Leather Butterfly Maxi Dress

This is a fun easy dress that can be done in a day .

Cuttlebug machine ,  butterfly die cut ,thin  leather scraps , acrylic paint , scissors .

Make sure the leather is thin enough to fit through the cuttlebug machine.
use one piece of paper on the top of the leather and one piece on the bottom of the leather to make a sharper image
of the die cut.
You May need scissors if the leather doesn't do a sharp cut all the way through the leather. then cut it out with your scissors.
You need 15 of the butterflies for the straps or more, adjust to size.

You take a little paint on your finger tip and rub onto your leather butterflies and highlight the raised parts of the leather.

fabric see next step for how to measure it.
ribbon to match the fabric
scissors
thread to match the fabric
pins
iron

measure the largest part of your hip and add 6 inches for the yardage of your fabric.
Use the width of the fabric for the length of your dress.
Iron fabric and remove selvage with scissors, mark the selvage with pins.

Fold in half with the selvage pins on the top and bottom of the fabric, Pin right sides together facing each other.
You should end up with a tube shape.
After sewing a 1/2 inch seam. Iron flat and iron seam to one side.

Measure underneath your armpit to whatever length you desire, plus 2 inches for seam allowance.
Now you are going to make your hem by folding a 1/2 inch and 1/2 inch again.
Iron and pin.
Then you are going to sew close to the inside rolled edge of the fold over hem.
Bottom hem completed.

Measure from your seam four inches to the side of the seam.
Then grab a 1 1/2"  of fabric doubled and fold over towards the seam .
Do this on both sides.
Pin to keep the pleats from coming out.
Just make a small stitch over the pleat and repeat the same directions on the other pleat .
Adjust pleats to bust size for fit.

sew as the directions in step 6 but sew over the pleats.
Your top hem should be completed.

Measure two 16 inches of grosgrain ribbon or ribbon of your choice approximately1 inch wide, or desired width of your choice.

Sew your two ribbons together at a 45 degree angle with a 1/4 inch seam .
This should make a V shape.
Sew your first butterfly over the center of the V,and down the body of the butterfly.
Continue sewing butterflies onto the ribbon up one side and down the other side until all butterflies are sewn onto the ribbons.

Take the center butterfly and attach it to the center front of the top.
Sewing it through the body of the butterfly a couple of times.
Now you are going to attach each strap next to the pleat on the back of the dress.
Sewing the ribbon onto the inside of the hem on the top back of the dress.

Make a ribbon belt and have fun designing different dress looks by changing where you put the ribbon on the dress here are some example photos.You've completed a maxi leather dress. My ribbon measured  65 inches have fun!!