Making a Summer Dress while it's Raining outside ...

How I combined two FREE Pdf Patterns to create a Sleeveless Summer Dress.

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I bought a lot of this fabric from Minerva.com with a particular outfit in mind but when it arrived it was much more 'holey' and see-through than I'd expected. I've previously made a Laundry Day Top and a Babydoll Dress from it but I still have plenty left so thought I'd make an easy-to-wear Summer sleeveless dress.

The first challenge is that this fabric is see-through! I decided to use some black mesh to line it - I've used it for other projects and it adds good support while remaining lightweight; this is meant to be a Summer dress so I don't want to make it too warm to wear.

The mesh fabric as a lining does a great job at making this fabric less see-through.

Bramble the Border Terrier doesn't like to miss out on a photo opportunity!

The 25K Bralette Bodice has quite a low back but still hides my bra.

For the bodice I decided to use The 25k Bralette by Rad Patterns. This pattern is FREE if you join their Facebook page. I've used this pattern before (read my REVIEW HERE). I found it to be an excellent fit because the pattern comes in sizes XXS - 6X with cup options per size. I made mine using the 'Burrito Method' which is a way of sewing your main fabric to the lining with all the seams enclosed. Rad Patterns have a short video on YouTube demonstrating this method.

This fabric is a challenge to sew because of the holes in it - sometimes you end up with loose bits hanging at the seams and the loops are easy to snag in the sewing foot. I used wash-away-tape to hold some of the loose pieces in place and basted all my seams before finishing on the serger.

I made the lining shorter so that the see-through elements are visible at the bottom of the skirt.

I chose to use the Skirt from the FREE Lounge Gown Pdf Pattern from George + Ginger Patterns. I find this a really flattering shape. It's not quite a full circle skirt but still has lovely drape. I cut the outer fabric at the Regular length and the lining fabric at the Mini length. I didn't want the lining to be as full so I cut it with less drape.

I cut two skirt pieces on the fold and two lining pieces.

The skirt construction is very simple: sew up the side seams of the main skirt and then the lining. I placed the lining inside of the main skirt and basted them together at the waist before sewing to the bodice. I didn't hem the mesh lining but hemmed the outer fabric with a zigzag stitch to try and catch all the loose bits of fabric.

I didn't hem the mesh lining as it won't fray.

I'm really pleased with how my Summer Dress has turned out. It's a great fit while being very comfortable to wear. I only wish I'd made it earlier in the year as I'm not sure if we'll have the weather for it now here in the UK!