Mabey She Made It

Hi, and welcome to Mabey She Made It if you’re coming for the (30) Days of Sundresses series from Melly Sews–I’m so glad you’re here! I’m also excited to show you how to make a pompom sundress that’s super easy and quick to sew. It’s perfect for running, skipping, and all those things you love to do in the sun.

I love that this dress is only two pieces but it has lots of character and swing. The best part is that you can use this same method to make a sundress for any size and all you need to get started is a shirt or dress that fits! You’ll also need:

• Stretch fabric of your choice (mine is a stretch shirting with a touch of stretch and it worked really well)
• Tissue paper, newspaper, or butcher paper for tracing
• Pompom trim
• Single fold bias tape

Instructions

1. Place a shirt or dress that has a nice-fitting armhole (armscye) on a piece of tissue paper (or any other large sheet of paper) so that only half the garment is on the paper. You can see on the left-hand side of the photo below where my paper ends. Then trace the armscye and give it a little bump out for faux cap sleeve. I ended up taking mine back in a little from what you see here, but it’s totally your preference.
2. Draw in your neckline, keeping in mind there are no closures in this dress so a larger neckline is needed. You can see I drew two lines–one slightly higher for my dress back, and one slightly lower for the front. Then extend a curved line from the bottom of the armscye to your desired skirt length. Now cut out your pattern piece–that was the only hard part!
3. Cut out a back and a front using your pattern. Lay your front and back pieces right sides together, and sew the shoulder pieces together. Press your seams.
4. Open your dress and lay it right side up on a flat surface. Unfold your single-fold bias tape and pin it to your armscye. Sew along the first fold.
5. Fold your bias tape around to the back so it’s not visible from the front, and stitch it in place, encasing your raw edges. Repeat for the other armscye and neck hole.
6. Sew your dress sides with right sides together and press your seams. Then finish the bottom of the dress with a serger or with a simple hem. Then sew the pompom trim to the bottom on the outside of the dress. That’s it!

It really is a simple little dress, but the faux cap sleeve is cute and fun. The pompoms dance as you walk, and the stretch in your fabric keeps it comfortable. And since it’s only two pieces, the construction is easy so you’re out of the sewing room and into the sun! So now that you know how to make a pompom sundress, I hope you’ll try it out.

You might also want to check out my list of essential elements to a sundress here: