Hello everyone! I was so excited with how my first ever diy maxi dress turned out and I couldn’t wait to share it with you all. I know we all get frustrated by the lack of maxi dresses that actually hit below our ankles and also by the sometimes ridiculous prices that retailers charge for these dresses that we love so much. So a couple of weeks ago after reading a couple of my favorite blogs I was inspired to start making some of my own clothes. I knew it wouldn’t be easy since I have not used a sewing machine in quite a few years. Mine had been boxed up for over 5 years. It was dented and dinged in a move from San Diego to Portugal and then shipped from Portugal to Hawaii and put in storage for a year and I didn’t take it out of the box until we moved back to Hawaii. Surprisingly it has held up. Since I’ve taken it out of the box I’ve been buying sewing patterns when I see them on sale at Fabric-Mart and some inexpensive ones from my local Wal-Mart. Unfortunately here on the island we don’t have a Joann’s or Hancock Fabrics. So locally Fabric-Mart and Wal-Mart will be my best sewing friends until I up my skills and venture to start ordering fabric online. Right now I have no clue how to tell if a fabric will work by the name. I go by sight and feel. Anyway I surprised myself that this first dress is actually wearable. It was pretty easy to follow the directions. I changed it up a little bit by of course adding 9 extra inches of length and I chose the front to be style D and wanted the back to be style E. Other than that I followed the directions to a tee and my end result was a maxi dress that looks like it was made just for me. For the next one the only changes I would make would be to make it a couple of inches longer and better fabric. Although this length and style is perfect to wear with flip-flops and running quick errands. I’d like something a little longer and dressier to wear with my heeled sandals.
I’m so excited and can’t wait to share my next projects with you all. Do any of you sew? If so, please share and let me know any tips and tricks you’ve learned along the way.
Thank you for reading!
Hugs,
Love it!! I’m first on the list for distributions. Ooo maybe you should have a contest, and one lucky winner (ME) should get one. Lol!
Thank you Francine!! That is a great idea…lol
It looks great. My mom brought me a new sewing machine for Christmas and I have been wanting to make something. Where did P get the dress form, I need one of those.
Thank you Kay! We bought it from the singer store here on the island but they also have them on amazon.com with free super saver shipping for around $100.
Excellent job. Very nice looking…
Thank you Susan!
I’m sooooo impressed and love your DIY! For someone who hasn’t done this in a long time you did a fantastic job!!
Thank you so much Jheri that means a lot! I’m encouraged and inspired to keep it up.
Okay, I think we’re all lining up to place orders here. This just proves the old adage about less is more! Simple, stylish, fabulous! If this is a first attempt, I can’t wait to see what else you try your hand at
Thank you so much Emma!! I even surprised myself and now I have caught the DIY bug.
Did you take sewing classes?
No I didn’t Susan. Just followed the directions on the pattern and I watch a lot of youtube tutorials…lol