How to Make Your Own Maxi Dress and Maxi Skirts
Maxi Dress and Skirts for the Summer
I had so much fun making these Maxi skirts and the dress, and I was really surprised at how easy it was. I never confess to being a seamstress. In fact, I probably shouldn’t even own a sewing machine! With that being said, I thought this dress and skirts were such an easy thing to do, I can’t wait to make a few more for the summer. Make Your Own Maxi. They are super light and breezy, and a perfect cover up for the pool or beach. You can find several tutorials on Pinterest for these, but I thought this was the easiest. Here are a few diagrams I did for you to show you the steps. Super easy and quick!
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I totally love this tutorial – thanks…I’m learning new things everyday. I never thought about sewing – I crochet most;y, and have lately been arm knitting (yay for me), but I’m thinking I’ll give it (sewing) a try. My mother has always been more of a seamstress and tried on several different trips to get me up to snuff, but I suppose I wasn’t ready at the time…well I am now, thanks again.
How can you put something thru a fold. I guess I’m not getting how to attach the band to the skirt. Dense, huh?
You have to open the waistband (like you’d step into it to put it on), put the skirt body through the “O”, then match up the edges. So it looks like you’re putting on the skirt with the waistband folded down. Pin the right side of the skirt body to the right side of the waistband (and since this is done on the fold, there is no specific right side). Then you sew it, and flip the waistband up, so the sewn edge/seam allowance is on the inside of the skirt.
Thank you so much for answering! I did not even see the question…I also had surgery earlier this week and may have just missed it.
Where did you get the material for the skirts? They are so cute!
Thanks Shannon! I got the fabric from this cool online store called Girl Charlee. They have the best knit fabrics. LOVE them.
Awesome tutorial! Love the pictures! What kind of fabric did you use? (jersey, etc..)
It’s knit jersey fabric. So soft!!
Such adorable fabrics! And these are super easy, I’m definitely making a bunch for summer – Thanks for sharing!
-Kim
You are very welcome!
I couldn’t find where it said, do you put elastic in the waistband?
No, there is not any elastic in the waistband. It’s a knit jersey fabric, so it has a little stretch to it.
Really confused with the waistband,
Can you explain how to sew it together and sew it on.
I’m confused as to whether the pattern is for the skirt or the dress. My daughter is size 4, so I don’t know if adjustments need to be made as I don’t know your size. Thanks!
Believe it or not, I am also a size 4, and with the knit material it will also stretch a little if needed. I used this for both the skirt and the dress.
do you remember about how much fabric you used this? I want to try it but not sure if I should buy one or two yards of fabric.
hi Sarah, I purchased two yards of fabric, but I did not use the complete two yards. I think you will be cutting it close with one yard. Hope that helps!
Hi! Fabulous tutorial! I am just post baby and looking for something comfortable, flattering, and inexpensive while I get down to my pre-baby size.
I have a couple of questions. Is there a seam down both sides of the skirt? Also, when you used your chevron fabric, did you worry about the chevron stripes lining up? I am having trouble visualizing the sides of the skirt. Thank you so much for such a great tutorial!!
Hi Kristin, there are seams down the sides. It’s difficult (for me, I am a novice seamstress, if you would even call me that!) to line up lines on knit jersey fabric. However, I have found the slower I go, the easier it is to line the stripes up.
I would love to see a picture of the waist band to see how it should look when finished. The images you have are great but I still cannot picture how this should look.
Thank you for this! I haven’t done any sewing in years but this has inspired me. I am short, and let’s just say I am not a size 4, so I have trouble finding a maxi that fits well. Put hey are abou 6″ too long! This is a great solution for me!
Do you cut the material like a triangle?
No like a triangle exactly, but at an angle like you see in the pictures above.
Did you hem the bottom of the skirt? If not, do you have a problem with it ‘curling’?
I did not hem the bottom, and I haven’t had a problem with it curling. The fabric I used worked really well.
What kind of material is the last skirt made of (white and blue diamond pattern). It doesn’t look like jersey material – is it?
It is! All of the material used in this post was knit jersey. 🙂
Hi! Thanks these look awesome, and I appreciate the post! I am a very novice seamstress, but I mostly followed the tutorial 🙂 I’ve had trouble sewing jersey stretch material, which is what this seems to be. What stitch type do you use? Any tips for sewing stretch stitches? Thank you!
I just ran a straight stitch and went slow. Hope that helps!
I was curious how much fabric did you have to use for yours? I know that it will be different depending on the size you need.
I purchased 2 yards of each fabric, but I never used all of it. In fact, some stores cut a bit more, and I was able to two skirts out of one of my fabrics.
I am trying to figure out how much fabric I would nee and how wide the bottom would be for my size. Waist is 62 and I am 32″ inseam. Can you help please?