Friday, April 2, 2010

Maxi Dress With One-Shoulder Strap


I did something I very rarely do: made two of the same pattern - in peach and in black.

The dresses I made have more gathers in the bust area than the original one, and I prefer it this way.

Material: black rayon jersey, 10 oz weight (my estimation); very lightweight

Although this is not intended to be a tutorial, here are the basic schematics and construction details for the dress:

  • Bodice: Both back and front are made from two pieces: the outside piece is cut with the to-be-gathered edge alonfg the crosswise grain, while the inside piece with the to-be-gathered edge along the lengthwise grain. The two pieces attach at the line where the schematic points at attaching elastic. The elastic is sewn in the seam. At the end of the post there are some sequential photos of the process.
  • Skirt:
Other notes on construction:
  • The seam that attches the skirt to the bodice is reinforced with 1/8" elastic (sewn into the seam;
  • Breast pads (from a swimming suit) inserted in the bodice (between the two layers). The pads from the craft store were too rigid and left a rather visible outline;
  • The shoulder band is attached only to the seam that joins bodice with skirt.

8 comments:

JoanneM said...

Gorgeous dresses.

Erica Bunker said...

Beautiful! You look like a goddess!

Mon Café Couture said...

love it, both of them, but the black version is to die for :)

Gretchen the Household Deity said...

Beautiful dress! Thanks for sharing your methods.

Diana said...

You look lovely in both.

Tanya said...

Beautiful, your version is much better than the ready to wear.

Victoria said...

With a dress as lovely as this I would definitely make a bunch more and no one would blame you. You look amazing:)

Muskelbaby said...

WOW!

You look gorgeous!

This dress is now definetly on my to-sew-list!

Could you please show a detail of the strap-knot in the bust area?

Thanks for sharing your methods.

Chrissie