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Hello! I'm Suzannah, a home design lover and mom of two, with one more on the way in January 2027. Follow along with my DIY fixer upper house renovations, design tips, occasional sewing and crafty projects, and de-stressing goals.

I show you how to create a beautiful home that still works with kids!

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Buffalo check everything! Like this black and white sundress

Possibly my new favorite dress!

Checker print is around quite a lot this spring/early summer and I love it in blue/white, pale pink/white, and like this dress!, the always-interesting contrasty black/white! I've seen a couple black/white check print dresses and tops this season, as well as lots of ruffles, and I made up this combo using a super simple sundress pattern which I also heavily modified.

Read about it after the jump!

I started with Butterick B5351 because it had the basic shape I was going for, although it wasn't as loose and it had a zipper in the back. I made the skirt and bodice bigger and gave them an elastic waist instead.

Of course the most fun part is the ruffle! I eyeballed it and made it form the top elastic casing.

I cut it the width of the fabric, which was about 45", and it fit perfectly around the bodice, although now I had cut 1.5 panels to make it a little fuller (although then I would have had to also make the bodice bigger or gather the ruffle separately, hm...)...

I love loose-fitting but still feminine-shaped dresses for really hot weather!

It was SUPER fast to make, too. I kind of want another one, maybe in a print or super lightweight denim??

Pattern: Butterick B5351
Modifications:
  • Cut bodice and skirt 2-3" wider than my size
  • Combined bodice and skirt with elastic casing at waist rather than gathered bodice seam (I probably should have cut them both a little longer to account for the casing)
  • Added ruffle at the top! Made the ruffle form the casing (staggered seam allowance with top of bodice cause I like to conserve fabric and didn't think to cut the bodice taller anyway)

If you don't have time to make one for yourself, though... shop some very similar looks here!




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