Maxi Dress with Shoulder Bows and Front Slit

CUTTER'S MUST

• BACK PANEL - QTY 2
• FRONT PANEL - QTY 2
• BIAS BINDING for front and back neckline - QTY 1 (length 102 cm, width 3.5 cm (including SEAM ALLOWANCES))
• BIAS BINDING for armholes - QTY 2 (length 56 cm each, width 3.5 cm (including SEAM ALLOWANCES))
• Shoulder ties - QTY 4 (length 33 cm each, width 4.5 cm)

Sewing Instructions

1. The FRONT PANEL and BACK PANEL are cut on the bias. Before hemming the dress, allow it to hang for a day, then redraw the hemline.
2. Stitch darts on the FRONT PANEL pieces, press up.
3. Above the slit NOTCH, stitch the front center seam and back center seam. Press SEAM ALLOWANCES open.
4. Stitch shoulder seams. Press SEAM ALLOWANCES open.
5. Fold BIAS BINDING in half wrong sides together, press long edges inwards so they meet in the middle of the strips.
6. Baste BIAS BINDING to the hemline of the neckline and armholes, right sides together, then stitch into a loop. Turn BIAS BINDING to the wrong side of the dress, baste. Topstitch the strips from the right side into the seam.
7. Stitch side seams, hand-sew SEAM ALLOWANCES to the strips.
8. Press the SEAM ALLOWANCES of the slit and the dress hem to the wrong side and baste first the hem SEAM ALLOWANCES, then the SEAM ALLOWANCES along the slit on the front. Topstitch the edges of the slit and the bottom edge from the right side at a distance of 1.5 cm. The topstitch line on the bottom edge ends exactly at the edges of the slit.
9. Stitch ties right sides together, rounding the ends and leaving an opening of about 5 cm in the seam for turning. Trim SEAM ALLOWANCES. Turn ties right side out, press edges. Hand-sew the opening in the seam. Tie the ties in knots on the straps.