Mood. The color is beautiful and exactly the right shade to highlight my eye color. It's a bit sheer but I tend to wear boy shorts or boxerwear under dresses anyway. It's seriously the most boring-looking garment of all time but I LOVE it. The best thing about boring clothing is that it's easy to mix with other things in my closet, which is particularly important this time of year. I'm constantly adding and removing layers with the nonsense that is Indiana spring.


I plan on wearing this dress on Easter with my new ponte blazer. Here's just a sample of the ways I can style it:


Don't mind the hem falling out here...
I have since fixed it



This is definitely a TNT after only one try! The neckline might get dropped on future versions but there's nothing wrong with it as is, just a personal preference. I hope I have enough of this beautiful fabric to squeeze out a tank top too.

3 comments:

  1. That is definitely your color - nice job!

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  2. Cute! I love a t-shirt dress. I just got this pattern, so, I'll have to try this hack, too!

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    Replies
    1. This is a great one to hack! I think there may even be a tutorial on the Hey June blog about turning it into a cardigan!

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