When summer starts to roll around everything changes. You wake up and you’re in the mood to do something – anything – outdoors. Go to the beach, go for a stroll, go shopping; it feels good for winter to end and the sun to come out shining. You’re going to need some summer clothing and one thing that you’ll definitely want to add to this year’s wardrobe is a super simple summer dress. Whether you need a bathing suit cover-up, or just a breezy dress you can wear anywhere, you’ll be able to sew it up with no problems.
Nice choices for the fabric to use for making a sleeveless, summer dress include cotton, polyester/cotton blends, or satiny fabrics. Decide if you want a long or short dress and you can quickly cut out the fabric. Lay the material on a flat surface so that it’s folded in half, lengthways, and the right sides are facing each other. Place the fabric so that the fold is facing you.
Measure around the upper part of your chest, just below the underarms, and then halfway around again. Divide that number by two. That will be the width of the fabric you cut. From the fold of the cloth, over, draw that measurement. Decide if you want a short or long dress, and measure from the shoulder to the knee, the shoulder to the floor, or the length you want. Don’t forget to add two and a half inches for hemming. Draw that measurement on the fabric. The large rectangle you’ve drawn can quickly become an impressive summer dress.
Wrap a piece of quarter-inch elastic around the upper part of your chest, right below the underarms, and cut the elastic to that length, minus three or four inches. After cutting the fabric, sew straight up the side seam, and hem the dress. To hem, fold the fabric under a half-inch, and then two inches, and sew around it.
Along the top edge of the dress, fold the material down a half-inch, then lay the elastic on it. Place the elastic on the cloth and sew it around the whole top area of the dress, staying at least a quarter-inch from the fold. To help you considerably, fold the dress in half, and mark the halfway point. Fold it again and mark the quarter marks. Do the same to the elastic so that you have four marks, dividing the elastic and material, too, in quarters. Stretch the elastic a little as you sew, bring the quarter marks and halfway marks together, and stitch the elastic in place.
Make a short dress, a slightly longer one, or a floor-length. Wear the summer dress with a belt or without one. Wear it as a dress or as a cover-up. It’s so comfortable and fashionable you might want to wear this type of dress all summer.
Reference:
- Dress fabric: www.joann.com
