Fitted Dress with Paneled Skirt and Sleeves
A fitted women's dress just above the knee, with a deep faced V-front over a straight-topped inset, short double-layer cap sleeves and a front skirt built from curved, faced, overlapping tiers. A pleated, lined waistband closes with three hooks and eyes; invisible zip and vent at the centre back.
When To Wear
- At the office or a daytime event, with court shoes.
- For evening dinners and receptions, under a short jacket in cooler weather.
Key Design Features
Silhouette: Close-fitting through the bodice, waist and hips.
Length: Just above the knee.
Neckline: Two centre front pieces with interfaced facings form wide bands over the shoulders and a deep V, filled by a front inset with a straight top edge hemmed 3 cm. The back neckline is finished with an interfaced facing.
Front: Upper front with princess seams; the facing edge is stitched in the ditch of the princess seam.
Sleeves: Short cap sleeves, each cut from a front and a back half joined together and made in two layers, then set into the armhole.
Waist: Pleated waistband with the pleats turned upwards, lined, fastened with hooks on one end and eyes on the other.
Skirt: The front is made of four parts (upper, middle, second middle and lower), each tier with a curved faced lower edge overlapping the next; the second middle tier is pleated. The back skirt is plain.
Back: Horizontal seam joining the upper and lower back, darts, centre back seam with an invisible zip and a lapped vent at the hem.
Finishing: Hem turned 1 cm and then 2 cm and topstitched.
Level Of Difficulty
Advanced. Layered curved tiers with facings, a faced V-front over an inset, an invisible zip with facing, a lapped back vent and two-layer sleeves.
Fabric Recommendations
Firm dress fabrics of natural or blended fibres.
Additional Supplies
- Lining fabric (waistband lining)
- Fusible interfacing (centre front facings, back neckline facings, skirt facings, vent)
- Invisible zip
- 3 hooks and eyes
Cutter's Must
If the patterns have a double contour, they include seam allowances. If the contour is single, the patterns do not include seam allowances. Seam allowances: all seams 1 cm; hem allowance for the dress bottom and top edge allowance for the front insert – 3 cm; slit allowance – 6 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 (don't forget to account for paired and symmetrical pieces). When stitching pieces, pay attention to the notches - they must match! Inscriptions on the patterns are made on the right side!
- From main fabric:
- Upper Back - 2 pieces
- Lower Back - 2 pieces
- Center Upper Front – 2 pieces
- Side Upper Front – 2 pieces
- Front Inset - 1 piece
- Back Sleeve - 4 pieces
- Front Sleeve - 4 pieces
- Back Neckline Facing - 2 pieces
- Waistband - 1 piece
- Center Front Facing - 2 pieces
- Upper Skirt - 1 piece
- Middle Skirt - 1 piece
- Middle Skirt 2 - 1 piece
- Lower Skirt - 1 piece
- Upper Skirt Facing - 1 piece
- Middle Skirt Facing - 1 piece
- Middle Skirt Facing 2 - 1 piece
- From lining fabric:
- Waistband Lining - 1 piece
- From fusible interfacing:
- Center Front Facing – 2 pieces
- Back Neckline Facing - 2 pieces
- Upper Skirt Facing - 1 piece
- Middle Skirt Facing - 1 piece
- Middle Skirt Facing 2 - 1 piece
Sewing Instructions
- Reinforce the Center Front Facings, Back Neckline Facings and skirt facings with fusible interfacing.
- Stitch darts on the back pieces. Press darts towards the center seam. Stitch the Upper Back and Lower Back pieces together. Press seam upwards and overlock.
- On the left Lower Back, along the vertical slit edge, cut off 5 cm. On both Lower Back pieces, reinforce the slit from the wrong side. On the right side, mark the center seam line (slit fold line). Press the left along the slit fold line, on the right, press only the allowance of the right side of the slit (6 cm) to the wrong side. Align the pieces along the center seam and secure at the upper edge of the slit. Overlock the center back edge separately on each piece. Overlock the slit allowances. Stitch the center back seam from the zipper notch to the slit corner. Clip the corner of the slit seam allowance on the right. Press open the center seam allowances, press the slit allowances and secure them with machine stitching. Insert the zipper from the top edge to the notch.
- Stitch the Center Upper Front to the Side Upper Front along the princess seams, press allowances towards the center and overlock.
- Place the Center Front Facings on the Center Upper Front pieces right sides together and stitch along the center front edge. Clip allowances at curves, turn the facings to the wrong side. Press the top edge of the Front Inset to the wrong side by 1 cm, then by another 2 cm and topstitch. Lay the faced fronts over the right side of the Front Inset from the mark to the lower edge and baste. Overlock the outer edge of the Center Front Facing and stitch it to the front in the princess seam (stitch in the ditch).
- Place the Upper Skirt with the Upper Skirt Facing right sides together and stitch the lower edge. Clip allowances at curves, turn the facing to the wrong side. Place the Middle Skirt with the Upper Skirt Facing right sides together and stitch. Press allowances upwards and overlock. Stitch the facing to the skirt in the seam joining the facing and the Middle Skirt.
- On the Middle Skirt 2, fold and secure the pleats according to the markings (pleats facing upwards). Place the Middle Skirt 2 with the Middle Skirt Facing 2 right sides together and stitch the lower edge. Clip allowances at curves, turn the facing to the wrong side. Place the Lower Skirt with the Middle Skirt Facing 2 right sides together and stitch. Press allowances upwards and overlock. Stitch the facing to the skirt in the seam joining the facing and the Lower Skirt.
- Place the Middle Skirt with the Middle Skirt Facing right sides together and stitch the lower edge. Clip allowances at curves, turn the facing to the wrong side. Place the Middle Skirt 2 with the Middle Skirt Facing right sides together and stitch. Press allowances upwards and overlock. Stitch the facing to the skirt in the seam joining the facing and the Middle Skirt 2.
- Stitch the upper front to the skirt, press allowances upwards and overlock.
- Overlock the inner edge of the Back Neckline Facings. Place the dress with the facing right sides together, aligning the neckline edges. 5 mm from the edges of the invisible zipper, fold back the facing and pin it to the top edge of the dress. On the right side of the dress, fold back the allowances along the zipper and pin them to the neckline edge over the facing. Stitch the neckline edge, starting and ending the seam exactly at the marked shoulder seam line. Clip allowances at curves, turn pieces right side out and press. Attach the facing to the zipper tape.
- Stitch shoulder seams, sandwiching the front between the back and the Back Neckline Facing. Press allowances, overlock. Turn facing to the wrong side.
- Stitch each Back Sleeve to a Front Sleeve, press allowances open. Place the two resulting sleeve layers right sides together and stitch along the outer edge and short sides. Trim allowances at corners, turn right side out. Pin the sleeves to the armholes and stitch. Press allowances and overlock.
- Stitch side seams, press allowances towards the back and overlock.
- Press the hem allowance of the dress bottom to the wrong side by 1 cm, then by another 2 cm and topstitch.
- On the Waistband, fold the pleats (facing upwards). Place the Waistband and Waistband Lining right sides together, inserting the hooks into one of the short ends, and stitch around, leaving an opening for turning. Trim allowances at corners, turn the waistband right side out, slipstitch the opening closed, press. Sew the eyes to the opposite end.
