The sun is shining all over the country, at last British summer time is cracking the flags, which means it's time to get those fabulous summer dresses out. When the weather is like this there's nothing I love more than a long walk in West Kirby or a lounge on New Brighton beach. We're so blessed on the Wirral to be surrounded by such beautiful seaside towns it's important to make the most of it and that's why I want to share a cheeky life hack to get you from daytime casual to evening out without even having to change! I give you - The maxi dress. These fabulous floaty dresses are made from lightweight Dressmaking Fabric in either knit or woven and provide the perfect combination of comfort, style and elegance to take you all the way from breakfast to dinner without ever looking over/under dressed. Let's get into maxi Dressmaking Fabrics: Knit fabrics are perfect for lightweight summer dresses like the maxi dress. Interlock knit and jersey knit are great choices for this kind of dress. Jersey is a lighter weight Dressmaking Fabric and has less stretch then interlock. Interlock is more like t-shirt fabric. We wouldn't advise getting a ponte knit or a double knit as these knits are stiffer. If you'd rather work with woven Dressmaking Fabrics then try something like batiste, challis, cotton lawn, or voile. Maxi dresses are built for the heat so you'll probably want cotton for breath-ability rather than a synthetic fibre. If you're buying Dressmaking Fabric in store at Calico Laine and can touch it, then the most important thing is that the fabric feels soft and lightweight and that you like it. You don't want to get anything stiff as a maxi dress is supposed to be soft and flowy. If you're buying fabric from us online, then be sure to read the description of the fabric and look for the word "light" or "lightweight". The description will usually tell you what kind of garments you can use the fabric for also. You could be extra careful and order a swatch if you wanted. (We provide samples of any Dressmaking Fabric for just £1 each online). Creating your own maxi dress is an absolute must for the summer.