Look No Further for That Perfect Summer Dress

Made By Deola
by Made By Deola
5 Materials
$20
3 Hours
Easy

Hello beautiful people! In this tutorial, I'll show you the simplest way you can make this tiered maxi dress! I recently found out that the name of this style of dress is ''Buffet Dress'' thanks to British sewing bee. This dress hides a multitude of sin and you can eat all you want!! It's comfortable, easy breezy and classy. I think it should be a staple in any summer/ vacation wardrobe. I love the way it turned out and I cannot wait to wear it!


For questions, please reach out in the comments and don't forget to share and like. Thank you for watching!


SHOW LESS

Mark your starting point

To start, I folded my fabric and marked about 2 inches off the top to mark my starting point.

Plot shoulder measurment

Then I marked my shoulder measurement divided by two plus 1. This will allow your fabric to gather at the front and back

Ignore the typo on screen - my shoulder measurement is 16 divided by 2 plus 1 = 9

Determine armhole size

Then I mark my underarm measurement from the start line and squared off the line. I'm using 9 inches

Halter Neck Maxi Dress

Then I marked an inch down on the folded edge and connected that to the shoulder measurement in a slight curved. This is optional, cutting a straight neckline will still bring out the style.

Draw arm hole

Then I drew my arm hole in a curve like so

Mark top length

Then I measured the length of the top half of my dress. I want the joining to be on the hips so I'm using 24 inches and squared that off.

Mark width

Then I measured the width of my fabric (15 inches) and connected that to the underarm

Add sewing allowance

Then I added 2 inches sewing allowance to the neck area - I'm using 2 inches so that I have enough to create a channel for the necktie.

Then I added half an inch sewing allowance to the rest of the dress

Cut

Then I cut out the front pattern. Use the same pattern to cut out an identical piece for the back.

Cut facings

Then I placed the pattern on folded pieces of fabric, traced out the armhole curve to cut out my armhole facings. I cut the four facings all at once

Maxi Dress

Then I pinned my facings to the armhole, right side to right side and sew.

Tiered Maxi Dress

Then I cut the center back by about 5 inches because I want the neck time to tie at the back rather than at the shoulders. This is not necessary if you want your dress to tie at the shoulders.


Then I cut the facing and sew that on.

Create necktie channel

Then I did a double fold on the neck and sew it to create a channel for the neck tie. I also repeated this for the back piece.

Pin at the sides and sew

Then I pinned the front and back together at the sides and sew.

Bottom half of dress

For the bottom half, the fabric I'm using is 117 x 42 inches. I started off by hemming the entire length of the fabric, followed by sewing gathering stitches on the entire length.

Gather to size

Then I used the gathering stitch to gather the garment like so. This will now be pinned to the top half of the dress.

Pin and sew

I then opened up one side of the top half to make it easier to pin the bottom part to it.


I then pinned the bottom part to the top so that the ruffle shows, then I sewed the two pieces together. Once I finished that, I then pin the side seams and sew that.

Make neck tie and belt

Finally, I cut two pieces of fabric for the next tie and the belt. The measurements I used are:

Belt 81 x 6

Neck tie 81 x 3.


Once I finished that, I fed in the next tie, tried on the dress and the fit was perfect!

Stunning maxi dress with ruffle

Isn't this such a gorgeous dress. Look how lovely this dress came out. I love the colours and the style, it's comfortable and classy at the same time. I hope you have been inspired by this tutorial and you are raring to go!


Connect with me in the comments below, I'd love to know your thoughts.


Thank you for stopping by

Deola :)

Suggested materials:
  • 3 yards of fabric
  • Scissors
  • Sewing machine
See all materials

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