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sewing sewing for women
June 10, 2015

the easy tee dress in a woven {simple summer sew}

Summer is when I do the most sewing for myself. That’s because I always want new skirts and dresses when it starts to warm up, and both of those are generally easier to sew than, say, jeans and jackets. Last summer I made a maxi dress using my free easy tee pattern – it was super easy to sew and very comfortable, so it got quite  a lot of wear time. A few of you asked if I had tried a dress like this with a woven (non-stretchy fabric), so when started getting warm this spring that’s what I did.

A woman wearing a dress with a gathered waist

 

 

I stuck pretty close to the easy tee maxi dress tutorial, with just a few changes to accommodate the woven fabric, since the tutorial was written for use with a knit. First, I made the dress hit just below the knee instead of maxi length – with no stretch in the skirt it might have been hard to walk in at maxi length.

 

A woman wearing a dress made from a sewing tutorial

Next, I added a placket in the front to make sure there would be plenty of room to get it over my head. In retrospect, I think the neckline is roomy enough as is that I could have skipped this step. But it’s kind of fun to leave the placket unbuttoned and wear it open for a little variety:

A woman woman wearing a black dress with open neckline

 

NOTE: I used this great tutorial from Melly Sews to sew in the front placket, and that was the first thing I did once I cut out the fabric.

The third change I made was to cut the sleeves a little longer and roomier, and the top of the dress a little looser. I just wanted to make sure the dress would still be plenty roomy even without a stretchy fabric. This is how it looked when I used the easy tee pattern to cut out the pieces (red dots show my cut lines):

the easy tee pattern laid out on fabric, with dots around showing how to extend it to dress length

 

A little extra room, and enough length to turn the shirt into a dress. I cut two pieces of what you see above (both on the fold) – one for the front of the dress and one for the back.

Other than that, I sewed up the dress just like you see in the easy tee maxi dress tutorial. With one more little change – instead of making a casing to run elastic through to cinch the waistline, I just sewed elastic right to the dress from the inside at the waist.

A woman wearing a dress made from a t-shirt pattern

 

If you give this a try, be sure to use a lightweight fabric that’s quite flowy – that way it will drape well and be cool and comfortable in the summer weather!

Find all the other easy tee top and dress tutorials here and get the free pattern here!

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Home » sewing » sewing for women » the easy tee dress in a woven {simple summer sew}


24 Comments

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Comments

  1. Kristie says

    June 10, 2015 at 7:29 am

    Thanks for sharing this. I have been wondering if I could just make it into a tee, and maybe I can. Your fabric choices are always amazing. And thanks for sharing this great pattern. It is the one I turn to the most.

    Reply
  2. Elizabeth says

    June 10, 2015 at 7:54 am

    Just got my pattern ready–increased to an XL to make my first Easy Tee!!! And when I read this, I remembered the PERFECT woven to make a dress! Super excited! Love all your posts and sewing tutorials! (I’m short and not thin….your patterns are perfect!) Thank you!!!! 😀

    Reply
    • Barbara says

      June 10, 2015 at 6:14 pm

      Just wondered if you might be willing to share your XL variation or how you adjusted to get it to the XL.

      Reply
  3. Chandrika says

    June 10, 2015 at 8:37 am

    Thanks for sharing this pattern . Thi is easy to make. I would like to try but ur fabric choise is Awsame .

    Reply
  4. Chandrika says

    June 10, 2015 at 8:39 am

    Thank you for this sharing. I like to try.

    Reply
  5. sorahart says

    June 10, 2015 at 10:09 am

    I am loving all of these dress tutorials…perfect for summer!

    Reply
  6. Sharlyn says

    June 10, 2015 at 1:38 pm

    Looks terrific! I have been savig some fabric to try the easy tee maxi dress this Summer. Thanks for all your great ideas!

    Reply
  7. Cher @ Designs by Studio C says

    June 24, 2015 at 7:18 pm

    I love this dress! It looks so comfortable and I am so excited to make it! Thanks so much!

    Reply
  8. Pooja says

    February 17, 2016 at 10:18 pm

    I just love the easy tee pattern. Made myself some 10-12 tee shirts over last 6 months. Some colour block ones. Some raglan sleeve ones n even the lace on front with raglan sleeve one. The latest project is a dress. Took in the side seam slightly and reduced the tee length to make a bodice and added a half circle skirt to it. Result: beautiful and super comfortable dress!!! Lady, every time I wear these clothes, I bless you!!! The size is right and flattering too. Thanks a lot!!!

    Reply
  9. becky brown says

    April 12, 2016 at 5:14 am

    HI I am new to this sewing without a store bought pattern. But I really want to. What do you mean “cut strip for neck b indning”? ie……how long and how wide ? Does it need to be curved to match the neckline?

    You think this would work with a lightweight cotton?

    Reply
  10. Dara Harper says

    April 28, 2016 at 5:07 pm

    You are SEW generous! Thank you!

    Reply
  11. Natasha says

    May 10, 2016 at 11:58 am

    Hey I love it I made a tunic length but I suck at hemming the neck 🙁 Any tips ?

    Reply
  12. zoila says

    August 15, 2016 at 7:18 am

    Thanks , I’ve used all your patterns , are very accurate. You’re a great seamstress and have very good taste.

    Reply
    • autumn says

      August 24, 2016 at 10:41 am

      You’re welcome! Thanks for commenting 🙂

      Reply
  13. Ashley Ann says

    September 26, 2016 at 2:20 pm

    Hello there! I love this dress and am grateful to have a free pattern for it..but I can’t find the actual download link? Can you please help me? 🙂

    Reply
  14. malen rizon says

    April 19, 2017 at 12:43 am

    thank you for sharing

    Reply
  15. MARY says

    April 23, 2017 at 3:58 am

    I love your patterns and your instructions. I have learnt to sew with Jersey with these patterns and I have made 2 tops so far and working on the 3rd and planning this dress as my 4th. Your fabric choices are simple, but amazing. Thanks very much for taking the time to blog these as I prefer using your website than buying patterns and trying to get them to fit! You are amazing seamstress.

    Reply
  16. td bank hours says

    April 12, 2018 at 1:05 am

    Wow.. This is a awesome dress style. It’s a best choice of summer. Thanks.

    Reply
  17. Amy says

    April 29, 2018 at 2:31 pm

    Love this! What shoes are you wearing? Super cute!

    Reply
  18. Idhika says

    September 25, 2019 at 12:08 am

    Great Design and good fit to you love this

    Reply

Trackbacks

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  2. Plastic Blog says:
    March 23, 2017 at 2:09 pm

    This Simple Pattern Is Made

    […] ntent may not be reposted elsewhere. However, linking back to my content is just […]

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I'm Autumn, a mom of five who loves ice cream, Masterpiece Theatre, and clothes that hide the fact that I eat so much ice cream. When I was 18 I got a job at a craft store and told everyone (regularly) how much I hated crafts. Well, things change! Read More…

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