{"id":12286,"date":"2026-08-21T11:34:17","date_gmt":"2026-08-21T10:34:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sixmignons.com\/?p=12286"},"modified":"2026-08-21T11:39:33","modified_gmt":"2026-08-21T10:39:33","slug":"my-criss-cross-cut-out-maxi-summer-dress","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sixmignons.com\/en\/2026\/08\/21\/my-criss-cross-cut-out-maxi-summer-dress\/","title":{"rendered":"My criss-cross, cut-out, maxi summer dress"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

When do you know that you have hacked a pattern too far? Spending 30 hours trying to make it fit properly should give you a hint… In any case, after two months, I finally got there: meet my criss-cross, cut-out, maxi summer dress.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n

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From concept to toile<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Temperatures have been incredibly high in Europe – UK included – since May, so I got a bit obsessed with dresses with a cut-out bodice<\/strong> – for ventilation purposes let’s say. Here was my initial inspiration: a Zimmermann dress I discovered at the end of May, right when it got sold out in my size…<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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I am rubbish at self-drafting but I really struggled to find any pattern with any similarity to this bodice. Also as time progressed and temperatures got even higher, my idea evolved into something very different<\/strong>, with the criss-cross at the decolletage but also keeping the front cut-out – much easier to self-draft actually. So I watched loads of videos using the Nigerian self-drafting method, in particular this one<\/a>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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I chickened out of self-drafting a princess bodice. Instead I used a tried-and-tested one from my pattern archive: V9239 <\/a>(sewn and reviewed here<\/a>) and applied the modifications suggested on the video. Here is a comparison of the original front pattern piece versus my adjusted one:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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After many hours of pondering and 3 toiles, things seems promising (the fit was even better on me than on the mannequin)…<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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… and then everything went to hell!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From toile to a hell of adjustments<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

After having been so diligent with my toiles, I decided out of the blue to add a cut-out at the back<\/strong>. It looks gorgeous on the finished garment…<\/p>\n\n\n

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but it caused me hours and hours and hours of adjustments to make the bodice fit<\/strong>. I know I unstitched the invisible zipper three times. As for unstitching the bodice from the dress, I did not even count… I must have spent about thirty hours on this dress…<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here is my analysis of the problem. By adding a back cut-out, it’s as if I lost all the structure that was keeping the bodice together<\/strong>… and my boobs out of display!With two cut-outs, the bodice is far more mobile and needs to be much much more adjusted. So my adjustments were just about that; making the bodice tighter and tighter. I really should have known, as I encountered the problem previously, here <\/a>and here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A beautiful summer dress in the end<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Despite being an ordeal to sew, the finished product is beautiful<\/strong> and definitely very summery.<\/p>\n\n\n

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I mentioned ventilation earlier on and there definitey is plenty! – but everything than needs to be kept hidden does – even when sitting! (yes, that was my last adjustment, after a rather embarrassing moment the first time I wore the dress) <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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I used a cotton broderie anglaise, fully lined with cotton voile. And I added a semi-circle dress. All of which should have been a breeze to sew but wasn’t. Oh well, let’s take it with a smile, as a useful sewing lesson…<\/p>\n\n\n

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In summary<\/h2>\n\n\n\n