Sheridan Maxi Dress

I am still on the sewing with wovens kick. I purchased a few yards of a plaid seersucker-like cotton at Hobby Lobby at the beginning of the summer. At first I imagined a pair of pants, but did not find the fabric flowy enough for the pants I envisioned. The Styla pattern companys Sheridan dress pattern caught my attention. It called for a flowy fabric and I thought even though the fabric did not have enough flow for pants would work for the dress.

I cut the bodice pieces first.

Here is the front bodice with the straps attached. I do like a pattern with bust darts. As my DD will tell you I am not a fan of shapeless garments that just hang on a body.

I attached the back and had an almost completed bodice. The back bodice appears to be shirred at a quick glance but the look is achieved with channels of elastic.

First step was to draw lines across the back and then sew each line. The pattern called for 5 channels for elastic. You can just see my blue chalk lines in the picture above.

You insert the elastic pieces in each channel. It instantly gathers but is still stretchy.

After all the bodice sewing attaching the skirt was easy. The dress can be made in any length you desire. I thought I would try it as a maxi first. If it turns out I dislike the length I can also chop off a portion to make it shorter.

The fit is great and it looks quite nice on. The fabric choice makes it perfect for summer. I will be making a small shrug coverup to wear over the top. Wearing it without a cover up would make me uncomfortable and also cold when I enter any building with air conditioning.

The pattern is well drafted and the bodice is a little more work but really this is an easy sew.