Draped Sheath Dress with Floral Waist Detail
A sleeveless, knee-length women's sheath dress with a crossover V-neck framed by a wide two-part collar, a waist seam, a pleated cascade panel over the left front skirt and a separate belt with a fabric rose.
When To Wear
- At weddings, receptions and formal dinners, in warm weather or with a wrap.
- For evening events, worn with the belt and rose or without them.
Key Design Features
Silhouette: Fitted sheath shaped by princess seams on the bodice and darts on the skirt.
Length: Around the knee.
Collar: Wide collar in a left and a right part, each cut double and interfaced, joined along their centre edges and stitched to the neckline. On the left front the collar forms a 1 cm stand; on the right it folds back along the lapping edge.
Front: Crossover bodice with separate left and right upper fronts; the right front laps over the left and its edge is held in small pleats at the waist seam.
Sleeves: Sleeveless; armholes finished with a 4 cm bias strip folded in half and topstitched on the inside.
Back: Centre back and side back panels joined by princess seams, with no centre back seam.
Skirt: Straight front and back skirt with darts. A separate fly panel, pleated at the top and with a hemmed outer edge, is basted to the front skirt at the side and waist and hangs free down the left front.
Closure: Concealed zipper in the left side seam; the belt fastens with 2 hooks and eyes.
Finishing: Belt with a rose made from a 90 × 12 cm bias strip, folded, gathered and shaped into a flower. Hem allowance 3 cm, hemmed with blind stitches.
Level Of Difficulty
Advanced. A two-part collar assembled to marks and set with a stand on one side, an asymmetric crossover with pleats, a pleated skirt panel, a concealed zipper and bias-finished armholes.
Fabric Recommendations
Double-faced silk dress fabrics from natural or blended fibres.
Additional Supplies
- Concealed zipper
- Fusible interfacing (collar)
- 2 hooks and 2 eyes
- Bias binding for the armholes, or bias strips cut from the main fabric
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 for the dress bottom – 3.0 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 90cm to 150cm) to determine how much material you will need (do not forget to account for paired and symmetrical pieces). Markings on the patterns are made on the right side of the fabric.
- From main fabric:
- Left Upper Front – 1 piece
- Right Upper Front – 1 piece
- Side Front – 2 pieces
- Side Back – 2 pieces
- Center Back – 1 piece
- Back Skirt – 1 piece
- Front Skirt – 1 piece
- Skirt Fly Piece – 1 piece
- Left Collar – 2 pieces
- Right Collar – 2 pieces
- Waistband – 1 piece (belt)
- Armhole binding – 2 bias strips, 4 cm wide, armhole length + 4 cm (cut by measurement, if not using ready-made binding)
- Rose – 1 bias strip, 90 × 12 cm (cut by measurement)
- From fusible interfacing:
- Left Collar – 1 piece
- Right Collar – 1 piece
Sewing Instructions
When stitching pieces, pay attention to the notches - they must match!
- Fuse interfacing to the collar pieces.
- Stitch the back princess seams (Center Back to Side Backs), press allowances towards the center and overlock. Stitch the front princess seams (Left and Right Upper Front to Side Fronts), press allowances towards the center and overlock.
- Stitch shoulder seams, press allowances towards the back and overlock.
- Place the two Right Collar pieces right sides together and stitch the outer edge and the center edge up to the mark. Trim allowances at the corner, clip curves. Place the two Left Collar pieces right sides together and stitch the outer edge and the center edge up to the mark. Trim allowances at the corner, clip curves. Place the left and right collars right sides together and stitch the open sections of the center edges. Press allowances open, turn the collar right side out, shape and press.
- Place the collar on the wrong side of the bodice and stitch along the neckline edge. Press the allowances, clip and overlock. Turn the collar to the right side. Baste the raw edge of the left collar to the edge of the Left Upper Front, forming a 1 cm stand, and overlock. Lap the right front over the left, fold back the right collar and stitch, aligning the pieces at the waistline. Baste the raw edge of the right collar to the lower edge of the front, forming small pleats.
- Stitch the darts on the Front Skirt and Back Skirt, press them towards the center. Overlock the outer edge of the Skirt Fly Piece, press it to the wrong side and topstitch. Fold and secure the pleats along its upper edge according to the markings. Lay the Skirt Fly Piece over the Front Skirt and baste along the side and upper edges (the fly piece is shorter than the front skirt by the hem allowance).
- Stitch the Back Skirt and Front Skirt to the back and front bodice. Press allowances upwards and overlock.
- Cut (if not ready-made) a bias strip 4 cm wide for armhole finishing. Fold the bias strip in half lengthwise, wrong sides together, and press. Place it on the right side of the armhole, raw edges aligned, and stitch, then turn the strip to the wrong side and topstitch along the fold to the main piece.
- Overlock the left side seams separately on the back and front. Stitch the left side seams from the armhole to the upper mark and from the lower mark downwards, press allowances open, pressing the slit for the zipper. Insert the zipper. Stitch the right side seams, press allowances towards the back, overlock.
- Overlock the bottom edge of the garment. Fold to the wrong side, press and hem with blind stitches.
- Fold the Waistband (belt) in half lengthwise, right sides together, and stitch around the edges, leaving an opening for turning and inserting the hooks and eyes into the short ends. Trim allowances at the corners. Turn the belt right side out, shape corners and press. Stitch the turning opening closed.
- Cut a bias strip for a decorative rose, 90 cm long and 12 cm wide. Fold the strip in half lengthwise, wrong sides together, and overlock the raw edges together. Sew a gathering stitch along the edges and gather. Form a flower from the piece and secure it to the belt.
