This year as you are searching for the perfect dress for the company holiday party think about pulling out your sewing machine and creating a one of a kind dress out of a T-shirt.

The advent of men's undershirts that come in an array of colors makes creating a great home-sewn dress for the company holiday party an easy task. The only thing you need to know how to do is run a straight stitch on your sewing machine to create a casing.

The things you will need are a man's undershirt without a front pocket that is long enough to be worn as a dress. The double X and triple X size shirts work well for this and in some shops can be purchased in a tall variety. Choose the color you want or buy several different ones as this may be a project you want to repeat. You will need matching thread and a length of a decorative ribbon or chain. If the dress is for a holiday party, go with the chain to add an elegant touch. You can purchase this at your local craft shop or for a chunkier variety check out the chains offered at your local hardware store. The only other thing you will need is a pair of needle nose pliers or a ribbon to tie the chain together with on your shoulder.

When you get back home, lay the undershirt flat. Cut off the arms just inside the armhole getting rid of the seam. Next you want to cut the neck off the garment. Cut straight across the undershirt. You might want to have a something with a straight edge for this or a yardstick handy. Start your cut about two inches below the front neck opening and go all the way across. Save your armhole pieces, as well as the neck and shoulder pieces for later uses.

Fold the edge you just created under creating a casing wide enough to slip your chain through. There is not an exact measurement here because it will all depend on the width of the item you are using to create the shoulder straps for your new dress. Once you have it the right width, pin it in place. Do this to the back and front. Now, take it to your machine and sew it into place. There is no need to fold it under as T-shirt material will not fray. Because of this, you will also have no need to finish off the cut you made around the armhole.

Slip your chain through the casing you have created. In order to fix it into place, you will need to open out a chain link and slip it through the other end and then close it back up with your needle nose pliers. The length of chain you will need will be somewhere between two and three feet. This really depends on how low-cut you want the dress to appear and your size.

You can now add a pretty bow to the shoulder area to keep the chain in place or let it flow naturally through the casing. Your holiday dress is now complete and ready to be worn.

Dress it up with some dangle earrings and pretty shoes. Take care when washing it and it will see you through many seasons to come.

This article copyright to lynnechandler at HubPages 2009.