Draped Knit Dress

Draped Knit Dress

A sleeveless, fitted women's knit dress with an asymmetric front: the upper front is gathered into a small shoulder yoke and joined to the lower front by a curved diagonal seam, with gathers on both sides of that seam. Pull-on, no fastening.

When To Wear

• Daytime and evening wear in warm weather, on its own or under a jacket or cardigan.
• Dinners and parties, where the gathered front is the main detail.

Key Design Features

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

Length: Short, above the knee.

Neckline: Round, finished by turning the edge to the wrong side and topstitching.

Sleeves: Sleeveless; armholes turned under and topstitched.

Front: Cut in three pieces. A small yoke at the left shoulder; the upper front is gathered along the yoke seam. A curved seam runs from the right armhole across the body to the left side seam at hip level: the upper front is gathered from the armhole to a mark and the lower front from the mark to the side seam, so the folds radiate from both edges of the seam.

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

Finishing: Seams serged; hem, armholes and neckline serged, turned to the wrong side and topstitched with a twin needle or coverstitch.

Level Of Difficulty

Intermediate. Even gathering on a curved seam, matching gathered sections to marks, and stretch stitching on knit fabric.

Fabric Recommendations

Knit fabric that drapes well, with medium to high stretch, made of natural or blended fibres.

Additional Supplies

• Twin needle (or a coverstitch machine) for the hems