Hooded Sleeveless Bubble Hem Dress
A short sleeveless women's dress with a two-piece hood on a drawstring, a partial button placket, front pockets edged with a gathered semicircular welt and a hem band shirred with elastic thread, which draws the lower edge into a bubble shape.
When To Wear
- Summer days, on its own or over a T-shirt.
- Holidays and weekends, with sandals or trainers.
Key Design Features
Silhouette: Loose body: the front is gathered into the yokes, the back has an inverted pleat below the back yoke, and the fullness is drawn in at the hem by the shirred band.
Length: Short.
Collar: Hood of two pieces joined by a centre seam; its front edge is finished with a casing (hood placket) carrying a cord that comes out through a buttonhole. The neckline seam is covered with bias binding topstitched onto the hood.
Sleeves: Sleeveless; armholes finished with 4 cm bias binding folded to the wrong side and topstitched.
Front: Cut on the fold, gathered at the top into two front yokes. A partial placket opening, sewn with 0.7 cm seams, topstitched; the end of the right placket is stitched crosswise onto the front. Three buttons are sewn through all layers.
Pockets: Pockets with curved openings at the sides of the front, each with a two-part pocket bag. The welt is folded double and gathered into a semicircle along the opening.
Back: Cut on the fold with an inverted pleat below a one-piece back yoke.
Finishing: Hem band folded double and shirred with five rows of elastic thread, stitched to the dress while slightly stretched.
Level Of Difficulty
Intermediate. A partial placket set into a slit with clipped corners, gathered pocket welts, a hood with a cord casing and shirring with elastic thread.
Fabric Recommendations
Thin cotton fabrics.
Additional Supplies
- Fusible interfacing (placket pieces, buttonhole area on the hood placket)
- Elastic thread
- Cord for the hood
- 3 buttons
- Bias binding 4 cm wide for the armholes and neckline (or cut from the main fabric)
Cutter's Must
- From main fabric:
- Back – 1 piece on fold
- Front – 1 piece on fold
- Front Yoke – 2 pieces
- Back Yoke – 1 piece
- Hood – 2 pieces
- Hood Placket – 1 piece
- Off-Set Welt – 2 pieces
- Smaller Pocket Bag – 2 pieces
- Large Pocket Bag – 2 pieces
- Lower Placket – 2 pieces
- Closure Placket – 4 pieces
- Bias strips 4 cm wide for the armholes and neckline (cut to measure, or ready-made)
- From fusible interfacing:
- Closure Placket – 2 pieces
Attention! When cutting the front on the fold, carefully cut the slit for the placket opening from the upper edge of the front to the fold line along the outer line, stopping 1.5-2 cm before the single line.
Sewing Instructions
- Fold the Off-Set Welt in half lengthwise and mark the fold line on the right side. Mark 2 more lines: 2 cm and 5 cm from the fold line. Unfold the welt and stitch along the fold line. Then fold the welt in half lengthwise again, right side out, and sew 2 lines of long, loose stitches along the marked lines. Gather only the line near the raw edges (5 cm from the fold).
- Place the Smaller Pocket Bag on the Front right sides together, inserting the welt between them, with the fold of the welt facing the center of the Front. Align the edges and stitch the pieces along the pocket opening line. Clip the seam allowances, press and overlock. Turn the pocket bag to the inside.
- Gather the remaining line of stitches on the welt so that it forms a semicircle. Place the Front with the Smaller Pocket Bag onto the Large Pocket Bag. Stitch the pocket bags together along the outer edge. Overlock and press the seam. Baste the welt and the Large Pocket Bag together along the side seam edge.
- Along the upper edge of the Front, sew a line of long, loose stitches and gather. Stitch the Front Yokes to the Front. Press the seam towards the yoke and overlock.
- Fuse interfacing to 2 Closure Placket pieces. Fold the Closure Placket pieces in pairs right sides together and stitch: the left placket along the outer edge to the bottom, the right placket – along the outer edge, simultaneously stitching the bottom edge up to the notch (2 cm from the bottom). Seam width 0.7 cm. On the right placket, clip the seam allowance at the lower notch. Turn the pieces right side out and press. On the front, strictly according to the marking, clip the seam allowance for the placket at the corners, stopping 1 mm before the seam line. Attach the outer parts of the plackets to the front, aligning the notches. Seam width 0.7 cm. Turn the plackets to the right side, straighten and press, pressing the seam towards the placket. Turn the seam allowance inwards from the wrong side of the plackets and baste. Turn the end of the left placket to the wrong side together with the triangle, leave the end of the right placket on the right side. Topstitch along the placket seams, simultaneously attaching the inner edge. From the wrong side, secure the triangle with the end of the left placket. Topstitch the end of the right placket onto the front crosswise.
- On the Back, fold the inverted pleat according to the marking. Stitch the Back Yoke to the Back. Press the seam towards the yoke and overlock. Stitch the shoulder seams. Press the seams towards the back and overlock.
- Cut a bias binding 4 cm wide for finishing the armhole and neckline (if not ready-made). Fold the bias binding in half lengthwise right side out and press. Place the binding on the right side of the armhole edge and stitch. Fold the binding to the wrong side, clip the seam allowances and topstitch along the fold to the main piece. Press the seam.
- Stitch the side seams. Press the seams towards the back and overlock.
- Stitch the Hood pieces together. Press and overlock the seam.
- On the Hood Placket, interface the buttonhole area. Make the buttonhole (cord opening) according to the marking. Fold the Hood Placket in half lengthwise right side out and press. Unfold the placket, attach the outer edge of the placket to the hood. Press the seam towards the placket. Turn the inner edge of the placket inwards and topstitch into the seam of attaching the outer edge.
- Fold the bias binding in half lengthwise right side out and press. Unfold the binding and press the long edges towards the fold line. Fold the binding in half and press again. Place the hood with the dress along the neckline right sides together. From the front side, place the bias binding, unfolded, onto the neckline edge, extending the ends by 2 cm. Insert the hood into the neckline together with the bias binding. Press the seam towards the hood. Turn the open edge of the bias binding inwards and topstitch it onto the hood, thereby covering the seam of inserting the hood into the neckline. Previously fold the ends of the bias binding inwards under the seam allowance.
- Fold the Lower Placket (hem band) in half lengthwise and mark the fold line on the right side. Mark 4 more lines according to the marking. Unfold it and stitch the two pieces into a ring. Press the seam. Stitch with elastic thread along the fold line, placing the elastic on the wrong side. Then fold the band in half again right side out and stitch 4 lines with elastic thread along the marked lines. Stitch the Lower Placket to the dress, slightly stretching the band. Press the seam upwards and overlock.
- Sew the buttons onto the Closure Placket through all layers.
