Dress with Decorative Front Draping

Name: Dress with Decorative Front Draping
Brand: Minerva Patterns
SKU: 5974
Price: 5.00 EUR
Availability: InStock

Pattern #5974

A fitted women's knit dress with three-quarter set-in sleeves and a crossover bodice: two pleated upper front pieces overlap, right over left, to form a V-neck and are joined to the lower front by a curved seam under the bust. Pull-on, no fastening. Drafted to your own measurements. Recommended fabric: knit fabric with low to medium stretch, made of natural or blended fibres.

Tech. Description

Dress with Decorative Front Draping

When To Wear

Office and everyday wear in autumn and spring, with tights and closed shoes.
Dinners and family occasions, with a jacket or on its own.

Key Design Features

Silhouette: Close-fitting, straight sheath shape for knit fabric.

Length: Ends at or just above the knee.

Neckline: V-neck formed by the crossing upper fronts. The neck edges of the front pieces and the back neckline are turned to the wrong side and topstitched; the back shoulder edges are cut 1.5 cm longer to give the back neckline its hem allowance.

Front: Upper right and upper left fronts with pleats at the shoulders, the pleat depths turned towards the armholes; a dart on the upper left front. The right front is laid over the left, the two are basted together and set into a curved seam under the bust.

Sleeves: Three-quarter length, one-piece, set-in.

Back: Two pieces with a centre back seam, no darts.

Finishing: Seams serged; hem, sleeve hems and neck edges turned to the wrong side and topstitched.

Level Of Difficulty

Intermediate. Pleats and a dart on the upper fronts, layering the crossover pieces accurately, clipping and hemming a cornered neckline, set-in sleeves in knit fabric.

Fabric Recommendations

Knit fabric with low to medium stretch, made of natural or blended fibres.

Additional Supplies

Twin needle (or a coverstitch machine) for the hems

Cutter's Must

From main fabric:
Back – 2 pieces
Upper Right Front – 1 piece
Upper Left Front – 1 piece
Lower Front – 1 piece
Sleeve – 2 pieces

Tip: Cut pieces from knit fabrics should be stitched with a special elastic or narrow zigzag stitch. When serging, trim seam allowances to 0.8 cm. The hem allowance is topstitched with a twin needle or on a coverstitch machine to maintain elasticity. You can also stitch the pieces directly on a 3- or 4-thread overlock machine.

Sewing Instructions

Stitch the center back seam. Press seam allowances to the left side and serge.
Stitch the dart on the Upper Left Front, press the dart depth upwards.
Clip the neckline allowance of the Upper Left Front at the corner, serge the seam allowances, press to the wrong side, and topstitch. Clip the lower edge allowance of the Upper Right Front at the mark, serge the allowance from the armhole to the mark, press to the wrong side, and topstitch. Serge the upper edge of the Upper Right Front, press to the wrong side, and topstitch.
Lay and secure the pleats on the Upper Right Front and Upper Left Front (pleat depths towards the armholes). Place the right front over the left, baste them together along the shoulder, armhole, lower and side edges, and treat them as one piece from here on. Stitch the upper front to the Lower Front, press seam allowances upwards and serge.
Stitch the shoulder seams of the back and front (the back shoulder edges are 1.5 cm longer than the front ones – the allowance for the back neckline hem). Press seam allowances towards the back and serge. Stitch the side seams of the back and front. Press seam allowances towards the back and serge.
Stitch the sleeve seams. Press seam allowances and serge.
Set the sleeves into the armholes, matching notches. Press seam allowances and serge.
Serge the lower edge of the garment, the lower edge of the sleeve, and the neckline edge of the back. Fold to the wrong side, press, and topstitch.