In an effort to save money, make wearable clothes & tackle the DIY blogs on the Internet, I dove into the "Simple Cotton Top" project from the girls of A Beautiful Mess. Their instructions were incredibly simple and easy to follow. The patternless-pattern called for simple width and height measurements and a couple yards of fabric. I liked the fabric I chose for the projects so much that I just added length to the tops and created dresses for Spring. Super cheap. Super easy. My experience:
1. The maxi dress.
I used a fabric with a bit of stretch to it. Although it is harder to work with than 100% cotton, the fabric hangs beautifully and feels so much softer. I made the shorter dress first and discovered that I cut the fabric too wide (25 inches) so I made the maxi a little bit thinner. Small mistake. Once I completed the dress and tried to walk in it, I had to do the Geisha-shuffle since the opening was too narrow. I would follow ABM's instructions regarding the width (take half of hip measurement and add 5-8 inches) with the full-length version. You could also add side slits. Also, I lined the entire dress since it was a bit sheer. This created a nice weight to it so the dress didn't move too much around the bust line. I was able to leave the arm holes long to make the cut more interesting and sexy.
2. The short dress.
I used a stiff batik fabric for this dress. As I previously mentioned, I had a little too much fabric so I would aim for a more narrow cut. This dress was so easy and simple to make since I didn't line it. It was initially33.5 inches long but I ended up hemming it. In the end, it was a cute short dress that was about 30 inches long (or shorter).
Paired with cool sandals and a ton of bracelets, you can avoid the "pillow case dress" look that is really popular for toddlers. I might try some different variations with ribbon as straps or perhaps a halter. We shall see...
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