Off the Shoulder Maxi Dress DIY

Nothing says sweet home Alabama quite like a Derby Party and magnolias (and sweet tea, don’t forget the sweet tea – lol). This weekend my husband and I are dressing up for our very first Derby Party, and I couldn’t be more excited! After going back and forth on what to wear, I finally decided to make something with this gorgeous Magnolia knit fabric by Art Gallery fabrics. I wanted something modest, yet still classic and chic. When I stumbled across this off-the-shoulder sleek maxi at The Loft, I knew I had the silhouette I was looking for.

The struggle between large derby hat vs. fascinator was very real. I love a good hat, but they can be quite annoying when wearing them for long periods of time in my opinion. The last thing I wanted to do was take my hat off at this event and find myself walking around with frizzy hat head. NO thanks. The fascinator won that round.

While this off the shoulder maxi dress DIY might not be typical Derby ‘preppy’ attire, it is definitely way more ME. And in the end, when you stay true to yourself, that look can never goes out of style.

Off the Shoulder Maxi Dress DIY

This post contains affiliate links

How to sew an off the shoulder maxi dress

MATERIALS:

Lady Skater Dress pattern, or similar
2.5 – 3 yds knit fabric
Coordinating thread
Ball point sewing needle
Fabric scissors
Ruler
Measuring tape

Fabric seen in these photos is:

Magnolia Jersey Knit by Art Gallery fabrics

INSTRUCTIONS:

***You will want to have a nice, snug fitting dress in order for the off-the-shoulder dress to stay in place. In order to accomplish this, I cut one and a half sizes smaller than recommended for the dress pattern. This includes cutting a smaller sleeve!

Measure 3″ above the bottom armsyce / top of side seam and cut a straight line across.
Measure around the new ‘neckline’ of your dress, and subtract 3 – 4″ from that measurement.
Cut a strip of knit bias tape 3″ wide by your measurement in Step 2.
Sew short side ends of bias strips right sides together. Press seam open.
Fold bias tube in half, right sides together, matching up the raw outer edges. Press.
Try dress on. If the sleeves are jutting out a bit, and not lying flat against your body, then add a small dart in between where the sleeve and the bodice hit at the seam.
Slip knit bias band around the neckline, matching up the raw seams. Center the bias band seam with the back center of your dress. Pin in place and sew using a stretch stitch, serger, or zigzag stitch. Press seam down and sew around to secure the seam in place using a long straight stitch.

And you are done!