The Pattern

I’ve hacked the Nikko pattern by True Bias to make a fit and flare midi dress before and I love the fit of it. I ended up making a mini dress version because I didn’t realize there wasn’t enough fabric after cutting the front piece (thrifted the fabric, got excited, started cutting, and then panic sank in haha). Learn from my silly mistake: always double-check/triple-check you have enough space for all your patterns on your fabric! So change of plans! I also thought it would be cute to add lettuce hem details at the neckline and the skirt, and learn a new skill along the way.

Sewing the Dress

To create the lettuce hem, I sewed over the folded hem with a zig zag stitch while stretching the fabric. I used a short (1.2) and wide (2.5) stitch length to make sure to catch the folded edge. Since I’m using the same colored thread, I don’t have to worry about making it look extra neat. If you are planning to use a contrasting thread, I recommend using a much shorter stitch length so they’re not too wide apart, revealing too much of the fabric. Easy peasy! The lettuce trims made the dress look feminine!

A close up look on the lettuce hem detail on the neckline
Lettuce trim neckline
A close up look on the lettuce trim detail on the skirt
Lettuce trim hem

This will be my go to black dress that you can dress it up or down. A nice addition to my memade capsule wardrobe.

A full view of the little black dress with lettuce edge details.

Styling the Dress

Here I’m styling the dress with an open knit/lacey tie front cardigan that I made (blog post coming soon). It’s an elegant chic look and can be worn with a nice pair of heels.

The little black dress is styled with a handmade lace knit cardigan.
Elegant chic look

You can also dress it more casually with a loose-fitted white blouse, and wear it with a pair of sneakers.

The little black dress is styled with a loose-fitted blouse and a red purse as an accent piece.
Casual chic look

The dress is so simple but you can create timeless outfits with it! I want to make more in different colors next time!