Cap Sleeve Dress with Contrasting Front Pleat

Name: Cap Sleeve Dress with Contrasting Front Pleat
Brand: Minerva Patterns
SKU: 4739
Price: 5.00 EUR
Availability: InStock

Pattern #4739

A knee-length women's dress with cap sleeves cut in one with the bodice, a waist seam, an A-line skirt and a deep pleat of contrast fabric set into a seam on the front skirt. Concealed zipper at the centre back. Drafted to your own measurements. Recommended fabric: dense dress fabrics in natural or blended fibres, plus a fabric in a contrasting colour for the pleat.

Tech. Description

Cap Sleeve Dress with Contrasting Front Pleat

When To Wear

To the office in spring and summer, or with a jacket in cooler weather.
For daytime events and dinners, where the contrast pleat shows as you walk.

Key Design Features

Silhouette: Fitted bodice shaped with darts, A-line skirt flaring from the waist seam.

Length: About knee length.

Neckline: Round neckline finished with an interfaced facing.

Sleeves: Short cap sleeves cut in one with the bodice; the armholes are finished with a folded bias strip turned to the inside and topstitched.

Skirt: The front skirt is cut in two parts joined by a seam that runs down from the waist and opens into a pleat. The pleat is a separate piece of contrast fabric, stitched to both parts and secured with a line of topstitching across its top.

Back: Upper and lower back joined at the waist, darts in the upper back, centre back seam.

Closure: Concealed zipper in the centre back seam.

Finishing: Hem turned once and topstitched.

Level Of Difficulty

Intermediate. Setting a pleat insert into a seam, a concealed zipper, a faced neckline and bias-bound armholes.

Fabric Recommendations

Dense dress fabrics in natural or blended fibres, plus a fabric in a contrasting colour for the pleat.

Additional Supplies

Contrast fabric for the pleat
Concealed zipper
Fusible interfacing (neckline facings)
Bias binding for the armholes, 4 cm wide, cut from the dress fabric or ready-made

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: all seams 1 cm. Hem allowance – 2.0 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). When stitching pieces, pay attention to the notches - they must match!

From main fabric:
- Upper back – 2 pieces
- Lower back - 2 pieces
- Lower left front – 1 piece
- Lower right front – 1 piece
- Upper front – 1 piece
- Back neckline facing - 2 pieces
- Front neckline facing - 1 piece
From trim fabric:
- Pleat – 1 piece
From fusible interfacing:
- Back neckline facing - 2 pieces
- Front neckline facing - 1 piece

Sewing Instructions

Interface the pieces with fusible interfacing.
Stitch the darts on the back and front pieces. Press waist dart allowances towards the center of the pieces, bust darts upwards.
Stitch the upper and lower back parts, press allowances upwards and serge.
Serge the center back seam separately on each piece. Stitch the center back seam from the zipper mark to the bottom, press allowances open. Insert the zipper.
Serge the vertical edges of the lower front parts separately. Serge the vertical and upper edges of the pleat. Attach the pleat to the lower front parts along the vertical edges. Stitch the shaped seam from the upper edge to the pleat. Press allowances open, flatten and press the pleat. Topstitch along the base of the pleat to secure it.
Stitch the upper and lower front parts, press allowances upwards and serge.
Stitch the side and shoulder seams, press allowances towards the back and serge.
Stitch the shoulder seams of the neckline facings, press allowances open. Serge the outer edge. Place the facing on the garment right sides together and stitch the neckline edge. Turn the facing to the wrong side, smooth out, press. Secure the facing to the main garment at the shoulder seams and center back seam.
Cut (if not ready-made) a bias binding 4 cm wide and a length equal to the armhole length + 5 cm. Fold the bias binding in half lengthwise with the right side out and press. Place the binding on the armhole edge with the right side facing and stitch. Clip the allowances. Fold the binding to the wrong side and topstitch along the fold to the main piece. Press the seam.
Serge the bottom edge of the dress, press to the wrong side and topstitch.