Knit Dress with Empire Waist | Simplicity S2883

I made some fun DIY knit dresses from a basic pattern. They have an empire waist and scoop neck, and are so flattering. 

I even hand-dyed one of them, and it looks pretty cool against the colors at the beach! And I love wearing it as it’s so comfy to spend the day in.

Simplicity S2883 Dress Pattern

Although this sewing pattern is out of print, you can still buy it online. Simplicity S2883 was part of the Project Runway collection back in the day, and I miss this line. 

This is a fitted knit dress with a rounded neckline, or aka scoop neck. It has an empire waist with gathers in the front and back.

You can make it sleeveless or short-sleeved, and add an overbodice. Plus, you can add a long tie belt that crisscrosses. 

The pattern even comes with a croquis, so you can design your look before making it.

Materials

Here are the fabrics and notions I used for this project. Plus, there’s fabric dye, which I mention later.

Fabric: I bought this white knit fabric with embroidery from the fashion district near me. It felt so soft, and that’s why I got it. But this is the one I ended up dyeing.

I made this pattern in other fabrics too, including jersey and two-way stretch. The green and black dress is made of two contrasting cotton knits.

Suggested fabrics include jerseys, matte jerseys, lightweight double knits, stretch velvet, two-way stretch, and novelty knits.

Notions: You’ll need straight seam binding or clear elastic to put along seams so they don’t stretch out.

I also used 1/4 inch (0.25-inch) knit elastic for the overbodice. On one variation, I used stretch lace to finish the raw edges.

Sewing the Knit Dress

This dress was pretty straightforward to sew. I followed the directions.

But the fabric with the embroidered design took time. I cut the dress so the embroidery would be on the sleeves and along the skirt’s bottom. 

That way, I didn’t have to hem it, and it served as the finish to the edges.

I made this dress solely with my sewing machine, so I didn’t use a serger. I mainly used a straight and zig-zag stitch, but played around with the overlocking stitch.

Since this dress is made of stretchy fabric, I didn’t have to worry too much about the fit. That’s the benefit of knits, as they tend to be more forgiving.

Then I wanted to add random splashes of color. I guess it’s a tie-dye of sorts, but I can also say it’s an overdye too.

I mixed a bunch of Rit dye colors in the dye bath and twisted the fabric. I soaked the dress in the dye bath and repeated the process several times. 

Voila! Well, I think it looks pretty cool, but maybe next time I’ll try to create a pattern instead of having it look so random. 

And I made an overbodice for the sleeveless dress. It has a cross front and gathers up the back.

You can tack it to the dress or wear it loosely. I didn’t tack it because I could wear it with other tops.

Notes

Although this pattern came out years ago, I still use it, and it’s one of my older ones I haven’t tossed.

And, as far as dyeing fabric, it’s a lot of work and gets messy, but it’s fun.

Fabric dye comes in handy when you want to change up a color or correct it. And I do like seeing the end results.

By the way, this dress is so easy to throw on and wear. And who knows, I might make my next one a dyed creation too.

Read More

• Knit Maxi Skirt with Front Slit | New Look N6709

• T-shirt with Scoop Neck | Simplicity S8376

• Cardigan with Hoodie Hack | McCall’s M5713