How To: Minimal Midi Column Dress

A basic column dress never goes out of style.. It's been a while that I've had this on my mind. Get the steps below.

Tutorials take a lot of time & effort to create, and I choose to make mine available for free. If you enjoy this guide, you can support me with a donation that feels right for you, here.

TOOLS:

Fabric with slight stretch to it for comfort, about 1.5 m (I used silky chamoux but with the matte reverse as the right side)  |  Pencil or fabric marker  |  Long invisible zipper for the side  |  Pins  |  Thread & Sewing machine  |  Scissors

I. Trace and cut your pieces. I used a semi-loose tank to get the approximate measurements from.

II. Pin the shoulders together, right sides of your fabric facing each other. I usually do a seam like on this project for shoulders to have it clean on both sides. 
III. Zig-zag the edges of the neckline and arm holes, and do an approx 0.7 cm fold, press with iron, and stitch to finish off the edges. Add darts to the bust, something like this.

IV. Throw on the dress now attached from the shoulders to check for size, and start pinning the invisible zipper in place. I did a bit of a curve to fit my waistline. Sew in place and repeat for the other side of the zipper.

V. Sew a straight stitch along the other side, and down the zipper side below the zipper. Don't go all the way down if you want to do slits. Trim any excess of the sides.

VI. Finish off the zipper by sewing the ends folded under the zipper tape. I zig-zagged the zipper tape and the seam allowance together.

VII. I also added two darts to the back to reduce the boxiness. If your fabric drapes more than the one I used you might not need this (or if you prefer the boxy shape).

VIII. Finish off the slits by zig-zagging the raw edges, pressing with iron and hand-sewing.

.. Press all seams and shazam!


xo,

Julia