I live in maxi dresses. I mean, I wore lots of dresses in my pre-Saipan life, but now I only have shorts (and one lone pair of jeans) as a formality. Like someday maybe I’ll look in my closet and think, “Yep, today’s the day- I’m not going to wear a dress.”
I’ve seen several tutorials for “super easy maxi dresses” floating around, but was extra smitten with this one. However, with all of my searching, I couldn’t ever dig up the step by step directions (if you have info- send it my way!). I did find basic directions, though, and thought with my constant maxi dress rotation that it was worth it to try to make one.
And, y’all, I LOVE how this maxi dress turned out. As promised, it is the easiest sew ever (like you can make one during this afternoon’s naptime if you have jersey on hand).
None of the edges are finished (it’d probably look better if they were), and the dress is sort of sack-like without a belt. However, these are both forgivable offenses in my book. Now I can’t wait to sew up a pile of these for summer!
To make the easiest-ever maxi dress-
Measure from shoulder to hem (this will be Measurement 1).
Measure hip circumference.
Divide hip measurement by 4. Add an inch or so to this number. This will be Measurement 2.
Cut out 4 rectangles of fabric, each one Measurement 1 x Measurement 2 in size.
Measure from clavicle to where you want the front and back neckline dips to stop (for me I think this ended up being 10″ in the front and 12″ in the back).
Measure from top of shoulder to where you’d like the armhole to begin. *This was easiest to do with one of my current tank tops on for armhole reference.
Lay out the four rectangles. Stack two rectangles together, right sides facing in and pin in place. Repeat with the other two rectangles. Sew the top (smaller) edges of both stacks together. From the sewn together top edge, measure down your armhole length (again, 5″ for Piper) and mark or pin. Sew from that point to the bottom edge (the short edge that is not sewn together). Repeat with the other stack, though, make the armhole and line of stitching on the opposite edge so that when you pair the stacks together they make one whole dress.
To sew the center seams, measure down the neckline lengths (back neckline and front neckline) and mark. Open the sewn together panels and place together, right sides facing each other and pin. Sew up from the bottom edge to the neckline marks (if the back neckline is slightly lower, it is easier to slip on).
Add a belt and you’re done! Summer in a (really easy) dress!
ps- If you have a fashionista mama (or if your mom lives on the beach), this dress would make a fantastic Mother’s Day gift!
