Silk Dress with Sheer Mesh Overlay and Bow
A women's sleeveless knee-length dress in silk with a gathered mesh layer over every piece: a gathered V-neck bodice set into a front yoke, a full gathered skirt and a bow threaded through a strap at the back waist. Lined, with a concealed zip in the left side seam.
When To Wear
- For summer weddings, parties and evening events.
- With a light wrap or bolero over the shoulders.
Key Design Features
Silhouette: Fitted bodice with a full gathered skirt.
Length: Around the knee. The mesh skirt is the same length as the silk; the lining is 3 cm shorter.
Neckline: Deep V-neck at the front formed by two gathered upper front pieces; rounded neckline at the back. Neckline and armholes are faced with the lining.
Sleeves: Sleeveless.
Front: Upper fronts gathered between the notches along the lower edge and set into a shaped front yoke at the waist; the mesh layer is gathered along the shoulders, lower edges and yoke sides.
Back: Upper back with darts, mesh gathered at the shoulders, neckline and lower edge. A double bow is threaded through a strap stitched to the back at the waist and tacked by hand.
Skirt: Two pieces cut on the fold, gathered at the top. Silk and mesh are basted together and handled as one layer; the skirt lining is separate.
Closure: Concealed zip in the left side seam.
Finishing: Silk and lining hems finished with a narrow double-turned (Moscow) hem; the mesh hem is left raw.
Lining: Bodice and skirt lined; the lining is attached to the zip tape and stitched to the outer dress along the waist seam.
Level Of Difficulty
Intermediate. Handling silk and mesh as one layer, several rows of gathers, a yoke seam sewn partly through all layers and partly separately, a concealed zip and a Moscow hem.
Fabric Recommendations
Silk fabrics in natural or blended fibres, and mesh for the overlay. The mesh skirt can be cut along or across the grain.
Additional Supplies
- Lining fabric
- Concealed zip
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 – 1 piece
- Upper Front – 2 pieces
- Front Yoke – 1 piece
- Skirt – 2 pieces on fold
- Bow – 2 pieces
- Strap – 1 piece
- From mesh:
- Upper Back Netting – 1 piece
- Upper Front Netting – 2 pieces
- Front Yoke Netting – 1 piece
- Skirt – 2 pieces on fold (cut from the main fabric pattern)
- Bow – 2 pieces (cut from the main fabric pattern)
- Strap – 1 piece (cut from the main fabric pattern)
- From lining: (all pieces cut according to main fabric patterns)
- Upper Back – 1 piece
- Upper Front – 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 the darts on the silk and lining Upper Back pieces. Press darts towards the center of the piece. On the Upper Back Netting, run loose-tension stitches along the shoulder edges, neckline and lower edge and gather to fit. Baste the silk and mesh back pieces together along all edges and treat them as one layer from now on. Place the silk and lining back pieces right sides together and stitch the neckline and armholes. Clip allowances at curves, turn pieces right side out and press.
- Along the lower edge of the silk Upper Front between the notches, run loose-tension stitches and gather. On the Upper Front Netting pieces, run loose-tension stitches along the shoulder and lower edges and gather. Baste the silk and mesh upper front pieces together along all edges and treat them as one layer. Place the silk and lining upper front pieces right sides together and stitch 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, lay a pleat freely so that the edge matches the length of the yoke.
- Along the side edges of the Front Yoke Netting, run loose-tension stitches and gather. Baste the mesh and silk Front Yoke pieces together and treat them as one layer.
- Place the Front Yoke and its lining right sides together, insert the Upper Front 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: silk front to silk yoke, and lining front to lining yoke. Turn pieces right side out and press towards the yoke.
- Turn the back inside out, align the shoulder edges of the silk and lining and insert the shoulder edge of the front between them. Stitch the shoulder seam. Turn pieces right side out, press the seam.
- Place the back and front silk layers right sides together along the right side edge. Stitch the right side seam through the silk, continuing the stitching onto the lining. Make sure the armhole seams of the silk and lining line up. 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 side seams of the silk, mesh and lining Skirts separately, leaving an opening for the zipper in the left side seam. Overlock the seams on the silk and lining; press the right seam to one side and the left seam open. Press the mesh seams open. Run loose-tension stitches along the upper edge of each skirt and gather. Baste the silk and mesh skirts together along the upper edge and the zipper section of the left side seam.
- Baste the mesh and silk Strap pieces together and treat them as one layer. Fold the Strap in half lengthwise right sides together and stitch along the long side. Turn right side out and press. Fold the Strap in half crosswise and stitch its ends to the lower edge of the back at the centre.
- Baste the mesh and silk Bow pieces together and treat each as one layer. Fold each 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. Slipstitch the opening closed.
- Stitch the skirts to the bodice: lining to lining, silk (with mesh) to silk. Press the seam upwards. Insert the invisible zipper in the left side seam. Attach the open edges of the lining to the zipper tape.
- Stitch along the waist seam, securing the outer dress and lining together.
- Even out the hemline. Finish the lower edge of the silk and lining with a Moscow hem (narrow double-turned hem). 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.
- Place the two Bows together and thread them through the Strap. Adjust the height of the Strap and attach it to the back with hand stitches. Tack the bows to the Strap.
