Gathered Front Jeans Dress
A women's above-the-knee denim dress on straps, with a sweetheart-shaped double-layer bust yoke gathered into the front at the centre and held by a buttoned tab. Adjustable buttoned straps, in-seam side pockets, side slits and double topstitching throughout; the yoke, straps and tab are backed with a companion fabric, which is also used for the front pocket bags.
When To Wear
- Summer days, on its own with sandals or espadrilles.
- Spring and autumn over a T-shirt or thin knit top.
Key Design Features
Silhouette: Close-fitting, straight dress shaped by the gathered yoke and back darts.
Length: Above the knee, with side slits at the hem.
Neckline: Sweetheart upper edge on the front yoke; straight upper edge on the back, finished with a 9 cm companion-fabric bias strip folded in half and topstitched along the fold.
Sleeves: Sleeveless. Short straps sewn into the yoke carry buttons; long straps sewn into the back edge have buttonholes and button onto them, so the length can be adjusted.
Front: Two-layer yoke with double topstitching along the top and armholes, its lower edge gathered between notches and joined to the front. A tab with a buttonhole is stitched into the yoke seam from the inside and buttons onto the front over the gathers.
Closure: Invisible zip in the left side seam, down to the top of the pocket.
Pockets: In-seam side pockets; the bags are pressed towards the front and topstitched to it along a curved line that shows on the outside.
Back: Centre back seam and darts.
Finishing: Double topstitching 0.1 cm and 0.7 cm from the edge on straps and tab; 5 cm hem, its corners at the slits stitched and turned out, topstitched with a double row.
Level Of Difficulty
Intermediate. Sewing denim with a companion fabric, a lined gathered yoke, buttonholes, in-seam pockets topstitched to the front, an invisible zip through a pocket seam, and hem corners turned out at the slits.
Fabric Recommendations
Denim. For the companion fabric: striped or floral cotton in a colour that goes with the denim.
Additional Supplies
- Companion fabric (yoke, tab and strap backing, front pocket bags, back edge binding)
- 3 buttons
- Invisible zip
Cutter's Must
- From main fabric:
- Back – 2 pieces
- Front – 1 piece
- Yoke – 1 piece
- Placket – 1 piece
- Shorter Strap – 2 pieces
- Longer Strap – 2 pieces
- Pocket Bag – 2 pieces
- From companion fabric:
- Yoke – 1 piece
- Placket – 1 piece
- Shorter Strap – 2 pieces
- Longer Strap – 2 pieces
- Pocket Bag – 2 pieces
- Bias strip for the back upper edge – 9 cm wide, length = back upper edge + 4 cm (cut by measurement)
Sewing Instructions
- Place each main-fabric Placket and strap piece right sides together with its companion-fabric piece and stitch the corner and long sides (for the Shorter Strap, stitch one short and both long sides). Turn the placket and straps right side out and press. Along the edge, sew a double topstitch at 0.1 and 0.7 cm. Make buttonholes on the Placket and the Longer Strap.
- Place the Yoke pieces right sides together and stitch the armhole and upper edges, inserting the Shorter Strap between the pieces. Clip the seam allowances, turn the yoke right side out, and press. Along the upper edge and armhole, sew a double topstitch. Then treat the yoke as a single-layer piece.
- Sew a line of loose stitches 0.5 cm from the edge along the lower edge of the yoke. Gather between the notches. Stitch the Yoke to the Front. Clip the seam at the corners, press downward, and serge.
- On the back, stitch the darts. Press the darts towards the center seam. Stitch, press, and serge the center seam of the back.
- Cut a bias binding from the companion fabric, 9 cm wide, for finishing the upper edge of the back. Its length equals the length of the upper edge of the back + 4 cm. Fold the bias binding in half lengthwise, wrong sides together, and press. Place it on the upper edge of the back on the right side and stitch, inserting the Longer Strap into the seam. Fold the binding to the wrong side, clip the seam allowances, and press.
- Stitch the Pocket Bags to the back and front, aligning the notches: the companion-fabric bags to the front, the main-fabric bags to the back.
- Serge the hem allowance separately on the back and front. Fold the hem allowance to the right side of the piece and stitch it at the side edge.
- Right side seam: Fold the back and front right sides together, inserting the front at the top between the back and the back binding. Stitch to the slit, simultaneously stitching the pocket bags. Clip the seam at the upper edge of the pocket bag. Press the section from the upper edge to the upper edge of the pocket bag towards the back and serge. Press open and serge the section from the upper edge of the pocket bag to the slit.
- Left side seam. Serge the left side seam separately on the back and front. Insert the zipper into the left side seam (up to the upper edge of the pocket bag). Fold the zipper upward and stitch the left side seam, simultaneously stitching the pocket bags. Stitch the ends of the back binding to the zipper tape.
- On both pockets, stitch the pocket opening from the lower edge of the pocket bag to the notch. Press the pocket bags towards the front and topstitch according to the markings.
- Turn out the bottom of the pieces, straighten the corners, and topstitch the hem with a double stitch. Topstitch the back binding to the back along the fold. Press the seam.
- From the wrong side, stitch the Placket into the seam joining the Yoke and Front. Adjust the length of the Placket at a fitting beforehand. Sew buttons onto the Shorter Straps and the Front.
