Sleeveless Boat Neck Draped Sheath Dress

Name: Sleeveless Boat Neck Draped Sheath Dress
Brand: Minerva Patterns
SKU: 5861
Price: 5.00 EUR
Availability: InStock

Pattern #5861

A women's sleeveless fitted dress above the knee with a boat neckline at the front and a V at the back. The one-piece front has a curved vertical seam on the left side with a row of pleats laid along it and fanning across the front; the back is built from crossed upper pieces, two horizontal bands and a darted lower back. Drafted to your own measurements. Recommended fabric: silk dress fabrics in natural or blended fibres, at least 140 cm wide.

Tech. Description

Sleeveless Boat Neck Draped Sheath Dress

When To Wear

Summer weddings, parties and evening dinners.
Daytime events with a light jacket over it.

Key Design Features

Silhouette: Fitted, with the skirt widening slightly towards the hem.

Length: Above the knee.

Neckline: Boat neckline at the front; V neckline at the back formed by the left and right upper back pieces crossing over. Finished with a 4 cm bias strip folded in half and topstitched to the inside; facings cut from the main pieces can be used instead, depending on the fabric.

Front: One piece with a curved vertical seam on the left side. All pleats are laid on the right side along that seam, inner folds pointing down; the excess at the lower end of the seam is formed into one more pleat pressed towards the left side seam and secured on the inside with blind stitches. The seam edges are stabilised with 1.2 cm strips of fusible interfacing.

Back: No centre back seam: left and right upper back pieces crossing into a V, two middle back bands joined by horizontal seams, and a lower back with two darts.

Closure: Invisible zip in the right side seam, from the top edge down to a notch.

Finishing: Armholes finished with bias binding like the neckline; hem pressed up 2 cm, turned under 1 cm and topstitched.

Level Of Difficulty

Advanced. Laying a long run of pleats into a curved seam from markings, clipping and forming the extra pleat at the seam end, a multi-piece back with a crossover V, and bias-bound edges on fine silk.

Fabric Recommendations

Silk dress fabrics in natural or blended fibres, at least 140 cm wide.

Additional Supplies

Invisible zip
Bias binding, 4 cm wide (or cut from the main fabric)
Fusible interfacing (1.2 cm strips for the front seam)

Cutter's Must

Front – 1 piece
Left Upper Back – 1 piece
Right Upper Back – 1 piece
Middle Back 1 – 1 piece
Middle Back 2 – 1 piece
Lower Back – 1 piece

Sewing Instructions

Tip: To prevent the princess seams of the front from stretching during work, reinforce the princess seam allowances with a strip of fusible interfacing, 1.2 cm wide, before you start. Do not reinforce the edge along which the pleats are laid.

On the front, lay and secure the pleats along the princess seam as follows: start from the bottom pleat and lay all on the right side. Join the two bottom marks together, directing the resulting inner fold downwards. Pin the pleat. Join the next two bottom marks together and pin (directing the inner fold downwards), and so on. The inner folds of all pleats are directed downwards.
Stitch the vertical shaped seam of the Front. Clip the seam allowance at the bottom corner diagonally, overlock the seam, and press it towards the left side. Form the excess fabric at the bottom of the seam into a pleat and press the inner fold towards the left side seam. Secure the pleat from the wrong side with blind stitches.
Stitch the darts on the Lower Back. Press the darts towards the center of the piece.
Stitch Middle Back 1 and Middle Back 2 together. Press the seam upwards and overlock. Stitch the shoulder seams. Overlock the seam and press it towards the back.
Cut (if not pre-made) bias binding 4 cm wide and a length equal to the armhole length and neckline length. Fold the bias binding in half lengthwise, right side out, and press. Place the binding along the neckline edge on the right side and stitch, clip the seam, fold the binding to the wrong side, and topstitch along the fold to the main piece. Press the seam.
Stitch the Left Upper Back and Right Upper Back to the middle back. Press the seam downwards and overlock. Stitch the middle back to the Lower Back. Press the seam upwards and overlock.
Fold the bias binding in half lengthwise, right side out, and press. Place the binding along the armhole edge on the right side and stitch, clip the seam, fold the binding to the wrong side, and topstitch along the fold to the main piece. Press the seam.
Overlock the right side seam of the back and front. Insert the invisible zipper from the upper edge to the notch. Fold back the lower end of the zipper and stitch the side seam from the notch downwards. Press the seam allowances open. Stitch the left side seam, press the seam towards the back and overlock.
Even out the hemline. Press the hem allowance of the dress to the wrong side, fold inwards another 1 cm, and topstitch. Addition: depending on the fabric structure, the neckline and armhole edges can be finished not with bias binding, but with facings. For this, cut the back and front facings yourself using the main pattern pieces.