Maxi Sheath Dress Cowl Back Slit

Name: Maxi Sheath Dress Cowl Back Slit
Brand: Minerva Patterns
SKU: 5209
Price: 5.00 EUR
Availability: InStock

Pattern #5209

A sleeveless women's floor-length sheath dress with a round front neckline and a deep scooped back filled by a separate draped cowl piece pleated into the shoulder seams. Darts front and back, a centre back zipper and a slit at the back hem. Drafted to your own measurements. Recommended fabric: well-draping fabrics from silk or blended fibres, such as silk.

Tech. Description

Maxi Sheath Dress Cowl Back Slit

When To Wear

Evening receptions, formal dinners and weddings, where the back of the dress is seen.
Warm-season events in silk, with a shawl or wrap.

Key Design Features

Silhouette: Close-fitting straight sheath, shaped by long vertical darts on the front and back.

Length: Floor length.

Neckline: Round at the front; at the back, a low scoop. Neckline and armholes are finished with combined interfaced facings, understitched 1–2 mm from the seam.

Sleeves: Sleeveless.

Front: One piece cut on the fold, with darts pressed towards the centre.

Back: Two pieces with a centre back seam, darts and a zipper set so the teeth are hidden. A draping piece cut on the fold has pleats at its shoulder ends and is caught into the shoulder seams, hanging in folds across the open back. Its inner and outer edges are finished with a narrow double-turned hem.

Finishing: Centre back seam overlocked and pressed open; hem turned up; slit edges topstitched 0.75 cm from the edge.

Level Of Difficulty

Intermediate. Narrow double-turned hems on the drape, pleating and setting the drape into the shoulder seams, combined neck and armhole facings, a hidden zipper and a slit.

Fabric Recommendations

Well-draping fabrics from silk or blended fibres, such as silk.

Additional Supplies

Fusible interfacing (front and back neckline facings)
Zipper

Cutter's Must

From main fabric:

Back – 2 pieces
Front – 1 piece on the fold
Front Neckline Facing – 1 piece on the fold
Back Neckline Facing – 2 pieces
Draping – 1 piece on the fold

From fusible interfacing: Back Neckline Facing and Front Neckline Facing.

Sewing Instructions

Fuse the back and front neckline facings with fusible interfacing. (Heat-activated interfacings are pressed onto the wrong side of the piece with a hot iron)
Finish the inner and outer sides of the draping with a narrow rolled hem: fold the edge to the wrong side by 1cm and stitch 1mm from the fold. Trim the seam allowance to 1mm from the stitching, fold again as narrowly as possible, and stitch over the first stitching line.
Stitch the center back seam from the zipper notch to the hem. Overlock and press open the seam allowances, press the edges of the zipper opening and of the slit. On the back and front, stitch the darts and press them towards the center.
Place the zipper under the edges of the upper opening, baste so that the teeth are not visible, and stitch.
Fold the pleats at the shoulder edges of the draping, turn the inner and outer edges to the wrong side from the outermost notches, place the draping (wrong side down) on the right side of the back shoulder edges, and baste.
Stitch the shoulder seams of the back and front, right sides together, catching the draping.
Stitch the corresponding facings together. Place the facings with the main piece right sides together and stitch along the neckline and armhole edges. Fold back the facings and topstitch them onto the seam allowances 1-2 mm from the stitching line. At the zipper, fold under the free ends of the back facings and hand-sew them to the zipper tape. Also secure the facings under the armholes and at the shoulder seams.
Finish the hem of the dress with a turned-up hem; topstitch the edges of the slit 0.75 cm from the edge.