Panel Dress with Zipper Front
A knee-length women's dress with a straight silhouette, an exposed zipper in the centre front panel, welt pockets in the side front panels and buttoned vents at the hem. The neckline trim, welts and cuffs are cut from a contrasting fabric.
When To Wear
- For office and daytime wear in spring and autumn.
- With tights and ankle boots or low shoes in cooler weather.
Key Design Features
Silhouette: Straight, with princess seams separating the centre front from the side front panels.
Length: About knee length.
Neckline: V-neckline edged with a folded contrasting trim, set between the front and the front neckline facing; the back neckline is finished with a facing.
Front: A one-piece centre front cut on the fold. The zipper is set into a slit cut down the middle of the panel, with the teeth left visible; it does not run to the hem.
Pockets: Pockets at the top edge of the lower side front panels, which lie over the upper side front; each opening has a folded contrasting welt and two pocket bags.
Sleeves: Set-in sleeves just below the elbow, gathered at the hem into a folded contrasting cuff.
Back: One piece cut on the fold, with no centre back seam.
Finishing: Vents at the hem of both front princess seams, each with two buttons. Hem finished by hand with blind stitches.
Level Of Difficulty
Intermediate. An exposed zipper set into a slit with diagonal corner cuts, in-seam welt pockets, vents at the princess seams, and a neckline trim sewn in with the facing.
Fabric Recommendations
Dress fabrics of natural or blended fibres, plus a fabric in a contrasting colour for the neckline trim, welts and cuffs.
Additional Supplies
- Zipper
- Fusible interfacing (neckline trim, welts, cuffs, neckline facings, zipper placement, vents)
- 4 buttons
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 for the dress bottom – 3.0 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 (don't forget to account for paired and symmetrical pieces). When stitching pieces, pay attention to the notches - they must match!
- From main fabric:
- Back - 1 piece on fold
- Center front – 1 piece on fold
- Side upper front - 2 pieces
- Side lower front - 2 pieces
- Sleeve - 2 pieces
- Back neckline facing – 1 piece
- Front neckline facing – 2 pieces
- Large pocket bag – 2 pieces
- Small pocket bag – 2 pieces
- From contrasting fabric:
- Neckline trim – 2 pieces
- Welt – 2 pieces
- Cuff – 2 pieces
- From fusible interfacing:
- Neckline trim – 2 pieces
- Welt – 2 pieces
- Cuff – 2 pieces
- Back neckline facing – 1 piece
- Front neckline facing – 2 pieces
Sewing Instructions
- Fuse interfacing to the designated pieces.
- On the center front, mark the zipper placement and fuse interfacing to it. Cut the front down the middle between the vertical lines, making diagonal cuts 1.0 - 1.5 cm from the end. Press the seam allowances to the wrong side. Place the zipper under the edges so that the teeth are visible, and stitch it in place.
- Press the welt lengthwise in half, right side out. Place the pocket bag on the side lower front, right sides together, insert the welt between them and stitch. Finish the seam allowances. Fold the pocket bag to the wrong side and press.
- Stitch the pocket bag to the side upper front, press the seam allowances towards the pocket bag, and finish. Lay the lower side front over the upper side front, aligning the edges. Stitch the bottom edge of the pocket bags, finish the seam allowances.
- On both front pieces, fuse interfacing to the vent on the wrong side. Finish the hem allowance of the center front, press to the wrong side, and hem with blind stitches. On the right side, mark the fold line of the vent. Press the side along the vent fold line; on the center, press only the vent allowance to the wrong side. Finish the front princess seam allowance separately on each piece. Finish the vent allowances. Align the pieces along the princess seam and secure at the top edge of the vent. Stitch the princess seam up to the corner of the vent. Press the seam allowances towards the center, press the vent allowances and secure them with machine stitching.
- Finish the outer edge of the front neckline facing. Press the front trim lengthwise in half, right side out. Place the front neckline facing on the front, right sides together, and stitch, inserting the neckline trim between them. Clip the seam allowances at the corner, turn the facing to the wrong side, straighten, and press. Secure the center edge of the facing to the zipper tape.
- Finish the bottom edge of the back neckline facing. Place the back neckline facing on the main piece, right sides together, and stitch the neckline edge exactly up to the marked shoulder seam line. Clip the seam allowances.
- Stitch the shoulder seams, placing the front shoulder seam between the back shoulder seam and the facing. Press the seam allowances towards the back, and finish. Turn the pieces to the right side and press.
- Stitch the side seams, press the seam allowances towards the back, and finish.
- Stitch, press, and finish the sleeve seam. Set the sleeves into the armholes according to the notches, press the seam allowances, and finish.
- Stitch the cuff into a loop, press the seam allowances open. Press the cuff lengthwise in half, right side out. Along the bottom edge of the sleeve, stitch with a loosened thread and gather. Stitch the outer side of the cuff to the bottom of the sleeve, press the seam allowances towards the cuff. Fold the allowance of the inner side of the cuff and topstitch into the attaching seam.
- Finish the hem allowance of the garment, press to the wrong side, and hem with blind stitches.
- Sew buttons onto the vents.
