Replicating a Tiered Maxi Dress (free sewing pattern)

I bought a black tiered dress from Basque Myer, but despite it being 100% cotton, it was thin, crunchy, and collected dust without letting it go.

Being four months old into sewing now, I thought I’d try replicating the dress with cotton double cloth fabric from Spotlight.

The top

I wanted to retain the sleeve shape but have a shallow v-neck and double-layered front bodice.

I copied the basic measurements of the original top, traced the sleeve shape on folded fabric, and matched the collar facing.

The shoulders were sewn together, sleeves were attached around the shoulders, the sides were sewn together down the armpits, then the collar facing was sewn on.

The skirt

I liked the volume of the original skirt so I copied the dimensions and made the skirt just like my post on how to make a tiered skirt.

Sewing the dress together

The top tier of the skirt was gathered using my baby lock overlocker (differential feed on 2, and pulling the two needle threads further to match the top), and serged together with the top.

Extra stitch details were added around the neckline and over each tier to secure them into place.

Once I was happy with the length of the dress and sleeves, I roll edged the sleeves and cover stitched the hem.