How To: Easy Off-Shoulder Maxi Dress

Yes I made the emoji dress. Just another variation of this here.

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, 2 m (I used a light cotton mix)  |  Pins  |  Elastic  |  Scissors  |  Thread & Sewing machine

I. Cut skirt pieces (front and back layered):

II. Cutting the top pieces. When drafting tops I draw one side, then cut it, and fold along the center line over the uncut part of the fabric, using the cut half as the stencil.

Where does Julia come up with these measurements you may ask. Using this scientific method, and adding 5-10 cm depending on the fabric:

III. Cutting the off-shoulder ruffle piece (could be one 2 meter long piece, in my case 2 x 1m, which I sewed together at one short edge). Next I sewed one side seam of the top pieces and the skirt pieces (the same side).

IV. To prep the top for attaching to the skirt, I pressed first a small 0.5 cm fold at the hem on the reverse, then another 2 cm one. Also finished the arm holes with a double fold at this point.

.. Then slipped the skirt piece (back and front now attached) into that pressed fold, reverse sides facing. Sewed just at the edge of the very first fold, to secure in place.

.. Which left me with this on the right side - casing for the elastic.

V. Next I sewed both short edges of the ruffle to form a big circle, hemmed it, and pressed a fold along the top edge to make another casing for the elastic just a bit wider than your elastic.

VI. Then inserted the elastic at the waist, and finished the remaining side seam along the length of the dress.

The last step (which I forgot to photograph) was to center the ruffle piece along the top neckline, slip the top neckline into the fold, and sew in place (still remembering not to sew over the gap left for the elastic. Insert elastic and done.

xo,

Julia