My Latest Make: DIY Maxi Dress

Hi guys! I'm back with my latest sewing project which is a Black Floral Button Down Dress.

I'm really pleased with how this dress turned out and is probably my favourite make this year so far!

I used 2 meters of a floral viscose fabric which I got in my Walthamstow Haul last year which was £1.50 a meter. I used buttons and thread which were already in my stash so in total this dress cost me £3 so I am super pleased!

I used my V-neck button down dress pattern which I mentioned briefly in my Top makes of 2018 post. I altered the pattern to make it a square neckline dress because I wanted a slight design variation. I think I might prefer the square neckline because I think the V neck is a bit too low (but I'm not sure). I also made it with thicker straps (roughly 1 inch wide) and added a ruffle at the bottom. I made the ruffle by cutting a strip of fabric which was roughly 1.5 times the bottom of the hem width. I think it gives a nice amount of ruffles without it being too over the top.

Surprisingly I've seen a lot of these dresses in Primark and elsewhere for roughly £15 so I'm glad I was able to make it for only £3. I also think the quality of my dress is a lot better than ones I've seen on the high street as well.

I also made an all-in-one neck and armhole facing which I have never done before, but I'm really pleased with how it turned out and will definitely be trying it again on other projects.

I did have a few fit issues with the dress including gaping at the front neckline and extra fabric bunching at the back waist. I fixed the neckline by curving the front button band edge slightly (can hardly tell on the photo). I fixed the bunching by raising the waistline of the bodice (I think the bodice was too long). I also finished the dress of with french seams so I'm really pleased with how nice the inside looks.

I've decided I might do a sew along for this dress as well as I love this dress so much that I want to make another one. I'll be showing how to make the pattern and how to sew it up as well including a few tips and tricks as well.

The dress isn't that hard to sew up to be honest, it just requires a few fitting sessions in between sewing but other than that there isn't too many hard techniques. I'll probably upload the posts in installments so I hope you look forward to it!