Easy and Chic Maxi Dress by Justine from Sew Country Chick

Today we have Justine with us. Justine came to my attention because she was posting links at a lot of the same linky parties I was, and I kept clicking on her projects. Then she started sewing along with Project Run and play. I love her use of vintage patterns, and today’s project definitely has a vintage feel to it. 

Hi I’m Justine and thank you Melissa for having me guest post at Melly Sews!

I’m a stay at home mother of four, who moved out to the country from Los Angeles with my family to live a slower life. I started sewing and making things to keep busy and started my blog Sew Country Chick almost two years ago. 

Since starting the blog, I have started doing freelance costume and fashion design locally. Blogging can open new doors for you! 

My tutorial for you today is for the 

Easy And Chic Maxidress

Isn’t it funny how when the hot weather comes around we all want to cover ourselves up with maxi dresses? They feel so floaty and comfy to wear on a hot day!

The pattern for this dress is taken from the chest measurement and it consists of 6 rectangles.

1 bodice piece

1 skirt piece

4 strap pieces.

You will be making some elastic casings , some gathering , a few straight lines, and that is it.

Maxidress tutorial

materials:

1 .5 to 2 yards of fabric

1/2 yard cotton knit for lining (optional)

3 yard 1/4 inch elastic

matching thread

 I have the instructions printed on the photos but I will also place them below a few photos which are hard to read.

Measure the  chest to determine the width of the bodice.

It will be the chest measurement  x 1.5

Determine the length of the bodice piece. 

For a developed bust measure from the top of the bust where you want the dress to be, up and over the bust to where you want the bottom of the band to be. 

Obviously this will be more straightforward for children!

Add 1/2 inch seam allowances.

Cut out your skirt piece.

The width will be twice the chest measurement If the chest measurement is less than 30 inches you can fit the skirt onto one piece if your fabric is 60 inches wide.

 If not, you will have to make two skirt pieces.

Measure from the bottom of where the bodice piece will be to the floor and add a few inches for a hem. if you are making this for a child you can add several inches so you can let the hem out as your child grows.

Sew up the side seam and gather the top part to match the width of the bodice.

(A note about gathering.)

 I like to sew 3 parallel lines closely spaced in my seam allowance. it gives a more professional and evenly spaced gather.

Attach the lining under the skirt and overlap the bodice on top and pin together.

Sew across all three layers on the first line you sewed for the elastic channels.

Make sure to space your straps evenly and not tto wide because they will slip off the shoulders.

I tried to be brief in my tutorial here, so if you have any questions or I may have left something out, feel free to e mail me at justine(at) sewcountrychick(dot)com or you can contact me at my blog or facebook.

Thanks again to Melly Sews!

Thanks Justine! While you’re looking around Justine’s blog, make sure to check out her Granny Chick Blouse

And her Flamenco Ruffled Tank

And don’t forget to come back tomorrow to see what’s in store from Susan of Living with Punks.

If you enjoyed this post, I'd love for you to share, like, +1 or pin with the buttons below the related links. Or  subscribe to my RSS feed or my weekly newsletter  (psst - newsletter subscribers get access to free stuff) so you don't miss out on the latest. Thanks!