How to Design & Sew Comfortable Sundress?

Designed to be easy and comfortable to wear on even the most uncomfortable summer days, sundresses form an important part of a woman's warm weather wardrobe. Stocking up on dresses in the season's latest prints and colors doesn't have to break the bank. Sundresses are one of the simplest patterns to make on your own at home.

1. • 1
     Find a non-stretchy tank top or shell top that you own, preferably one that is not tight, but sits naturally on your frame. Look for a basic, non-stretch T-shirt or button down shirt if you do not have a tank top or shell that meets these criteria.
   • 2
     Pick up some fabric to fashion your dress out of. Look for a lightweight fabric, such as cotton or linen, which doesn't stretch. If the bolt of fabric is 60 inches wide, purchase 1.25 yards. If the fabric is 48 inches wide, purchase 2 yards of fabric. Pick out thread that matches your fabric.
   • 3
     Measure yourself around your hips, making sure to capture the widest part of both your sides and behind. Measure along your side from your shoulder down to your hips, where you just took the last measurement. Measure again from your shoulder down to your knees or the point at which the sundress should hit your leg.
   • 4
     Lay out the tissue paper on a large table or clean, hard floor. Face the fabric lengthwise and fold it in half along the center. Place your tank top, shell or shirt at the top of paper, centered along the fold line.
   • 5
     Outline the tank top or shell onto the tissue paper beginning with the neck and armholes and continuing to the sides and bottom hem. If you are using a T-shirt or button-down, lift up the sleeves and draw a line following the seam that connects the sleeve to the body of the shirt.
   • 6
     Measure from the shoulder of the drawing straight down and mark points for your hip measurement and knee measurement. Draw a horizontal line at both measurements across the entire width of the tissue paper parallel with the top and bottom of the folded paper.
   • 7
     Divide the hip width measurement by 4. Along the horizontal hip line, measure this number of inches from the center fold out toward the edges of the paper and make a large mark.
   • 8
     Hold the yardstick at the underarm of your pattern and line it up 1/2 inch past your hip width marking. Trace this diagonal line onto your pattern. Move your yardstick down, along the same horizontal path, until it hits the hem line. Trace this line with your pencil. Cut out the tissue paper pattern around your dress outline and unfold the tissue paper.
   • 9
     Lay your fabric upside down on a large table or clean, hard floor. Line up the tissue paper pattern in the upper right corner. Using your yardstick to maintain straight lines, outline your pattern in pencil 1/2 inch from the tissue paper.
   • 10
     Turn the pattern upside down and line it up next to the first dress shape you outlined. Outline this pattern piece in pencil, maintaining a 1/2-inch cushion, as you did the first time. Cut out both dress shapes.
   • 11
     Cut 1/4-inch incisions into the fabric around the neck and arm holes. Fold and pin the arm hole and neck fabric in towards the wrong side of the fabric making a 1/2-inch seam. Stitch these seams down using straight stitches.
   • 12
     Line up the two dress shapes with the right sides of the fabric facing together. Pin the shoulders together. Stitch the shoulders 1/2 inch from the edges with straight stitches.
   • 13
     Pin the edges of the dress pieces together from the armpit down to the bottom edge. Straight stitch the two pieces together on both sides leaving a 1/2-inch seam.
   • 14
     Fold and pin the bottom edge of the dress up 1/2 inch. Stitch the bottom hem all the way around with straight stitches. Cut off loose pieces of thread and turn the dress right side out.

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