We initially developed the Popover Sundress for Issue 6 of Sew Hip, the British sewing magazine. Now you can download it for free!

Great for pursuing all sorts of naturalist adventures, or just spending a lazy summer day enjoying the sun, this loose-fitting A-line sundress has a contrast yoke with bias ties at the shoulder.

The Popover Sundress makes an excellent first project for a new seamstress–or a quick project that provides almost instant gratification for someone with a bit more experience.

The pattern comes in sizes 2-8 and provides many opportunities for customization. One early sewer even discovered that it can easily be made into a fully reversible dress.

Download a copy of the pattern today and make a little girl very happy with a new dress for the last days of summer.

Printing instructions: the pattern is provided as a PDF file sized specifically for 8.5 x 11 inch paper. Pages 1-3 should print in portrait mode while pages 4-11 should print in landscape. To provide accurate sizing of the pattern when printing the file, ensure that the option for Page Scaling in Acrobat Reader’s print dialogue box is set to “None.”

It’s a fascinating fabric, and it really is made of two layers of gauze. They’re woven together on the loom, which is what that white dot on the fabric is–the inside layer of gauze is white, and when the threads trade places on the loom, a little “stitch” of white shows on the purple side while a “stitch” of purple shows on the white side. You could use either side of the fabric as the right side, since the two sides are identical but opposite.

She looks ready for summer, doesn’t she?

Double gauze can be quite drapey, so it’s better suited to some styles than others. I was pleasantly surprised to see it used very effectively in this adorable Birthday Party dress on the Oliver + S Flickr group. This particular version uses a Heather Ross print. Printing gives the double gauze a stiffer hand, which certainly helps to keep this dress looking crisp and summery.

If you haven’t tried this fabric yet, I strongly recommend it. It’s perfect for those really warm days of summer, which I hear are on their way.

Sew Hip, a new sewing magazine in the UK, commissioned an Oliver + S pattern for its most recent issue. (Yes, that’s it on the cover–shown with Martha the chicken). The pattern, called the Popover Sundress, is a simple pull-on dress with bias straps that tie at the shoulder.

The pattern is fun to make because it’s very easy to sew and gives you the option to add lace, rickrack, or a ruffle to the yoke. The adjustable straps make it an especially versatile pattern that would be cute as a swimsuit cover-up this summer or as a dressier garment if made in fabrics like linen or silk. It would even be appropriate over a blouse or shirt when the weather gets cooler.

Here are some photos we took before sending Sew Hip the samples for their photo shoot.

If you’ve sewn a Popover Sundress from the Sew Hip pattern, we would love to see it! You can add your photos to the Oliver + S Flickr group. We’ve already seen several versions sent to us via email, and it looks like lots of seamstresses are enjoying themselves with the pattern. We can’t wait to see more!