I loved the way the Renfrew worked with my circle dress, I had to make a maxi dress to add to my wardrobe too! I used the modified top and sketched out the remaining pattern based on my hip and leg span measurements. And it worked out perfectly. My biggest mistake was not pre-washing the fabric. I swear on my own grave I pre-washed, but it shrank. Not that much, though. It could've been the difference between our old washer and dryer set and the new one. Th new washer and dryer gives me sparkling clean, toasty clothes now. I didn't want to stress the bottom hem of the dress a whole lot with my movement, so I made sure the bottom was extra roomy. I believe the final sewn circumference of the bottom is somewhere around 60". I  made this right before a wedding reception two weeks ago. When I say right before, Chris found me in my underwear putting the finishing touches on the dress when he came into the sewing room to tell me we needed to go. I worked like a maniac getting this done in under 2 hours. It's just like sewing a tee; but a really, really long one. The hem of the dress took me the longest amount of time, and I'll still have to fix it as it rolls up even after I press it. I thought I'd try to be cool and tie a knot at the bottom of my skirt for some pictures. I like the picture it took, but it does not translate well to moving around. It feels like I have a massive dangling growth hitting my knee all the time. I wonder if fashion bloggers actually have their skirts like this all day or if it's just a styling thing for pictures. I'm inclined to think the latter. I forgot to take any pictures of the side seams! I matched up the pattern perfectly on both sides. You get a subtle v where all of the black stripes match up. Probably my proudest moment. The neckline bunches here because of my forward sloping shoulders in the picture. Normally it all lays flat.

• Outfit details:
• necklace: handmade
• belt: thrifted
• dress: handmade
• shoes: hand-me-down from Sarah

This dress is already a summer staple in my wardrobe. What's your summer staple?