High Collar Sweetheart Neck Long Sleeve Gown
A floor-length women's gown in silk with a lace overlay on every main piece, princess seams front and back, a sweetheart neckline set inside a high standing collar, and a flounce at the lower centre back that forms a train.
When To Wear
- Formal evening events, galas and weddings that call for a floor-length dress.
- Cool-season celebrations: the long sleeves and high collar cover the arms and neck.
Key Design Features
Silhouette: Close-fitting through the bodice and hips, shaped by princess seams, widening towards the hem.
Length: Floor length at the front, with a train at the back.
Collar: High standing collar with a centre back seam; inside it, a sweetheart-shaped front neckline. Finished with interfaced neckline facings tacked over the front seam.
Sleeves: Long set-in sleeves, eased at the cap, with a faced slit at the wrist closed by six small buttons and ready-made loops on each sleeve.
Front: Centre front panel cut on the fold, with side front panels.
Closure: Concealed zipper in the centre back seam.
Back: Centre back and side back panels; a flounce cut on the fold is stitched to the lower edge of the centre back panels and falls into the train.
Finishing: Lace and silk pieces basted together and sewn as one layer; hem finished with a 1 cm turned-up hem.
Level Of Difficulty
Advanced. Lace overlay basted over silk on every piece, a standing collar with facings, a concealed zipper, set-in sleeves with faced button slits and an attached flounce train.
Fabric Recommendations
Shiny silk fabrics of natural and blended fibres, such as printed silk, with lace fabric for the overlay.
Additional Supplies
- Lace fabric
- Fusible interfacing (neckline facings, sleeve slit facings)
- Zipper
- 12 ready-made button loops
- 12 small buttons
Cutter's Must
- From main fabric:
- Center Back – 2 pieces
- Skirt Tail – 1 piece (cut on fold)
- Side Back – 2 pieces
- Side Front – 2 pieces
- Center Front – 1 piece (cut on fold)
- Neckline Facing – 2 pieces
- Sleeve – 2 pieces
- Sleeve Slit Facing – 2 pieces
- From lace:
- Center Back – 2 pieces
- Skirt Tail – 1 piece (cut on fold)
- Side Back – 2 pieces
- Side Front – 2 pieces
- Center Front – 1 piece (cut on fold)
- Neckline Facing – 2 pieces
- Sleeve – 2 pieces
- From fusible interfacing: Neckline Facing, Sleeve Slit Facing.
Sewing Instructions
- Place all lace pieces onto the matching silk pieces, wrong side of the lace to the right side of the silk, baste along the edges and treat them as single-layer pieces from now on.
- Stitch the front princess seams and the center back seam from the mark downwards. Stitch the Skirt Tail to the lower edge of the Center Back pieces. Stitch the back princess seams.
- Press the zipper opening allowances to the wrong side. Place the zipper under the edges of the opening and stitch so that the teeth are not visible.
- Stitch the side and shoulder seams. Clip the shoulder seam allowances at the corners near the collar. Stitch the center seam of the collar and stitch the collar into the neckline.
- Stitch the Neckline Facings together. Place the facings on the neckline right sides together and stitch along the outer edge. Turn the facing to the wrong side, baste and press. Clip the lower allowance of the facing, turn it under above the collar and topstitch in the attachment seam. Tack the facing over the front seam.
- Stitch the sleeve seams. Set the sleeves into the armholes, right sides together, easing the sleeve cap. Place the Sleeve Slit Facing on the sleeve right sides together, inserting the loops between them, and stitch. Turn the facing to the wrong side, baste and press. Press the sleeve hem allowance to the wrong side and hem. Sew the buttons to the other side of the slit.
- Finish the hem of the dress with a 1 cm turned-up hem.
