10 Sewing Patterns for Summer Dresses | Sew DIY

It is definitely starting to warm up in Southern California so I’m, of course, thinking of the dresses I want to make and wear. I have lots of fabric that is perfect for summer dresses and a big old list of patterns that I want to try out. Here are a few of my favorite patterns for the season.

10 Dress Patterns for Summer

1. Trevi Dress by Hey June
I love the button back and the swingy shape. I can easily see it becoming a wardrobe staple. I already have the pattern printed. Now I just need to choose fabric!

2. Willow Tank Dress by Grainline Studio
I love the simple shape of this tank dress. Grainline always makes the most perfect basics that will never go out of style.

3. Lodo Dress by True Bias
Another winner! I love the slight cocoon shape of the dress and the v-neck.

4. Acton Dress by In The Folds
This was one of my favorite patterns of 2016 (see my review here) and I’d love to make it again. I’m absolutely in love with the neckline and I’d like to try it in a floral print.

5. Darling Ranges by Megan Nielsen
This dress has been on my list for ages. I’ve even had it printed out for longer than I’d like to admit. But this summer will be different because the pattern is part of Sew My Style (for August) so I have extra incentive to sew it up.

6. Rumi Tank Dress by Christine Haynes
I love the look of a racerback dress. I made the Rumi Tank last year (see my review here) and I have a perfect bright coral fabric that would look great as a dress.

7. Gabrielle Dress by Seamwork
This is a brand new pattern from Seamwork magazine. The flirty skirt and cut out back is just perfect for summer bbq’s.

8. Highlands Wrap Dress by Allie Olson
This is another relatively new pattern. I love the classic style of this wrap dress and the short sleeves are just perfect.

9. Anneli Double Front Dress by Named Patterns
This takes a basic maxi tank dress and elevates it with a really cool front overlap.

10. McCall’s M7407
This dress is comfortable, chic and fun all rolled up in one. I love the swing of the skirt and can totally imagine living in it all summer.

Do you have any plans for sewing dresses this summer? What pattern do you plan on using?

End of Year Recap and Highlights—2025

Hello sew-friends! My end of 2025 posts are coming out in a “better late than never” style this year. Personally, I don’t think end of year recaps should start until after the year has ended. If we start tallying things at the beginning of December, then December never gets counted and we can’t leave out a whole month!

Looking back on 2025, I feel very good about my personal sewing practice. For Me Made May this year, I pledged to sew for 25 minutes everyday and it was a great way to jump-start my sewing practice. I’m actually still working on big quilt projects that I re-started then. :P Click here for my tips for rebooting your sewing practice.

If I compare my blogging and sewing output to years past, 2025 was slower. But that’s ok. Things ebb and flow in life and it’s not all about the numbers. I did not post very much on social media or YouTube but I did post a lot on my Substack. Read on for the Sew DIY highlights of 2025.

Roundup—Tips for Getting Started Sewing

Everything I made in 2022 and my final vlog for the year

Hello sew-friends! It’s hard to believe that we’re nearing the end of another year. It wasn’t an easy year for me, between struggles with migraines and the loss of my cat. But, there were a lot a great parts too. I was really busy with my freelance work. I got to work with a lot of great people and I had some really interesting projects. (Both of those are worth mentioning, because it’s not always the case.) And, I got to do a lot of traveling and to visit friends and family that I haven’t seen in a long time. If the pandemic has taught us anything, it’s that we need to cherish our time together, to cherish the hugs, the intimacy and breathing the same air as our loved ones.

Everything I made in 2021 and my final vlog for 2021

Wow, another pandemic year is closing and the things that we thought/hoped would be over in a few weeks are still here. I'm still very grateful for my sewing and crafting practice and this small pattern business. For me, sewing and crafting is a therapeutic practice and I'm very grateful to have it in my life.

During the first year of the pandemic, my freelance work dried up and I was able to dive into pattern design. I made lots of YouTube videos and released three new patterns and my improv quilting course. For 2021, I had planned to cut back on YouTube a little bit and really focus on patterns and classes. But, things just don't always go as planned.

Everything I made in 2020 and my final vlog for 2020

Oh my gosh! 2020 is coming to an end. Phew! We are by no means out of the woods yet but I’m hopeful for 2021. Today, I’m sharing a roundup of some of the things that I made in 2020 and a few ponderings on what I’m planning for next year. I feel really proud of all that I accomplished in 2020 and I feel really grateful for this sewing practice and sewing community. Thank you to everyone who has supported me this year and all the years prior! I started Sew DIY in 2014 which means the seventh !!!! anniversary is coming up soon. So incredible! Anyway, read on to see what happened in 2020 at Sew DIY and watch my final vlog of the year. My kitty Fox makes some great cameos so it’s definitely worth a watch.

Roundup of the Best Sewing Tips and Tutorials from 2020

It’s the end of another year and, as always, that means looking back and reviewing what we’ve done. This year has been one unlike no other. I live in Los Angeles and have been under varying degrees of lockdown since March. I’m so grateful that I have this craft, this practice, this hobby and business that I can do at home. It’s kept me busy and engaged, reduced my stress and I can’t imagine what I’d be doing without it. Perhaps I’d become an intense crocheter?

This year, I continued making about one video a week for my YouTube channel. I really enjoy making the videos and sharing about sewing but boy do they take a lot of time. In the new year, I may cut back to every other week to make room for other projects, like new patterns and classes.

15 Scrap-busting gifts to sew for the holidays

Hello and happy holidays! Last week, I wrapped up (lol! ;) my video tutorial series of scrap-busting gifts to sew for the holidays and I thought it would be nice to have all the tutorials (plus a few more) rounded up in one place. I often like to give handmade things for the holidays and this year I've been focused on using fabric that's already in my stash. It's economical and sustainable to use fabrics and even fabric scraps that I already have. Plus, it's so satisfying to see my stash slowly shrinking. Read on to check out a few of my sewing tutorials for handmade gifts.

Tutorials for sewing with knit fabric

After releasing the Work-from-home pattern bundle a couple of weeks ago, I received a few questions from people unsure about sewing with knit fabric. I completely understand the feeling and I used to be really nervous myself to sew with knit fabric. But, with some practice, knits can be really fun and easy to sew. Over the years, I’ve created a bunch of blog posts and videos with tips for sewing knit fabric. I’ve compiled them here along with links to my favorite books about sewing with knit fabric. Read on to learn more.

101 Ideas for using fabric scraps

Scraps can often be one of the biggest struggles for sewists. We spend so much time selecting and caring for our fabric, that it can feel sad and wasteful to just throw the scraps away. I’m very passionate about sustainability and creating less waste so today, I’m sharing 101 ways to use your scrap fabric. There’s a whole slew of ideas, organized into categories, so that you can skip to the section that sounds most fun to you.

These projects run the gamut from quick and fun to more involved and labor intensive. Where applicable, I’ve linked to existing tutorials on my blog. Otherwise, you should be able to find a tutorial via a quick internet search. Or, let your creativity run wild and create your own pattern.

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