DIY daisy trim bib

I love the idea of adding vintage-style details to modern clothes. It can be difficult to find that perfect vintage frock in the perfect size, so doing a little DIY magic on a brand new dress is the perfect solution! I recently found an adorable 60's dress on etsy that's a smidge too big for me, so I decided to replicate the details on a pink number from my own closet!

Here's what you'll need:

A dress (I used this one)
A detachable shirt collar or dickey (I used this one)
Lace daisy trim (I used this one)

The dress I used has a zipper in the back so my tutorial will show you how I accommodated the existing zipper. It's not too much extra work, but if you want to make the project go even quicker, a side zipper or stretchy zipperless dress would be even better. The collar can still be unbuttoned once everything is sewn together so you don't have to worry about needing a zipper to get your dress over your head.

Start by pinning the collar directly on top of the neckline of the dress. You'll be cutting away the excess neck fabric after the collar is attached, so it's okay if some of the collar is showing at the top when it's pinned.

This next step only applies if you're using a dress that has a back zipper and you want the zipper to remain functional. 

After you've pinned the front of the collar in place, flip the dress over and make sure everything is laying nicely. Then cut the collar in half right where the zipper will go. 

Pin the back in place. If you are working with a back zipper, fold the fabric along the zipper so that you don't have a raw edge, and pin as close to the edge of the zipper as possible. If your dress doesn't have a back zipper, just pin along the entire edge of the collar. 

Sew your collar in place, as close to the edge of the fabric as possible. My absolute favorite part of this project is that it's very forgiving if you're a messy seamstress like I am. I can't sew a straight line to save my life, but that doesn't matter with this project because the lace daisies will be covering up all of the uneven stitches! Hurrah!

After the collar is attached, sew the lace daisies over the edge of the collar using a straight stitch. I didn't even pin mine in place, it was so easy to just feed it into the sewing machine as I went along. And the options for customizing this project are endless! There are so many different lace chain styles (butterflies! hearts! bows!) and so many different colors (even rainbow!)

For the last step, I chose to cut out the excess dress fabric under the collar, but that's completely up to you! I felt like it made the top less cumbersome, but if your dress is a more lightweight fabric or has a lower neckline to start with, it may not be necessary. 

And that's it! A super easy vintage-inspired detail on a brand new dress! If you try this project be sure to tag me on instagram so I can see!