Fitted Draped Dress with Tiered Flounces

Name: Fitted Draped Dress with Tiered Flounces
Brand: Minerva Patterns
SKU: 5587
Price: 5.00 EUR
Availability: InStock

Pattern #5587

A women's floor-length strapless dress with a lined, close-fitting bodice: pleated draping over the front, princess seams and stiff corset tape in the seams. Five flounces of graduated length are layered one inside another and all sewn into the raised waist seam, and a separate lined "necklace" band buttons around the neck and waist. Drafted to your own measurements. Recommended fabric: lightweight fabrics in natural or blended fibres.

Tech. Description

Fitted Draped Dress with Tiered Flounces

When To Wear

Formal evenings, gala events and proms.
Summer weddings and celebrations, with the necklace band worn as a halter.

Key Design Features

Silhouette: Close-fitting strapless bodice to a raised waist seam, then layered flounces to the floor.

Length: Floor length; each flounce hem overlocked, turned 0.5 cm to the wrong side and topstitched.

Neckline: Strapless top edge, finished by the lining. The decorative necklace band, lined and fastened with buttons, goes around the neck, down the centre front over the draping and along the waist seam; the drawing shows one button at the back neck and one at the centre back waist.

Front: Centre front and side front panels covered by a draping piece; its pleats are laid, machine-basted along the centre front line and the side edges, and basted to the top edge and sides.

Back: Centre back seam and princess seams.

Closure: Invisible zip in the left side seam, through the bodice and the flounces.

Skirt: Five flounces of graduated length; the fourth and fifth are cut on the fold. They are placed one inside another, basted together at the top edge and joined to the bodice.

Finishing: Stiff corset tape, cut into six pieces, is stitched to the seam allowances of the princess seams, centre back seam and right side seam from the top edge to hold the bodice upright.

Lining: Bodice lined with the same panels, understitched at the top edge, attached to the zip tape and stitched into the waist seam. The main fabric can be used as lining.

Level Of Difficulty

Advanced. Pleated draping over a strapless princess-seam bodice, corset tape on the seam allowances, five layered flounces caught in one seam, an invisible zip through all layers and a lined button-fastened necklace band.

Fabric Recommendations

Lightweight fabrics in natural or blended fibres.

Additional Supplies

Lining fabric for the bodice and necklace (or the main fabric)
Invisible zip
Stiff corset tape, 0.75 cm wide
Decorative material for the necklace
Buttons for the necklace

Cutter's Must

From main fabric:

Center Back – 2 pieces
Side Back – 2 pieces
Center Front – 1 piece
Side Front – 2 pieces
Draping – 1 piece
Decorative Necklace – 1 piece
First Skirt Flounce – 1 piece
Second Skirt Flounce – 1 piece
Third Skirt Flounce – 1 piece
Fourth Skirt Flounce – 1 piece on fold
Fifth Skirt Flounce – 1 piece on fold

From lining fabric:

Center Back – 2 pieces
Side Back – 2 pieces
Center Front – 1 piece
Side Front – 2 pieces
Decorative Necklace – 1 piece

Tip: Main fabric can be used as lining.

Sewing Instructions

On the main fabric pieces, stitch the center back seam and the princess seams on the back and front. Serge and press towards the center.
Cut the corset tape into 6 equal lengths. Stitch the tape lengths to the seam allowances of the princess seams and the center back seam, starting from the upper edge of the dress.
On the lining pieces, stitch the center back seam, the princess seams on the back and front, and the right side seam. Serge and press the seams.
Form the pleats on the draping piece. Machine-baste with a long stitch along the center front line and along the side edges. Baste the draping piece to the upper edge of the front and to the side edges.
Stitch the right side seam, serge and press towards the back. Stitch corset tape to the right side seam allowance.
Stitch the side seam on each skirt flounce from the zipper notch downwards. Place the skirt flounces one inside another. Baste them together along the upper edge, matching the seams.
Place the bodice and the skirt flounces right sides together and stitch. Serge the seam and press it upwards.
Press the zipper seam allowances on the left side to the wrong side. Insert the invisible zipper. Press the seam.
Place the dress and the lining right sides together. Stopping 5 mm short of the zipper edges, fold back the lining and pin it to the upper edge of the dress. Fold the seam allowances along the zipper to the right side of the dress and pin them to the upper edge over the lining. Stitch along the upper edge. Turn the allowances along the zipper to the wrong side. Fold the lining up and understitch it to the seam allowance 1-2 mm from the seam. Turn the lining to the wrong side and attach it to the zipper tape. Stitch the lower edge of the lining into the seam joining the bodice and skirt.
Serge the lower edges of the skirt flounces, turn 0.5 cm to the wrong side and topstitch.
Stitch the decorative necklace and its lining together and turn right side out; make buttonholes and sew on the buttons.