DIY Heart Cutout Dress

I posted about how to do this heart cutout dress a while back, but I never got around to properly photographing any of the dresses that I’ve created heart-shaped chunks in. 🙂 (Three so far.) I need to graduate to other shapes.

One reason I love the dress cutouts is because you can put different patterned shirts underneath the dress and it creates an entirely new look. This dress can be a Christmas dress with a sequin shirt or a Valentine’s Day dress with a red shirt.

I am also wearing my DIY Jeffrey Campbell wedges here. (Eep! I’m also missing a thumb tack!) 😉

You can create these cutouts in any shape and put it anywhere on your clothes. Heck, you can even cut some hearts out on the wrists of a shirt and tell people you wear your heart on your sleeve. 😉 Too much? (These cutouts also work well with the backs of dresses.)

For this project you need:
♥Dress (preferably not jersey knit, stiffer fabrics work best)
♥Some sort of ribbon, lace, something to pin around the edges of the cutout heart.
♥Sewing machine & Iron
♥Pins
♥Tape
♥Marker

I would say the skill level needed for a heart cutout is basic, but you have to have pins. You also need to pay close attention to the details.

Step 1: Lay out some tape over the area where you want to cut a heart. Draw the heart (or whatever shape) on top of the tape and then cut on your line.

(Sorry that the demonstration photo doesn’t match the actual dress. Sometimes I get so excited with a project that I forget to photograph it through the process. :))

Step 2: With the tape still on, (It keeps the fabric from moving.) pin the lace around the edges of the fabric. The lace will prevent fraying and makes the heart cutout a bit sturdier. After you pin the lace around the heart, then you can sew it on.

Step 3: You can pick off the tape after you’ve sewn on the lace. This is a little tricky, but I found the tape really, really helps keep everything in place. 🙂

And Voila! You’ve got your heart dress!

Next time you see a dress in a thrift store with a high neckline, add a heart! Or two. Or three. 😉