Alright, so the weather’s been absolutely screaming ‘summer’ lately, and I looked in my closet and thought, “Nope, need something fresh, something easy.” That’s when the idea for a cute summer mini dress popped into my head. I wanted something I could just throw on and feel good in, nothing too complicated, you know?
First thing I did was rummage through my fabric stash. You know how it is, you buy fabric with grand plans, and then it just sits there. Found this really nice lightweight cotton, perfect for what I had in mind. Not too thin, not too thick. Grabbed my scissors, pins, the usual suspects. And of course, dragged out my trusty old sewing machine. It’s seen better days, but it gets the job done, most of the time.
Now, for the pattern. Confession time: I didn’t really use a proper pattern. I’m more of a ‘wing it’ kind of gal for simple stuff like this. I took a comfy, loose t-shirt I already had and sort of used that as a rough guide for the top part – the width and the armholes. For the length, I just kind of eyeballed it, aiming for ‘mini’ but not ‘indecent’. It’s a fine line, people!
So, I laid the fabric out on my living room floor. My cutting technique is, let’s say, enthusiastic. Folded the fabric, placed my t-shirt guide, and started cutting the front and back pieces. Tried to make them as identical as possible, but hey, handmade means a bit of character, right? I also cut out some simple strips for facing the neckline and armholes, figured that would be the easiest way to get a clean finish without too much fuss.
Then came the actual sewing. I started by pinning and sewing the shoulder seams. That went pretty smoothly. Then, I tackled the side seams, sewing from the armpit down to the hem. My machine was actually cooperating for a change, which was a nice surprise. No skipped stitches, no thread bunching up. A small miracle!
For the neckline and armholes, I used those strips I cut earlier. Pinned them right sides together, stitched, then folded them to the inside and topstitched. It’s a pretty straightforward way to get a neat edge. It took a bit of fiddling, especially around the curves of the armholes, but I got there. Patience is key, or so they say. I mostly just muddled through.
Last big step was the hem. I wanted it simple, so I just folded the bottom edge up twice and stitched it down. Nothing fancy. I did a quick try-on before hemming, just to make sure the length was okay. It was looking pretty good! Short, sweet, and definitely summery.
After all the sewing was done, I gave it a good press with the iron. It’s amazing what a bit of steam can do to make things look more ‘finished’ and less ‘I just wrestled this out of a sewing machine’.
And there you have it! One cute summer mini dress, ready for the sunshine. It’s super comfy, exactly what I wanted. Took me a good afternoon, a bit of head-scratching, but totally worth it. Now I’m just waiting for the next really hot day to show it off, even if it’s just to my own backyard. Making something yourself, even something simple, just feels good, doesn’t it?
