How to Sew a Summer Dress
The sunny days of summer call for casual clothing. This is a great beginner's project that requires no fit and only a nodding acquaintance with sewing techniques. Find a light. cool material and turn out this summer shift in about an hour.
Things You'll Need
- Measuring tape
- Marking chalk
- Scissors
- Cotton material
- Matching seam binding
- Pins
- Sewing machine
- Thread
- 12-inch zipper
- Iron
- Seam ripper
- Needle
Instructions
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1
Measure and write down your measurements from shoulder to shoulder, the circumference of your head, bust and hip measurements, and lengths of shoulder to armhole, armhole to the length of your finished shift.
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2
Buy a piece of material that measures the length of your shoulder to the length of the dress, plus a 4-inch allowance for shoulder seams and hem. If your widest hip or bust measurement is larger than the width of the material, then double the length of material. For example, if your hip measurement is 46 inches and the width of the material is only 45 inches wide, you must double the length to fit your measurements.
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3
Divide your largest measurement in half for the front, and mark a rectangle the half the width of your largest measurement, plus 2 inches on the fold line of the material. This is your front. Make a rectangle the same width of your dress front, plus 2 inches. When cut out, this is the two halves of the back of the dress.
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4
Mark the neck hole opening on the front of the garment. Make it half the circumference of your head, plus 2 inches for ease. There will also be a back zipper.
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5
Pin the shoulders of the dress, right sides together. Stitch across to make the shoulder seam on each side of the marked neck opening.
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6
Pin the seam binding around the neck opening, right sides together and stitch 1/8 inch from the edge. Do the same for each armhole.
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7
Mark 12 inches down from the neck on the back seam. Make a seam up the back to that point. Turn the stitch length to a long running stitch and continue up to the neck. Iron the seam open.
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8
Read the package of the zipper for installation instructions. Once the zipper is sewn in place, rip open the seam line to the bottom of the zipper.
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9
Sew side seams from the edge of the seam binding down to the end of the dress.
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10
Turn the seam bindings at the armhole and neck edges to the inside of the garment and hand stitch down. Turn the hem up 3 inches, iron the raw edge under and hand stitch the hem in place.
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