Sew a Beautiful Summer Dress From Scratch - No Pattern Required!
A warm summer's day calls for a lovely summer dress, don't you think? If you have a hard time finding the perfect dress with the perfect fit, look no further! This summer dress tutorial is all you need to add a chic and flowy dress to your closet. The best part is, you don't need a pattern nor a zipper for this dress. As long as you're using stretchy fabric, you're good to go. Let's get this summer dress tutorial started!
Tools and materials:
- Stretch Fabric
- Elastic
- Pins
- Paper
- Measuring tape
- Scissors
- Matching thread
- Sewing machine
Make the quarter circle skirt
Fold your fabric so that it's a triangle shape. From the corner, mark your waist radius and waist radius plus your desired skirt length—Mark this across the fabric in a cone shape angle.
If you don’t know how to measure your waist radius (not everyone knows how), go ahead and use this handy calculator. Click the quarter skirt option with a midi length ( or a length of your choice). My waist radius came out to 50 cm (just under 20 inches).
Cut the skirt and sew
Next, cut along the markings you made. You should have two long pieces. Sew them at the seams, right sides together.
Make the top and bra cup
To make the pattern for the top, I took a piece of paper and traced the shape under my breast area, as shown. The height of the paper is approximately 7.5 inches.
For the bra cup, take a piece of paper and draw a line at a 45-degree angle on the curve's top side, as shown. It should be around 4.5 inches. Then connect the lines. Also, leave 1.2 inches on each side of the curve.
Cut out the pattern; this is how it should look.
Cut out the front bodice part of the top (on the fold).
Cut some elastic, which is a little smaller than the straight line of your bra cup. You should have two pieces.
Next, take your bra cup and cut it down the middle.
Now, to cut out the bra cup pattern put the pieces you just cut back together and measure how long they were before you cut it. Measure it on the longest line. Multiply the measurement by 1.5; the final number will be your guide on how much you need to extend it.
Measure the extended measurement and cut around, as shown.
Sew the elastic along the long line of each bra cup. Fold the fabric over it (on edge) and secure the elastic with a zigzag stitch.
With the longest stitch length setting on your sewing machine, sew a stitch around the bra cup's curved area. Next, gather the fabric, and pull the thread lightly.
Now, match the curved part of both the bra cup and the bodice and sew with a zigzag stitch.
For the back bodice, use the height of the front bodice pattern for reference, and the width should correspond to your back measurement.
Attach the back to the front bodice part by sewing the side seams.
This is totally optional, but you can take in the side seams. I had to as I wanted a tighter, fitting waist.
Attach the bodice to the skirt
Pin the bodice to the skirt, right sides facing. Once it's all pinned in place, sew with a zigzag stitch all around. Also, while you're at it, go ahead and hem all the raw edges.
Make the straps
We're onto the last part. So exciting! It's time to make the straps. I cut a piece of fabric 16 inches long and wide enough to make two straps. After cutting out the square piece, I eyeballed each strap's desired width and cut it out accordingly.
When you have two of the same sized fabric pieces, simply fold in the raw edges and stitch on top.
Lastly, sew the strap's edges to the front and back. I sewed mine right on the edge of my bra cup.
Here is the finished dress. Isn't it lovely? It's flowy, whimsical, feminine, and fun! It's seriously the perfect summer dress. I am so happy with the result, and I urge you all sewing stars to try this fun project at home. You'll thank me later, I promise!
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What a cute and easy dress!! I will be trying this ! Love your fabric choice and easy style!! Well done!!