Double Breasted Cap Sleeve V-Neck Dress
A women's knee-length fitted dress with a crossover V-neck bodice, a small stand collar set into the front neckline, a separate waist panel fastened double-breasted with six buttons, and self-faced cap sleeves.
When To Wear
- To the office and business meetings in spring and summer, alone or under a jacket.
- For daytime events and dinners, with court shoes.
Key Design Features
Silhouette: Fitted, shaped by darts on the upper and lower front and back pieces and by the horizontal seams of the waist panel.
Length: Around the knee.
Collar: Small stand collar, cut double, inserted into the fold of the upper front and continued into the back neckline; the V-neck is finished with front facings and a back neck facing.
Sleeves: Cap sleeves, each cut double and turned through, set into the armholes; the armhole seam is covered with a 4 cm bias binding topstitched on the inside.
Front: The upper front crosses over into a V. The waist panel and the lower front have cut-on facings and close double-breasted with six buttons in three pairs and six buttonholes on the right front.
Back: Centre back seam through the upper and lower back; a waist panel in three parts (middle and two sides) between them.
Finishing: Hem serged, turned up 2 cm and topstitched.
Level Of Difficulty
Intermediate. Setting a stand collar into a front fold and the back neckline at once, joining waist panels with cut-on facings, and binding the armholes over the sleeve seam.
Fabric Recommendations
Dress fabrics of natural or blended fibres.
Additional Supplies
- Fusible interfacing (front facings, back neck facing, collar, sleeves, cut-on waist panel and lower front facings)
- 6 buttons
- Bias binding, 4 cm wide (or cut from the main fabric)
Cutter's Must
When stitching pieces, pay attention to the notches - they must match!
- From main fabric:
- Upper back – 2 pieces
- Middle back waistband — 1 piece
- Side back waistband — 2 pieces
- Lower back — 2 pieces
- Upper front — 2 pieces
- Front waistband — 2 pieces
- Lower front — 2 pieces
- Front facing — 2 pieces
- Back neckline facing – 1 piece
- Collar – 2 pieces
- Sleeve – 4 pieces
- From fusible interfacing:
- Front facing — 2 pieces
- Back neckline facing – 1 piece
- Collar – 1 piece
- Sleeve – 2 pieces
Sewing Instructions
- Interface the pieces with fusible interfacing. Interface the one-piece front waistband facings and lower front.
- Stitch darts on the upper back pieces, press allowances towards the center. Stitch the center seam of the upper back, press allowances to the left side and serge.
- Stitch the middle and side back waistband pieces, press allowances towards the center, serge. Attach the back waistband to the upper, press allowances onto the waistband and serge.
- Stitch the dart on the lower back. Press the allowance towards the center. Stitch the center seam of the lower back, press the allowance to the left side and serge. Attach the lower back to the back waistband. Serge the allowance and press it onto the waistband.
- Fold collar pieces right sides together and stitch short and outer edges. Trim allowances, turn right side out and press. Process sleeves similarly.
- Stitch the dart on the front. Press the allowance towards the center.
- Stitch shoulder seams. Press allowances towards the back and serge.
- Insert the collar between the front pleat sides and stitch, simultaneously setting it into the back neckline. Clip the allowance at the shoulder seam and serge the section from the pleat apex to the shoulder seam.
- Stitch shoulder seams of the front facing and back neckline facing. Press allowances open. Serge the outer edge. Fold the front facing and back neckline facing with the neckline right sides together and stitch the front and back necklines. Clip allowances, turn the front facing and back neckline facing to the wrong side and press. Hand-tack the facing to the shoulder seams.
- Attach the front waistband to the lower, press allowances onto the waistband and serge. Serge the outer allowance of the one-piece front facing. Attach the waistband to the upper, enclosing the upper with the one-piece front facing. Serge the allowance and press it downwards. Turn the front facing to the wrong side and press.
- Set sleeves into armholes.
- Stitch side seams, press allowances towards the back and serge.
- Cut (if not ready-made) a bias binding 4 cm wide and length equal to armhole length + 6 cm. Fold the bias binding in half lengthwise right side out and press. Fold the binding with the armhole edge right side out and stitch, covering the sleeve attachment seam. Fold the binding to the wrong side, clip allowances and topstitch along the fold onto the main piece. Press the seam.
- Serge the bottom edge of the garment, press to the wrong side and topstitch.
- Serge 6 buttonholes on the right front. Sew buttons according to buttonholes on the left front.
