Halter Neck Sheath Dress
A sleeveless women's sheath dress with deeply cut-in armholes and a high halter-style neckline, pleated at the centre front. A contrast inset at the waist joins the lined bodice to the unlined skirt, and a separate sash in the same contrast fabric ties at the front.
When To Wear
- To summer weddings, receptions and evening dinners.
- With a cropped jacket or a wrap over the shoulders when the evening gets cooler.
Key Design Features
Silhouette: Fitted sheath with princess seams on the bodice and the skirt, front and back.
Length: About knee length.
Neckline: High halter-style neckline with cut-in armholes. Pleats at the centre front neckline, their depths turned away from the centre. Finished with a double facing that is stitched to the neckline, closed on itself and tacked inside.
Sleeves: Sleeveless; armholes finished by the bodice lining.
Closure: Invisible zipper in the left side seam, ending at the armhole.
Waist: A waist inset in contrast fabric on the front and the back, seamed between the bodice and the skirt. A separate sash, edgestitched at 0.2 cm, ties at the front.
Back: Upper back cut in one centre piece with two side pieces; the skirt has a centre back seam with a slit at the hem.
Finishing: Hem allowance 2 cm and slit allowance 2 cm, hem blind-stitched.
Lining: Bodice lined; the skirt is unlined.
Level Of Difficulty
Intermediate. Princess seams in two levels, pleats at the neckline, a bodice lined to the armholes, a double neckline facing, a contrast waist inset, a side invisible zipper and a back slit.
Fabric Recommendations
Silk dress fabrics from natural or blended fibres, with a contrast fabric for the waist insets and the sash.
Additional Supplies
- Contrast fabric (waist insets, sash)
- Lining fabric (bodice)
- Invisible zipper
- Fusible interfacing (neckline facings)
Cutter's Must
- From main fabric:
- Center Upper Back – 1 piece
- Side Upper Back – 2 pieces
- Center Lower Back – 2 pieces
- Lower Side Back – 2 pieces
- Center Upper Front – 1 piece
- Side Upper Front – 2 pieces
- Center Lower Front Part – 1 piece
- Side Lower Front – 2 pieces
- Back Facing – 2 pieces
- Front Facing – 2 pieces
- From contrast fabric:
- Back Inset – 1 piece
- Front Inset – 1 piece
- Waistband (sash) – 1 piece
- From lining fabric:
- Center Upper Back – 1 piece
- Side Upper Back – 2 pieces
- Front Lining – 1 piece
- Side Upper Front – 2 pieces
- From fusible interfacing:
- Back Facing – 1 piece
- Front Facing – 1 piece
Sewing Instructions
- Fuse interfacing to the facing pieces.
- Stitch the princess seams of the Center Upper Back and Side Upper Back, and of the Center Upper Front and Side Upper Front. Press the seam allowances towards the center of the pieces. On the front, fold and secure the pleats according to the markings (pleat depths directed away from the center). Stitch the right side seam and press the seam allowances open. Assemble the lining pieces in the same way.
- Place the lining and the bodice right sides together and stitch the armhole edges. Clip the seam allowances at the curves, turn right side out and press. Baste the layers together along the neckline edges.
- Serge the center back edges of the Center Lower Back pieces separately. Stitch the center back seam from the upper edge to the slit mark and press the seam allowances open. Stitch the princess seams of the lower back and lower front pieces. Press the seam allowances towards the center of the back and front respectively, and serge.
- Attach the lower back to the Back Inset, press the seam allowances upwards and serge. Attach the lower front to the Front Inset, press the seam allowances upwards and serge. Stitch the right side seam, press the seam allowances towards the back and serge. Attach the bodice to the lower part of the dress, press the seam allowances downwards and serge.
- Serge the left side seam edges separately and stitch from the zipper mark downwards. Press the seam allowances open. Insert the invisible zipper. Fold the ends of the zipper tape at the armhole to the inside and hand-stitch.
- Stitch the shoulder seams of the facings and press the seam allowances open. Place the facings right sides together and stitch the lower edge. Clip the seam allowances at the curves, turn right side out and press. Clip the upper seam allowance at the marks, place the outer facing against the wrong side of the dress and stitch the facing to the neckline. Press the seam allowances towards the facing. Clip the raw edges of the facing at the curves, fold them to the inside and topstitch them together all around, folding the dress out of the way. Turn the facing to the wrong side and tack it to the front and back with a few stitches.
- Serge the hem allowance, press it to the wrong side and hem with blind stitches.
- Fold the Waistband (sash) in half lengthwise, right sides together, and stitch the long and short edges, leaving an opening for turning. Turn right side out and press. Edgestitch all around at 0.2 cm.
