We sew a summer dress with flounces on the shoulders

July is one of the hottest summer months. It is simply impossible to be outside wearing anything other than a light dress. Due to a basic lack of finances, not every girl can buy a beautiful and fashionable summer dress. Many representatives of the fair sex have to wear items purchased 1, 2 and 3 seasons ago, which is undoubtedly sad. You can correct the situation by sewing your favorite model yourself. In this case, you will not only be able to save significantly, but also acquire useful cutting and sewing skills.

Model selection

In the summer of 2017, loose or gathered at the waist dresses with ruffles on the shoulders are especially popular among girls and women. There are several options for sewing such a dress:

• loose, wide, knee-length dress with ruffles on two shoulders;
  
• a dress gathered with elastic at the waist (ruffles on one or two shoulders;
  
• dress with a belt and frills on the shoulders.

The tailoring of each model may differ slightly, but the overall result will be the same, so let’s look at the main nuances of cutting a dress with flounces on both shoulders and a belt at the waist.First, let's choose the most suitable pattern. The cutting diagram should look as shown.

You can choose the length and width of the dress and ruffles yourself, depending on your height and configuration.

Tools and materials

It is better to have a sewing machine at home, but you can do without it. To sew a summer dress with ruffles on the shoulders you need:

• 2 meters of light fabric (chiffon, silk, cotton);
  
• scissors;
  
• regular sewing threads;
  
• elastic threads;

• wide white elastic band – 25-30 centimeters (necessary for making straps);
  
• needle with a wide eye;
  
• chalk for cutting;
  
• pattern transferred to paper;
  
• centimeter;
  
• lace for the flounce trim and hem of the dress (the width is selected depending on the color and name of the fabric).

The cost of a finished dress of the declared model, purchased in a store, is about 25-30 dollars, or even higher. Even without all the above materials and tools, you can save at least 15-17 dollars, so it is recommended to pay special attention to the sequence of actions described below.

Step-by-step instruction

There is nothing easier than making a dress with frills. The sewing process is as follows:
1. In any fabric store, purchase a piece of fabric 1.5-2 meters wide and a similar length.
2. The purchased fabric is folded crosswise and cut. One of the resulting rectangles will become the basis for the dress, and the other will serve to make the ruffle and belt.
3. The base of the dress is sharpened on all sides. This is done either by machine or by hand. The width of the bend is 1-2 centimeters.

4. The upper part of the rectangle processed in this way is stitched with an elastic thread, resulting in beautiful folds.
5.The fabric is folded in half (the side stitched with an elastic band is the top of the dress), and the side end is sewn together. The result of the work is a rectangular bag without top and bottom.
6. The remaining piece of fabric is cut into 3 parts. The first 2 parts must have a width of at least 25 centimeters, the width of the remaining 3rd part depends on the amount of fabric (this is a belt, so it can be either wide or narrow).
7. Each cut is processed, the edges are folded, after which the material intended for making flounces is stitched along the length with an elastic thread. In total, you will need to sew at least 3 meters of fabric. The sides are stitched together, resulting in one wide gather. To make your task easier even before stitching the fabric with an elastic band, lace is sewn to its free edge. The color and size of the lace depends on personal preference. To trim the flounce along its entire length, you will need at least 3 meters of lace.



8. After the shuttlecock is ready, we return to the main part (the same rectangle of fabric that was set aside).
9. Straps are sewn to the top of the base. They can be made from the same fabric as the dress itself, or you can use a wide elastic band for this purpose (2-3 centimeters wide and 12-15 centimeters long).
10. The elastic is sewn to the top of the base using regular threads, resulting in a sundress.
11. From the line of contact of the fabric and the strap, an indent of 5-7 centimeters is made on each side, after which a flounce is put on the strap.
12. In the marked place, the edges of the flounce are sewn to the straps as shown.

13. The dress is ready, all that remains is to make the belt. To do this, you will need to bend the remaining narrow strip of fabric in half, stitch it, stitch one end, and turn it inside out.The resulting tape is used as a belt. The ends of the belt can be stitched or lace can be sewn to them.
14. The hem of the dress is stitched, after which you can also sew lace onto it, similar to that used to decorate the flounce.
The finished dress looks like this: