Square Neck Puff Sleeve Maxi Dress
A women's ankle-length dress with a wide square neckline with rounded corners, short puff sleeves gathered into elastic, and a seam under the bust. The body is cut in vertical panels that fit through the waist and hips, with twelve gores set into the seams below the knee to flare the hem.
When To Wear
- Spring and summer, for daytime events, weddings as a guest and holidays.
- With sandals or flat shoes; with a cropped jacket or cardigan on cooler evenings.
Key Design Features
Silhouette: Fitted through the bodice, waist and hips, flaring out from about knee level.
Length: Ankle length; hem overlocked, turned up and topstitched 1 cm from the edge.
Neckline: Wide square neckline with rounded corners, faced with the lining and understitched 0.2 cm from the seam.
Sleeves: Short set-in puff sleeves gathered at the cap between the notches; the lower edge is turned into a casing topstitched 1.2 cm from the fold, with elastic threaded through.
Front: Centre upper front with bust darts, joined to the lower front by a horizontal seam under the bust. Princess seams run from the armholes, and curved seams divide the lower front into centre, middle and side panels, with a centre front seam in the lower part.
Closure: Concealed zip in the centre back seam.
Back: Centre back seam, a horizontal seam on the centre back panels at the same level as the front, princess seams from the armholes and curved seams on the lower back.
Skirt: Twelve gores set into the lower ends of the vertical seams at front, back and sides, including the centre front and centre back seams.
Lining: Lined with separate lining pieces for the front and back; front lining has its own bust darts, its lower edge is turned up and topstitched.
Level Of Difficulty
Intermediate. Many panels joined along curved seams, twelve gores set into seam ends, a concealed zip, a lining that finishes the neckline and gathered sleeve caps with elastic casings.
Fabric Recommendations
Fabrics made of natural or blended fibres.
Additional Supplies
- Concealed zip, 25 cm
- Lining fabric
- Elastic for the sleeve hems
- Fusible interfacing strips (front and back armholes)
Cutter's Must
- From main fabric:
- Center Upper Front – 1 piece
- Side Upper Front – 2 pieces
- Center Lower Front Part – 2 pieces
- Middle Lower Front – 2 pieces
- Lower Side Front – 2 pieces
- Gore – 12 pieces
- Lower Side Back – 2 pieces
- Center Lower Back – 2 pieces
- Side Upper Back – 2 pieces
- Center Upper Back – 2 pieces
- Middle Lower Back – 2 pieces
- Sleeve – 2 pieces
- From lining fabric:
- Center Upper Back Lining – 2 pieces
- Side Back Lining – 2 pieces
- Center Upper Front Lining – 1 piece
- Center Lower Front Lining – 1 piece
- Side Front Lining – 2 pieces
- From fusible interfacing: strips to reinforce the front and back armholes.
Sewing Instructions
- Reinforce the front and back armholes with fusible interfacing strips.
- Mark and stitch the bust darts on the Center Upper Front. Press the darts towards the center.
- Mark and stitch the bust darts on the Center Upper Front Lining. Press the darts towards the center. Stitch the front and back lining pieces together. Overlock the seams and press them towards the back. Overlock the lower edge of the lining, press it to the wrong side and topstitch. Overlock the center back edges of the lining, stitch the center back seam up to the zipper notch and press it open.
- Attach a Gore to the Center Lower Front Part; overlock the seam allowance from 4 cm above the notch. Stitch and overlock the center front seam of the Center Lower Front Parts together with the side edge of the gore. Press the center seam, pressing the side edges of the gore flat.
- Attach a Gore to the Middle Lower Front; overlock the seam allowance from 4 cm above the notch. Join the Middle Lower Front with its gore to the Center Lower Front Part. Overlock the seam and press, pressing the side edge of the gore flat.
- Join the Center Upper Front to the Center Lower Front Parts; overlock and press the seam allowances towards the lower part. Join the Side Upper Front to the Lower Side Front; overlock and press the seam allowances towards the lower part. Attach a Gore to the side front; overlock the seam allowance from 4 cm above the notch. Stitch the front princess seams together with the side edge of the gore; overlock and press, pressing the side edges of the gore flat.
- Attach a Gore to the Center Lower Back; overlock the seam allowance from 4 cm above the notch. Join the Middle Lower Back to the Center Lower Back. Overlock the seam and press, pressing the side edges of the gore flat.
- Join the Center Upper Back to the Center Lower Back; overlock and press the seam allowances towards the lower part. Join the Side Upper Back to the Lower Side Back. Attach a Gore to the side back; overlock the seam allowance from 4 cm above the notch. Stitch the back princess seam together with the side edge of the gore; overlock and press, pressing the side edge of the gore flat.
- Attach a Gore to the side front at the side seam; overlock the seam allowance from 4 cm above the notch. Stitch the side seams of the dress together with the gore edges. Overlock the side seams and press them, pressing the gore seam flat.
- Attach a Gore to the right Center Lower Back. Overlock the right center back edge together with the side edge of the gore. Overlock the left center back edge and the other side edge of the gore. Stitch the center back seam and the left side edge of the gore up to the zipper notch. Press the center back seam open, pressing the gore edges and the zipper opening allowances. Insert the invisible zipper into the center back seam.
- Stitch the shoulder seams of the dress and press them open.
- Place the lining and the dress right sides together and stitch around the neckline. Understitch the seam allowances to the front and back lining 0.2 cm from the seam. Align the center back edges of the lining and the dress and secure them along the zipper.
- Run a line of long, loose stitches along the sleeve cap between the notches, 0.5 cm from the edge. Gather the cap to the required size, distributing the gathers evenly. Overlock the lower edge of the sleeve, fold it under and topstitch 1.2 cm from the fold to form a casing. Cut elastic to size and thread it through the casing. Stitch the sleeve seam and overlock it. Press the seam.
- Set the sleeves into the armholes, matching the notches.
- Overlock the lower edge of the dress, fold it under and topstitch 1 cm from the lower edge.
