Sewing a summer dress for your little girl is a long-held tradition of the season. The move away from traditional sewing patterns hasn’t done anything to lessen this sentiment, and to help you find the right amount of inspiration this year, we’ve picked out our top summer dress sewing patterns. From comfortable kids clothing and unique designs for adults, these designs span various skill levels and offer a variety of ways to enjoy the warm weather.
Children's/Girls' Ruffled Dress - Lola Lou Collection
McCall’s broad range of sewing patterns includes an exception collection of clothing aimed at the littlest of ladies. This particular pattern (numbered M6946) allows you to construct a ruffled dress, or top if you desire, and can be made in sizes 2-5. Designed for lightweight, woven fabrics such as cotton blends and linen, these girls dress patterns will result in a superb one-piece outfit to have at hand for that (hopefully) inevitable hot weather.
Loose-fitting Pullover dress - Marcy Tilton
This is quite possibly the perfect summer dress. Not only does the Vogue pattern V9112 not require a great degree of sewing prowess to produce, it also features enough asymmetrical seam detail and pleated additions to assuredly improve your sewing. The final result is sure to be a comforting, casually stunning addition to any summer-loving gal’s wardrobe.
Petite Scoop-Neck Dresses
It doesn’t matter whether you (or your climate…) prefers short sleeve, long sleeve or sleeveless dresses. The M6957 dress pattern from McCall’s petit collection lets you craft all three with a scoop neckline, narrow hem finish and hemline variations. Another easy-level pattern (moderate stretch knits only), this petite dress pattern is suitable for Jerseys, Cotton Knit, Silk Spun Knit and Interlock fabrics.
Paneled Dresses - Ruffles and Lace Treasured Collection
This little girl’s dress pattern is ideal for a summer birthday party, just as the cover photo would suggest. With its gathered skirt and self-lined yokes, this pullover dress (pattern no. M7145) is profoundly stylish for such an entry level design, and the option to add a purchased trim or ribbons allows you to finish up this outfit to you and your young model’s warm weather tastes. We highly recommend exploring the rest of the Ruffles and Lace Treasured Collection if you want to have highly original sewing patterns the whole year round.
Misses Handkerchief-Hem Dresses
Our last summer dress sewing pattern is also one of our most recommended for those new to sewing. The misses handkerchief-hem dress boasts a ‘very easy’ difficulty rating, and yet the lined bodice, skirt cut on crosswise grain and shaped hemline all result in an ideal addition to any summer wardrobe. Designed for medium-weight woven fabrics, the McCall’s M7315 pattern is exactly what comes to mind when one envisions their dream warm weather dress.