Panelled Dress

For my latest project in pattern cutting, I learnt how to make a panelled dress and heres how I patterened and manufactured the dress.

 To start with I traced around a dress block, I then drew in my design lines from the top and bottom of the dress darts on the front and back pieces. After I drew my design lines I drew 2 panels on each pattern piece.

I then traced around both panels  individually, marked all lines and notches and added a 1.5cm seam allowance. (in the image above) the left - front dress pattern pieces, the centre front pattern piece will be cut on fold, the right - back dress pattern pieces, the centre back will not be cut on fold as a zip will be placed here.

Next was to create the facing patterns to do this I taped the patters together at the shoulder as they would be if I were sewing them together, I then drew a line with about 5cm distance from the seam line around the arm and the neck of my patterns. After that I traced around the facings I just drew and added a 1.5cm seam allowance on the outer edges.

 

For some strange reason I remember photographing this however I dont have any images of this, The images above are as close to my origional patterns as I could get them on paint but it gives you an idea of what shape they are.

After I did my facings I had finished my patters so I folded my fabric selvedge to selvedge and placed my fabrics on and cut them out, making sure to add all of my notches.

Next I sewed my front pieces together to do this I sewed my side panels of my front dress pieces together first and then I sewed the centre front panel in matching all of my notches, to sew the more curved areas I had to add notches as the lower fabric was very tight otherwise the pieces wouldnt have fitted together. I found this quite difficult and as you can see the panel doesnt quite fit in propperly, this woudl require alot of practice to get this panel to fit in but for my first go it was a pretty good try.

Then I sewed the back side pannels together using the same method making sure the seams matched , the back pieces were much easier to sew as I had two centre back pieces instead of one and there was alot more ease.

 Next I added a zip to my centre back, this also closed the seam at the bottom. The zip I added was a centred zip to do this I took my zip and measured to where the stopper is and made a mark then I sewed from the bottom of the dress to the mark I made. I then tacked from just above the stitch to the top of the dress and then I sewed the zip onto the seam sides and then topstitched around the zip, finally I unpicked the tacking stitch to unveal the zip.



  

 After I added the zip I sewed the front and back pieces together at the shoulder.

Idealy the seam should match and I should have sewed the seams facing the same way however lesson learned for next time.

Next I sewed the sides together.

I then sewed the neck facing on to do this I first overlocked the outer edges and then pinned the facing on to the neck and sewed macking sure the edges were overlapping by 1.5cm. I then cut the seam in half, steamed and sewed a retainer stitch on the facing and ironed the facing back, usually I should have ironed on interfacing however I didnt have any at the time.



 I then folded the edge over 1.5 and made a crease, then I tured the and sewed down the crease (image below on the left) I then turened this the right side out again.

I then took the arm facings and again overlocked the outer edges(kind of got caught in the process and sliced my fabric a bit) and then sewed the edges together with a 1.5cm seam allowance, and then sewed a retainer stitch for both arm facings.

 I then pinned these to the fabric making sure the back piece of the facing matched the back of the arm piece and the same with the fronts, I then did the same with both of the arm facings as I did with the neck facing.

 

This is the finished dress, at the moments its quite tight on the hips and very loose on the bust but thats where fitting comes in, this dress was actually quite easy to make compared to making the shirts.

From this I have learned how important notches are and to be more accurate when matching the seams.

Thanks for reading!! What do you think of my dress??

Jenny xxx