Fabric & Materials
Fabric recommendations: silk fabrics made from natural or blended fibers, mesh. Also needed: lining, invisible zipper.
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: for the silk skirt hem – 3 cm, for the mesh skirt hem – 0 cm, for the lining skirt hem – 0 cm (trim allowance). 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.
- From silk:
- Upper back part – 1 piece
- Upper front part – 2 pieces
- Front yoke — 1 piece
- Skirt – 2 pieces on fold
- Bow — 2 pieces
- Bridge – 1 piece
- From mesh:
- Upper back part – 1 piece
- Upper front part – 2 pieces
- Front yoke — 1 piece
- Skirt – 2 pieces on fold (cut according to main fabric patterns)
- Bow — 2 pieces (cut according to main fabric patterns)
- Bridge – 1 piece (cut according to main fabric patterns)
- From lining: (all pieces cut according to main fabric patterns)
- Upper back part – 1 piece
- Upper front part – 2 pieces
- Front yoke — 1 piece
- Skirt – 2 pieces on fold
Note: the mesh skirt can be cut with the piece placed both along and across the grain.
Sewing Instructions
When stitching pieces, pay attention to the notches - they must match!
- Stitch darts on the upper back part on the main fabric and lining pieces. Press darts towards the center of the piece. On the mesh upper back part, stitch with loosely tensioned stitches along the shoulder edges, neckline, and lower edge. Gather. Secure the main fabric and mesh back pieces together along all edges and treat as a single-layer piece. Fold the main fabric and lining back pieces right sides together and face the neckline and armholes. Clip allowances at curves, turn pieces right side out and press.
- Along the lower edge of the upper front part between the notches, stitch with loosely tensioned stitches and gather. On the mesh upper front pieces, stitch with loosely tensioned stitches along the shoulder and lower edges. Gather. Secure the main fabric and mesh upper front pieces together along all edges and treat as a single-layer piece. Fold the main fabric and lining upper front pieces right sides together and face the neckline and armhole. Clip allowances at curves, turn pieces right side out and press. Along the lower edge of the lining between the notches, create a pleat as desired, aligning the edge with the length of the yoke.
- Along the side edges of the yoke on the mesh piece, stitch with loosely tensioned stitches and gather. Secure the mesh and main fabric yoke pieces together and treat as a single-layer piece.
- Fold the yoke with the lining right sides together, insert the upper front part between them and align the edges, matching the notches. Stitch the pieces from the corner, stopping 8 cm before the side seam. Interrupt the stitching, clip allowances at the end of the stitch. Stitch the remaining section of the seam separately: front with yoke on main fabric pieces and front with yoke on lining pieces. Turn pieces right side out and press towards the yoke.
- Turn the back piece inside out, align the shoulder edges of the main fabric and lining and insert the shoulder edge of the front piece between them. Stitch the shoulder edge. Turn pieces right side out, press the seam.
- Fold the back and front pieces of only the main fabric right sides together along the right side edge. Stitch the right side edge on the main fabric pieces, continuing the stitch on the lining pieces. Ensure that the armhole line of the main fabric and lining aligns. Press the seam open, turn pieces right side out.
- Similarly, stitch the section of the left side seam between the notches, leaving an opening for the zipper. Press the seam open, pressing the zipper opening.
- Stitch the skirt pieces separately, leaving an opening for the zipper in the left side seam. Overlock seams on silk and lining. Press the right seam towards the back, press the left seam open. Press mesh seams open. Along the upper edge of the skirts, stitch with loosely tensioned stitches and gather. Secure the main fabric and mesh skirts together along the upper edge and the section of the left side seam.
- Secure the mesh and main fabric bridge pieces together and treat as a single-layer piece. Fold the bridge in half lengthwise right sides together and stitch along the long side. Turn the piece right side out and press. Fold the bridge in half lengthwise and attach it to the lower edge of the back, centering the bridge.
- Secure the mesh and main fabric bow pieces together and treat as a single-layer piece. Fold the bow in half right sides together and stitch the short sides and the long side, leaving an unstitched section 6-8 cm long in the middle. Turn the bow right side out and press. Stitch the opening closed.
- Stitch the skirts and bodice: lining to lining separately, main fabric to main fabric. Press the seam upwards. Insert the zipper. Attach the open edges of the lining to the zipper tape.
- Stitch along the skirt attachment seam, securing the main fabric and lining.
- Even out the hemline. Finish the lower edge of the silk and lining with a French seam (also called a "Moscow" seam). To do this, press the allowance to the wrong side by 3 cm, stitch 0.1-0.2 cm from the fold. Trim the allowance close to the stitch. Fold the allowance again and stitch along the previous stitch. Press the seam. The mesh is not finished. The finished result should be: mesh and silk of the same length, lining 3 cm shorter.
- Fold the bows together and thread them through the bridge. Adjust the height of the bridge and attach it to the back with hand stitches. Attach the bows to the bridge.
