Elbow Sleeve Button-Front Ruffled Dress
A women's mid-calf tiered dress with a deep V-neckline, a front opening closed with 17 buttons and rouleau loops, a high waist band, gathered tiers and elbow-length sleeves gathered at the cap and finished with cuffs.
When To Wear
- In summer for daytime outings and holidays, with sandals or flat shoes.
- For garden parties and outdoor celebrations.
Key Design Features
Silhouette: Fitted bodice, high waist band, then two gathered tiers widening towards the hem.
Length: Mid-calf.
Neckline: Deep V-neckline at the front; neckline and front edges bound with folded bias binding, topstitched along the fold.
Sleeves: Elbow-length set-in sleeves gathered at the cap, finished with a folded cuff.
Closure: Front opening along the full length; 17 buttons on the left front and loops on the right front, made from a 2.5 cm bias strip turned into rouleau (ready-made loop tape can be used instead).
Front: Upper fronts gathered at the lower edge under the bust and joined to the front inserts, which form the waist band.
Back: Upper back in two pieces with darts and a centre seam, a one-piece back insert, lower back with a centre seam.
Skirt: Lower front and back gathered onto the waist band; a gathered ruffle tier joined below, cut on the fold at the back.
Finishing: Stay tape on the necklines and on the centre front edges of the inserts, lower fronts and ruffles; hem serged, turned and topstitched.
Level Of Difficulty
Intermediate. Many gathered seams, rouleau loops, a bias-bound front opening and a sleeve cap with gathers.
Fabric Recommendations
Dress fabrics from natural or blended fibres.
Additional Supplies
- Fusible stay tape
- Matching bias binding (approximate length is given on the lower back pattern piece)
- 17 buttons
Cutter's Must
If the patterns have a double contour, seam allowances are included. If the contour is single, seam allowances are not included. Seam allowances: all seams 1 cm. Hem allowance – 2.0 cm. Attention! First, print out the paper patterns and lay them out on the fabric width (fabric width can be from 90cm to 150cm) to determine how much material you will need (do not forget to account for paired and symmetrical pieces). When stitching pieces, pay attention to the notches - they must match!
- From main fabric:
- Upper back – 2 pieces
- Back insert – 1 piece
- Lower back - 2 pieces
- Back ruffle – 1 piece on fold
- Front ruffle – 2 pieces
- Lower front – 2 pieces
- Front insert – 2 pieces
- Upper front – 2 pieces
- Sleeve – 2 pieces
- Cuff – 2 pieces
Sewing Instructions
- Apply fusible interfacing strip along the edges: back neckline, front neckline, center edges of front inserts, center edges of lower front, center edges of front ruffles.
- Stitch darts on the upper back pieces, press allowances towards the center of the pieces. Stitch the center seam of the upper back, press allowances to the left side and overlock. Attach the back insert to the upper back, press allowances towards the insert and overlock.
- Stitch the center seam of the lower back, press allowances to the left side and overlock. Along the upper edge of the lower back, stitch with a loosened thread and gather. Attach the lower back to the back insert, press allowances upwards and overlock.
- Along the upper edge of the back ruffle, stitch with a loosened thread and gather. Attach the ruffle to the lower back, press allowances upwards and overlock.
- Along the lower edge of the upper front, stitch with a loosened upper thread and gather. Attach the front insert to the upper front, press allowances towards the insert and overlock.
- Along the upper edge of the lower front, stitch with a loosened thread and gather. Attach the lower front to the front insert, press allowances upwards and overlock.
- Along the upper edge of the front ruffle, stitch with a loosened thread and gather. Attach the ruffle to the lower front, press allowances upwards and overlock.
- Stitch side and shoulder seams, press allowances towards the back and overlock.
- Cut a strip 2.5 cm wide at a 45-degree angle for loop closures. Fold the strip lengthwise in half, right sides together, and stitch 0.3 cm from the fold. Trim allowances close to the stitching, turn the strip right side out and straighten the rouleau. Cut into pieces. Adjust loop length. Stitch loops onto the right front (folds facing away from the edge).
- Fold the bias binding lengthwise in half, right side out, and press. Align the bias binding with the edge of the placket and neckline on the right side and stitch, then fold the bias binding to the wrong side and topstitch along the fold onto the main piece.
- Stitch the sleeve seam, press allowances towards the back and overlock. Along the sleeve cap, stitch with a loosened upper thread and gather. Set sleeves into armholes, matching notches, press allowances and overlock.
- Stitch the cuff into a ring, press allowances open. Fold the cuff lengthwise in half, right side out, and press. Attach the outer side of the cuff to the sleeve, fold the allowance of the inner cuff inwards and stitch into the seam of the upper cuff attachment.
- Overlock the bottom edge of the garment, press to the wrong side and topstitch.
- Sew buttons onto the left front. Tip: instead of self-made loop closures, you can use pre-made loop tape. In this case, skip step 9 and stitch the pre-made loop tape to the edge of the placket after completing step 10.
