Made by a Fabricista: Summer Maxi Dress Joy

Ever since I was a little girl, I've loved dresses! I used to wake up in the morning with images of dresses in my mind that someday I hoped I would make for myself or others. I didn't know how to sew back then so I often wondered if my dream would ever become a reality.

I went through a phase around age 8 when I refused to wear pants. Dresses and skirts were the only things I wanted to wear and I was very outspoken about it. Sorry, Mom, for being such a stubborn kid, I just loved dresses too much to bother with pants. Though many things have changed in the past twenty years, my love for dresses has not changed!

I still wake up some mornings with images of dresses in my mind, and when given the choice to wear pants or a dress, I'd pick the dress every time. When given a chance to sew pants or a dress, I'd also pick the dress every time! I think little 8-year-old me would be happy to know that I learned to sew and that I love to make dresses just as much as I love to wear them and dream of them!

When I saw that maxi dresses were trending this summer, I seized the opportunity to make two new maxi dresses from lovely Fabric Mart fabrics. Having only one maxi dress in my wardrobe, I knew these two new dresses would become summer wardrobe staples.

I've had my eye on the Rebecca Page Summer Maxi Dress sewing since it launched back in early May. I mean, what's not to love about a maxi dress with a beautiful keyhole back, V-neckline, and slightly dipped back hem? I snatched up a stunning Georgette fabric called Strawberry Jam which I fell in love with the moment I saw it on the Fabric Mart website. I knew this cheerful bird print Georgette would look great as an RP Summer Maxi Dress. I also picked up some white polyester lining fabric to line the Georgette as it can be a bit too sheer for my liking. Knowing that I wouldn't wear the dress if I had to wear a slip under it, I took the extra time and effort to line it. I also had fun rummaging through my vintage button stash and selecting the perfect canary yellow vintage buttons for the top center back button placket.

The RP Summer Maxi Dress pattern was a dream to sew. The assembly was straightforward and enjoyable. The only alteration I made to the pattern was adding an invisible zipper down the center back seam as I found the dress a little tricky to get in and out of without it. The pattern holds up to its skill ranking of Beginner and is perfect for new sewists looking to grow their skillset and Intermediate to Advanced sewists looking for an easy sew.

After sewing a beginner maxi dress pattern, I was looking for another maxi dress pattern that would be at a higher skill level. After a few searches on Instagram, I saw the Sofia Dress & Top pattern from Victory Patterns. The Sofia Dress is the perfect little shirred dress pattern. Shirred dresses are super popular right now and I thought it would be a fun challenge to try my hand at shirring on a Soft Lavender Cotton Voile fabric from Fabric Mart.

Victory Patterns does a great job of describing the shirring process in detail in the pattern instructions. I appreciated their troubleshooting techniques and their recommendation to test shirring on a small swatch of fabric to make sure the scale will work before starting with your main pattern pieces. After successfully shirring the swatch I was confident to move forward with the bodice and cap sleeve shirring. I enjoyed the shirring process and was happy with how it turned out! I have big plans to make more shirred dresses and tops for the summer.

The Sofia Dress pattern does not come in Maxi length, but I knew I wanted my dress to be Maxi length so I added a gathered ruffle tier at the bottom of the standard tea-length that is built into the pattern. I also lined the skirt from the waist down to the top of the ruffle to prevent having to wear a slip due to the sheerness of the cotton voile.

I had lots of fun making these two summer maxi dresses and I know my 8-year-old self would be so happy that I added more dresses into my handmade wardrobe. Cheers to wearing handmade dresses this summer made in amazing Fabric Mart Fabrics!

SHAINA | @shaina_sews

Unfortunately Fabric Mart Fabrics sell out quickly!
You can find similar fabrics by shopping the following categories: GEORGETTE, LINING, & VOILE.

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