Ruffles are a great way to add more texture to your dress, skirt, or top, and get a dreamier vintage look. I tried a fun new DIY a few weeks ago, turning a U-shaped low-back velvet dress into a ruffles neckline dress. If you want to try out a similar look, here are a few easy steps to follow for an easy DIY ruffled neckline dress. If you are more of a visual learner, you can also check out this video.
Materials you need:
- Plain dress, top, or any other clothing you are tired of and want to change up a bit
- Lace – I used a 5”-wide black elastic lace to create contrast with the pale pink color of the dress
- Thread matching the color of the lace
- Vanishing marker
– this little thing is not necessary if you are only adding one line of ruffles to a hemline or a neckline. However, if you’d like to add several layers of ruffles, it will be easier to use it. It is cheap and available in most grocery stores and on Amazon
You can find all the supplies here:
Once you have these basic supplies, you can make your ruffled neckline dress by following 4 simple steps:
1. Make ruffles.
The first thing you’d want to do is prep your ruffles. To do that, you can use a long matching thread and weave it in and out through the lace. The size of the ruffles will depend on the length of your stitches – the longer the stitches, the bigger the ruffles.
Ruffles use up quite a bit of fabric so make sure you have a long piece of lace to begin with. Just measuring the neckline won’t do. A safe bet would be to have triple the length of your neckline. However, the length will depend on the density of ruffles you’d want to have – the more ruffles, the longer the lace you’ll need.
To finish up, gather the lace away from the ends of the thread and toward the middle. You can space out the ruffles also by adjusting the length of the thread.
2. Use the vanishing marker
I wanted to add three layers of ruffles. The first layer of ruffles was following the neckline of the dress, so there was no need to use the marker for it. However, I used the marker to outline where the second and the third layer should be.
3. Secure the lace on the neckline and measure the final length.
Pins are your best friend here, so make sure you have some in handy. Because the lace is following a U-shape, you may need more pins to secure its position on the neckline. Once you have the lace ruffles pinned along the neckline, cut the excess lace. Repeat the same steps for each additional layer of ruffles, following your vanishing marker outline.
4. Sew the lace using a matching thread.
I chose a longer stitch length and a slower speed on the sewing machine. This way I was able to keep track of the direction of the stitches. Make sure to remove the pins as you sew so you don’t sew over a pin.
The tricky part was that the stitches should not follow a straight line, but the U-shaped neckline. This is where the invisible marker came in handy, as I was able to sew along the marker outline.
It is completely possible to complete the project by hand if you don’t have a sewing machine. It will take a bit longer to complete, but as long as you have a nice soundtrack and some time to relax and enjoy your DIY hobby, you will be all set.
This simple DIY turned a dress I rarely wear into an interesting outfit I can’t wait to try out. I am 5’5” and the bodycon cut is not very flattering for my figure. By changing the plain U-shape neckline dress to a ruffled neckline dress, I was able to shift the focus to the neckline as opposed to the silhouette of the dress. This gave me a more interesting look and an outfit I feel a lot more comfortable wearing. I paired the dress with suede boots, a black open-front over-sized cardigan, and a fun hat for a look with a twist.
