How to Sew a Cute Summer Sun Dress and Make Your Own Clothes

This gorgeous, trendy dress was featured in our "Every Style Has a Common Thread" advertisement to represent a Valley Girl look. It was inspired by characters like Elle Woods from Legally Blonde and Cher from Clueless. The dress calls for a technique known as smocking, which uses an elastic bobbin to create a ruffled, comfortable, and form-fitting bodice. The entire dress can be made with only the instructions below with no patterns, and in addition to smocking, you will learn and hone techniques such as gathering and seam finishing. Top off this dress with a floppy hat and sun glasses for summer fun. Please read ALL the directions first before beginning your sundress.

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Step 1:

To make the summer sundress you will need:
*about 1.5 yards of solid fabric
*about 1.0 yard of print fabric
*matching thread
*elastic thread
Please Note: Our estimates for needed fabric for this project are based on a size 8 dress. It's always best to buy more fabric if need be. (You can always make a matching bag from the left over fabric.)