Peppermint Maxi Dress

Wide Strap Maxi Dress FREE Pattern By Elbe Textiles for Peppermint Magazine

This pattern is a free print-at-home download from the Peppermint Mag Sewing School. We made up a size C according to Frankie's measurements taking 2.4m of our Sky Blue Linen (140cm wide).

The amount of elastic you'll need for the back gathering will vary depending on the size you make, this is given on the pattern. We adjusted our elastic length slightly making it 36cm instead of 45cm long. The pattern calls for 38mm wide elastic for the back gathering but as we found that elastic width a bit tricky to track down we decided to go with making two rows of 20mm wide elastic.

If you're in the same boat as us and need to sew two rows of elastic do this between step 12 & 13. After under-stitching and pressing we stitched a line 2.7cm down from the top edge of the back facing, side seam to side seam, sewing through the facing and back piece layers. Continue with step 13 to edge-stitch the back facing down (making the second row for the elastic). We also found the strap length a little long for Frankie's fit so we took 14cm off the strap length making the finished length of each strap 35cm.

We loved how this pattern is designed to be completely constructed with just a plain sewer, finished with french seams and double turn overs makes for a very neat and satisfying sew! Overlocking is an option if you aren't confident in sewing french seams but you may need to adjust the seam allowance. As french seaming and some edge stitching may require a little more experience we would recommend this pattern for Advanced Beginners to Intermediate sewists. We found the instructions were easy to understand and had great, helpful diagrams to follow!

Linen - Sky

We love how versatile this dress is and how it would suit a number of woven fabrics! Elbe Textiles recommend mid-weight woven fabrics like Linen, Cotton, Rayon & Viscose. There are a few handy cutting layout examples included in the pattern instructions for varying sizes and fabric widths, this shows some pieces flipped in opposite directions so if you are using a one way print you may need more fabric than suggested. Check which lay plan to follow before purchasing your fabric.

Check out our suggestions featured below, from top to bottom: Triple Stripe Cotton Shirting - Blue, Rayon Crepe - Dijon, Silk / Linen - Forgetmenot, Linen Plaid - Blue, Ink Stripe Rayon Crepe - Grey, Japanese Cotton Chambray - Heathered Blue, Cute Flower Print Linen / Lyocell - Navy, Stretch Cotton Shirting - Ochre & Seaside Check Linen