Front Ruffle Extra Mini Dress
A very short women's dress in light, drapey fabric, with a blouson bodice gathered under front and back yokes, a four-button front placket edged with a double ruffle, a stand collar with ruffles, short puff sleeves and a gathered skirt joined by a shirred band at the hip.
When To Wear
- Summer parties and holidays, with sandals or ankle boots.
- Over leggings or slim trousers, or as a long tunic with jeans.
Key Design Features
Silhouette: Blouson bodice gathered into a shirred band at a dropped waist, with a gathered skirt below.
Length: Extra mini, well above mid-thigh; hems of the dress and lining finished with a narrow rolled hem.
Collar: Interfaced stand collar. A gathered ruffle is caught into the neckline seam below the stand, and a second ruffle, gathered down its middle, is topstitched 0.5 cm from the upper edge of the stand.
Front: Yokes with the middle fronts gathered below them. A double ruffle (two layers with rolled-hem edges) runs along the front opening and the front neckline, caught under an interfaced placket; four buttons, buttonholes on the right placket. The fronts are lapped and stitched together at the lower edge.
Sleeves: Short set-in puff sleeves gathered at the cap; two rows of elastic thread shirring above a rolled-hem frill at the lower edge.
Back: Back yoke with the middle back gathered between marks.
Waist: Front and back insets shirred with parallel rows of elastic thread 0.5 cm apart, stretched while being stitched to the bodice and to the gathered skirt.
Lining: Bodice and skirt lined; the lining is basted to the main fabric and sewn as one layer.
Level Of Difficulty
Intermediate. Elastic-thread shirring, gathering into yokes and bands, rolled-hem ruffles set into the placket and collar, and handling slippery lightweight fabric.
Fabric Recommendations
Lightweight, fluid fabrics from natural or blended fibres.
Additional Supplies
- Lining fabric
- Fusible interfacing (stand collar, plackets)
- 4 buttons
- Elastic thread
Cutter's Must
- From main fabric:
- Back Yoke – 1 piece
- Middle Back – 1 piece
- Back Inset – 1 piece
- Back Skirt – 1 piece
- Front Yoke – 2 pieces
- Middle Front – 2 pieces
- Front Inset – 1 piece
- Front Skirt – 1 piece
- Sleeve – 2 pieces
- Placket – 4 pieces
- Stand Collar – 2 pieces
- Neckline Flounce 1 – 1 piece
- Neckline Flounce 2 – 1 piece
- Front Flounce 1 – 2 pieces
- Front Flounce 2 – 2 pieces
- From lining fabric:
- Back Yoke – 1 piece
- Middle Back – 1 piece
- Back Skirt – 1 piece
- Front Yoke – 2 pieces
- Middle Front – 2 pieces
- Front Skirt – 1 piece
- From fusible interfacing: Stand Collar, Placket.
Sewing Instructions
- Fuse interfacing to the Stand Collar and Placket pieces.
- Along the upper edge of the Middle Back, between the marks, sew a line of long, loose stitches. Gather the edge to the length of the lower edge of the Back Yoke. Stitch the Back Yoke to the Middle Back, press seam allowances towards the yoke, and serge.
- Assemble the lining pieces in the same way. Place the lining against the main fabric wrong sides together, baste along the edges and then treat as one piece.
- Along the upper edge of each Middle Front, sew a line of long, loose stitches. Gather the edge to the length of the lower edge of the Front Yoke. Stitch the Front Yoke to the Middle Front, press seam allowances towards the yoke, and serge.
- Assemble the lining pieces in the same way. Place the lining against the main fabric wrong sides together, baste along the edges and then treat as one piece.
- Finish one long edge of Front Flounce 1 and Front Flounce 2 with a narrow, dense rolled hem. Place Front Flounce 2 on Front Flounce 1 and treat them as one piece. Sew a line of long, loose stitches along the raw long edge and gather the flounce to the length of the front opening edge plus the front neckline. Place the flounce on the front and baste along the edge.
- Place the Placket pieces right sides together in pairs and stitch the outer edge. Clip the seam allowances, turn the plackets right side out and press.
- Attach the outer placket to the front, fold under the raw long edge of the inner placket, and topstitch into the attachment seam.
- Make buttonholes on the right placket and sew the buttons on the left placket. Lap the fronts, baste them together along the lower edge, and then treat as one piece.
- Place the Stand Collar pieces right sides together and stitch the outer edge. Clip the seam allowances, turn the stand right side out and press.
- Stitch shoulder seams, press seam allowances open and serge.
- Finish one long edge of Neckline Flounce 2 with a narrow, dense rolled hem. Sew a line of long, loose stitches along the raw long edge and gather it to the length of the front and back neckline. Place the flounce on the neckline and baste along the edge.
- Stitch the outer stand to the neckline, fold under the raw long edge of the inner stand and topstitch it over the seam.
- Finish the edges of Neckline Flounce 1 with a narrow, dense rolled hem. Sew a line of long, loose stitches along the middle of the piece and gather it to the length of the upper edge of the stand. Place the flounce on the stand 0.5 cm from the upper edge and topstitch along the gathering line.
- Shirr the cut Back Inset and Front Inset with parallel rows of elastic thread, 0.5 cm apart.
- Stitch the Back Inset to the lower edge of the Middle Back, stretching the insert to the length of the edge, press seam allowances and serge.
- Place the Back Skirt and its lining together, sew a line of long, loose stitches along the upper edge and gather it to the length indicated on the pattern. Stitch the skirt to the inset, stretching the inset to the length of the upper edge of the skirt, press seam allowances and serge.
- Stitch the Front Inset to the lower edge of the front bodice, stretching the inset to the length of the edge, press seam allowances and serge.
- Place the Front Skirt and its lining together, sew a line of long, loose stitches along the upper edge and gather it to the length indicated on the pattern. Stitch the skirt to the inset, stretching the inset to the length of the upper edge of the skirt, press seam allowances and serge.
- Stitch side seams. Press seam allowances and serge.
- Finish the hems of the dress and lining with a narrow, dense rolled hem.
- Sew a line of long, loose stitches along the sleeve cap. Stitch two parallel rows with elastic thread along the markings. Finish the sleeve hem with a narrow, dense rolled hem.
- Stitch and serge the sleeve seam.
- Set the sleeves into the armholes, gathering the cap and shaping it around the shoulder seam. Serge the seam allowances.
