Knot Front Midi Dress
A women's sleeveless midi dress with a deep V-neck formed by two crossed upper fronts that are looped through each other at the raised front waist seam to make a twisted knot. Extended shoulders, bias-bound armholes and an invisible zip in the left side seam.
When To Wear
- In summer, for daytime events and dinners, in silk or another drapey fabric.
- With a light jacket or cardigan over it in spring and early autumn.
Key Design Features
Silhouette: Fitted bodice with a raised waist seam and a skirt that widens slightly towards the hem.
Length: Midi, below the knee.
Neckline: Deep V-neck made by the crossed upper fronts, finished with interfaced cut-on facings; the back neckline has a separate interfaced facing.
Sleeves: Sleeveless, with extended shoulders; armholes finished with a 4 cm bias strip folded in half and topstitched along the fold.
Front: Right and left upper fronts, each with soft pleats between marks, threaded one into the other to form the knot at the centre front waist. The lower front is cut in right and left parts joined by a centre front seam.
Closure: Invisible zip in the left side seam.
Back: Upper and lower back, each with a centre back seam, joined at the raised waist seam; darts on the back pieces.
Finishing: Bar tacks at the side seams at armhole level; hem turned twice by 1 cm and topstitched.
Level Of Difficulty
Intermediate. The knot is assembled from pleated front pieces threaded through each other, with seams of unequal length at the waist; drapey fabric, bias-bound armholes and an invisible zip.
Fabric Recommendations
Silky, well-draping fabrics from natural or blended fibres.
Additional Supplies
- Invisible zip
- Bias binding (or bias strips 4 cm wide cut from the fabric)
- Fusible interfacing (back neckline facing, cut-on neckline facings of the upper fronts)
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: hem allowance 2 cm, other seams 1 cm. Attention! First, print out the paper patterns and lay them out on the fabric width (fabric width can be from 90 cm to 150 cm) to determine how much material you will need. When stitching pieces, pay attention to the notches - they must match! Inscriptions on the patterns are on the right side.
- From main fabric:
- Upper Front – 2 pieces
- Lower Right Front – 1 piece
- Lower Left Front – 1 piece
- Upper Back – 2 pieces
- Lower Back – 2 pieces
- Back Neckline Facing – 1 piece
- From fusible interfacing:
- Back Neckline Facing – 1 piece
- Cut-on neckline facings of the Upper Front – 2 pieces
Sewing Instructions
- Fuse interfacing to the back neckline facing and to the cut-on neckline facings of the upper fronts. Overlock the outer edge of the back neckline facing and of the cut-on facings. Press the facings to the wrong side.
- Stitch darts on the back pieces. Press darts towards the center seam. Stitch the center back seam of the upper backs. Overlock the seam and press it to the left side. Stitch the center back seam of the lower backs. Overlock the seam and press it to the left side. Join the upper and lower backs at the waist. Overlock the seam and press it downwards.
- On the front pieces, in section “2”, snip the seam allowance near the marks, overlock this section, turn under and topstitch.
- On the left upper front, unfold the cut-on facing. Place the upper front and the lower left front together and align the section between the round marks. Stitch this section and, continuing the seam to the end, attach the cut-on facing to the lower front. Note that the seam lengths will not match. Overlock the seam.
- Stitch the right upper front to the lower right front from the side seam to the first mark. Overlock the seam and press it downwards.
- Stitch the center front seam of the lower right and lower left fronts. Overlock the seam and press it.
- On the right upper front, unfold the cut-on facing. Between the round marks, create soft, arbitrary pleats. Even out the resulting length with section “3”. Fold the facing back into place and topstitch the created pleats onto it. Stitch the right front parts: the section with pleats on the upper and section “3” on the lower. Make sure no pleats are caught in the cut-on facing.
- Thread the pieces one into another, as shown in the illustration. Create soft, arbitrary pleats on the left front in the section between the round marks. Baste the pleats to the cut-on facing.
- Stitch the section from the side seam to the first mark on the left front. Overlock the seam and press it downwards.
- Face the back neckline with the facing, snip the pieces, turn out and press. Stitch the shoulder seams, inserting the front shoulder edge (together with the facing) between the back shoulder edge and the neckline facing. Overlock the seams and press them towards the back.
- Cut (if not ready-made) bias tape 4 cm wide and a length equal to the armhole length + 5 cm. Fold the bias tape in half lengthwise, right side out, and press. Place the bias tape on the right side of the armhole, raw edges aligned, and stitch. Fold the bias tape to the wrong side and topstitch along the fold to the main piece. Press the seam.
- Overlock the edges of the left side seam. Stitch the left side seam, leaving an opening for the zipper between the triangular marks. Press the seam open. Insert the zipper.
- Stitch the right side edge. Overlock the seam and press it towards the back. Place bar tacks at the side seam at armhole level.
- Fold the bottom edge of the garment twice by 1 cm and topstitch.
