Sheath Dress with Cropped Bolero Jacket
A women's fitted knee-length sheath dress with long set-in sleeves, princess seams front and back, and a lined mock bolero sewn onto the front and held with eight buttons. Concealed zipper and vent at the centre back.
When To Wear
- At the office and for business meetings: the bolero gives the look of a two-piece suit in a single garment.
- For daytime ceremonies and receptions in spring, autumn and winter.
Key Design Features
Silhouette: Fitted sheath shaped by princess seams on the front and back.
Length: Around the knee.
Neckline: Round, finished with a front facing and a two-piece back neck facing.
Front: A cropped bolero in two halves, with darts, ends at the underbust and leaves the dress front showing between its edges. It is caught into the shoulder, side and armhole seams, so it is part of the dress, not a separate jacket. Eight buttons in two vertical rows of four fix the bolero edges to the front.
Sleeves: Long, one-piece, set-in.
Back: Centre back seam with a concealed zipper and a vent at the hem; princess seams.
Finishing: Hems of the dress and sleeves turned up 3 cm and sewn by hand with blind stitches.
Lining: Only the bolero is lined; the dress is unlined.
Level Of Difficulty
Intermediate. A lined bolero bagged out and attached to the front, a concealed zipper, a centre back vent and set-in sleeves.
Fabric Recommendations
Dress fabrics made from natural or blended fibres.
Additional Supplies
- Lining fabric (bolero)
- Fusible interfacing (facings, bolero neckline, front and bottom edges, back vent)
- Concealed zipper
- 8 buttons
Cutter's Must
- From main fabric:
- Center back - 2 pieces
- Side back - 2 pieces
- Center front - 1 piece
- Side front - 2 pieces
- Bolero – 2 pieces
- Sleeve – 2 pieces
- Back neckline facing – 2 pieces
- Front facing – 1 piece
- From lining fabric:
- From fusible interfacing:
- Back neckline facing – 2 pieces
- Front facing – 1 piece
Sewing Instructions
When stitching pieces, pay attention to the notches - they must match!
- Interface the facing pieces, bolero neckline edges, and the diagonal and bottom edges of the bolero with fusible interfacing.
- Stitch the princess seams of the back and front, press allowances towards the center and overlock.
- On the left back piece, cut 5 cm along the vertical edge of the vent. On both back pieces, interface the vent from the wrong side. On the right side, mark the center seam line (the fold line of the vent). Press the left piece along the vent fold line, on the right piece, press only the allowance of the right side of the vent (6 cm) to the wrong side. Align the pieces along the center seam and secure at the top edge of the vent. Overlock the center back edge separately on each piece. Overlock the vent allowances. Stitch the center back seam from the zipper mark to the corner of the vent. Clip the corner of the vent seam allowance on the right piece. Press the center seam allowances open, press the vent allowances and secure them with machine stitching. Insert the concealed zipper.
- Stitch the darts on the bolero pieces from the main and lining fabric, press the dart depths downwards. Place the main garment with the lining right sides together and stitch the neckline edge, center, and bottom edges. Clip the allowances at curves, trim at corners, turn the piece right side out, straighten, and press. Secure the lining to the main garment along the edges.
- Overlock the outer edge of the front facing. Place the front facing with the main garment right sides together and stitch the upper edge. Fold the facing to the wrong side, straighten, and press. Place the bolero on the front and secure along the edges. Then treat as one piece.
- Overlock the outer edge of the back neckline facing. Place the neckline facing on the back and stitch the neckline edge exactly up to the marked shoulder seam line. Clip the allowances, turn the facing to the wrong side, and press.
- Stitch the shoulder seams, inserting the front between the back and the facing, press allowances towards the back and overlock. Attach the facing to the zipper tape.
- Stitch the side seams, press allowances towards the back and overlock.
- Stitch the sleeve seam, press allowances towards the back and overlock. Set the sleeves into the armholes, press allowances and overlock.
- Overlock the hem allowance of the garment and sleeve, press to the wrong side, and hem with blind stitches.
- Sew buttons onto the bolero, securing it to the front.
