How to sew a High-Low Maxi Dress
If you've been shopping lately you have seen the high-low dress trend everywhere! It just so happened last week a sweet customer, Doray B., wrote to me asking if I could do a tutorial on how to turn The Bardot Dress sewing pattern - CLICK HERE into a high-low Maxi Dress! She said she loved the style of the Bardot dress pattern, the pockets and the ruffled top, but wanted it to have the trendy high-low style. Doray, this one is for you! Enjoy!!
BONUS:
**You could also take The Mimi Maxi Dress sewing pattern - CLICK HERE (or a maxi dress you already have in your closet) and follow step #5 through step #10 to make it a high-low style, too!
TUTORIAL: How to Make a High- Low Maxi Dress
(from the Bardot Dress sewing pattern - complete steps #1-10)
(From a maxi dress you own - complete steps #5-10)
Bardot Dress sewing pattern for Women - CLICK HERE
fabric needed (54" wide):
XS - 1 and 2/3 yards
Small - 3 and 1/8 yards
Medium -3 and 1/8 yards
Large -3 and 1/4 yards
X-Large - 3 and 1/3 yards
XX-Large - 3 and 1/3 yards
2 yards of 3/8 inch elastic
sewing machine, thread, scissors, pins, iron
2 yards of double fold bias tape
2. CUT OUT YOUR FABRIC:
When cutting out your dress fabric to make the High-Low Bardot Dress, cut TWO PIECES according to the size you are sewing:
HINT: If you are petite, subtract 2 inches from the length given. If you are tall, ADD two inches to the length given.
XS: 50 in long x 27 in wide
Small: 50.5 in long x 28 in wide
Medium: 51 in long x 29 in wide
Large: 51.5 in long x 30 in wide
XLarge: 52 in long x 31 in wide
XXLarge: 52 in long x 32 in wide
3. Cut out TWO PIECES for your ruffle fabric that are 9 inches long x the same width as given in the chart above. EXAMPLE: I would make an XS so mine would be 9 in long x 27 in wide and I would cut two of those.
4. Follow the entire sewing pattern to complete your Bardot Dress but do not hem the bottom.
5. To give it a high-low hem, lay the dress with the side seams touching. The front of the dress will extend to the left and the back of the dress will extend to the right.
6. Decide how high you want the front hem to start. I want mine to start above my knee so I measure from the ground to that spot. It is 15 inches. (I am very petite - only 4'11" - so your measurement will most likely be a lot higher than mine!) Place a pin or make a mark at 15 inches above the left side of the dress on the ground.
7. Draw a curved line starting from the 15 inch mark, extend it towards the right 4 inches in a straight line before starting to drastically curve the line down. When you reach the side seam, the line should have dropped to your 2 inch mark you previously made. Cross that mark and then slowly curve your line until it extends off the dress at a gently slope.
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8. Cut off the fabric.
9. Serge and hem. (Or zig-zag stitch and hem) **HINT: Since this is a curved hem, you may want to do a rolled hem on your serger or use a rolled hem sewing foot.
10. Wear it!!
Great tutorial!
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