Sweetheart Strapless Full Skirt Dress

Name: Sweetheart Strapless Full Skirt Dress
Brand: Minerva Patterns
SKU: 5199
Price: 5.00 EUR
Availability: InStock

Pattern #5199

A women's strapless dress above the knee, with a sweetheart-edged princess-seam bodice supported by corset tape and a full four-layer skirt of satin, scalloped lace, organza and taffeta. The skirt hems are stepped 1 cm apart. Drafted to your own measurements. Recommended fabric: soft dressy fabrics of natural and blended fibres.

Tech. Description

Sweetheart Strapless Full Skirt Dress

When To Wear

Proms, graduation balls and cocktail parties.
Wedding receptions and evening celebrations in the warm season.

Key Design Features

Silhouette: Fitted bodice to the waist, full skirt below a waist seam.

Length: Above the knee.

Neckline: Strapless, with a sweetheart curve at the front and a straight upper edge at the back.

Sleeves: None.

Front: Centre front panel cut on the fold, with princess seams to the side fronts.

Closure: Zipper in the left side seam, with the teeth hidden and the tape folded under at the top.

Back: Centre back seam and princess seams.

Skirt: Front and back panels, each cut on the fold, in four layers. The lace layer is cut without a hem allowance, with the lower edge of the pattern on the fabric's scalloped edge. Layers are basted together at the waist and joined to the bodice; the seam is pressed up.

Finishing: Five strips of stiff corset tape sewn from the upper edge down the right side seam, princess seams, centre back seam and left edge of the zipper opening. The upper edge is faced with taffeta, understitched 1–2 mm from the seam.

Lining: Bodice lined with silk taffeta; the taffeta skirt layer serves as the skirt lining.

Level Of Difficulty

Advanced. A boned princess-seam bodice, four skirt layers cut from different fabrics, placing scalloped lace on the pattern, and stepped hems.

Fabric Recommendations

Soft dressy fabrics of natural and blended fibres. The sample uses satin 150 cm wide, lace with scalloped edges, organza, and silk taffeta for the bodice lining and inner skirt.

Additional Supplies

Lace fabric with scalloped edges
Organza
Silk taffeta
Fusible interfacing (all bodice pieces)
Zipper
Stiff corset tape, 0.75 cm wide

Fabric & Materials

Fabric recommendations: soft dressy fabrics made from natural and blended fibers. You will need: satin 150 cm wide; lace fabric with scalloped edges; silk taffeta; organza; fusible interfacing; zipper; stiff corset tape 0.75 cm wide.

Cutter's Must

From main fabric:
- Middle Back – 2 pieces
- Side Back – 2 pieces
- Side Front – 2 pieces
- Center Front – 1 piece on fold
- Back Skirt – 1 piece on fold
- Front Skirt – 1 piece on fold
From lace fabric:
- Back Skirt – 1 piece on fold
- Front Skirt – 1 piece on fold
Important: skirt panels are cut without seam allowances at the bottom edge and placed on the fabric so that the bottom edge of the pattern aligns with the fabric's scallops.
From organza:
- Back Skirt – 1 piece on fold
- Front Skirt – 1 piece on fold
From taffeta:
- Middle Back – 2 pieces
- Side Back – 2 pieces
- Side Front – 2 pieces
- Center Front – 1 piece on fold
- Back Skirt – 1 piece on fold
- Front Skirt – 1 piece on fold
From fusible interfacing:
- Middle Back – 2 pieces
- Side Back – 2 pieces
- Side Front – 2 pieces
- Center Front – 1 piece on fold

Sewing Instructions

On the main fabric bodice pieces, stitch the center back seam joining the Middle Back pieces, the princess seams on the back and front (Middle Back to Side Back, Center Front to Side Front), and the right side seam.
Divide the corset tape into 5 equal parts. Stitch the tape segments from the top edge of the dress to the seam allowances of the right side seam, princess seams, and center back seams, as well as along the left edge of the zipper opening in the left side seam.
Stitch the center back seam, princess seams on the back and front, and the right side seam on the taffeta pieces. Place the taffeta bodice on top of the satin bodice, right sides together, and stitch along the top edges. Fold back the taffeta and topstitch it to the seam allowance 1-2 mm from the stitching line. Press the top edge. Baste along the side and bottom edges.
On all skirt layers, stitch the right side seam and the left side seam from the zipper mark downwards (Front Skirt to Back Skirt). Layer the skirts: first the satin skirt, then the lace fabric skirt, then the organza skirt, and finally the taffeta skirt. Baste the skirts together along the top edge, aligning seams and center lines.
Place the bodice on top of the skirts, right sides together, and stitch. Press the seam allowance upwards.
Press the zipper allowances of the left side opening to the wrong side. Place the zipper underneath the edges so that the teeth are not visible and stitch, folding the zipper tape under at the top.
Finish the bottom edges of the skirts with a turned-under hem so that they form "steps" with a 1 cm offset.