Who doesn't love them? Casual summer dresses that can't be topped when it comes to simplicity, our pattern for the Olivia dress fits exactly into this category. The slightly overcut shoulders, the great V-neck created by the wrap look in the front and the drawstring with tie at the waist are guaranteed to put this pattern at the top of your DIY list. It is very important that you use a flowing fabric, as the dress is offered in a double size and has a lot of swinging width incorporated into the cut.
The length at the center back is: 96-102 cm, depending on the size.
In this example, the wide-cut wrap-look dress with a drawstring around the waist was sewn from a thin cotton fabric.
Required material:
We recommend a flowing viscose , silk or polyester satin , opaque as the dress is unlined.
- Sizes 34-40: outer fabric 1.95m (140cm wide)
- Sizes 42-50: outer fabric 2.15m (140cm wide)
Cutting:
Cut the pattern pieces out of fabric and transfer the clips from the pattern. In addition to the description, the colorful brackets in the pictures show you where a seam needs to be sewn.
- 1x each front piece
- 1x back part in the break
- 2x skirt part in the break
- 2x pockets in opposite directions
- 1x tunnel at the back
- 1x tunnel at the front
- 1x strip for the neck hole
- 2x stripes for the armholes
- 1x grosgrain ribbon (2.5cm wide, about 160cm long)
Sewing instructions
Place the two front pieces right sides together on the back piece and close the shoulder seams and the side seams. In the later left side seam, you leave the lower section open for the later tunnel based on the marking in the pattern. Here it is advisable to sew the seams with a normal machine and neaten the edges individually.
Press the seam allowances of the left side seam outwards and stitch the slit for the drawstring.
Close the side seam of the arm strips right sides together (blue staples) and then iron the strip of the neck hole in the middle, left sides together, as shown in the picture above. Pin the ironed strip for the neck hole with its right side to the left front edge of the top and sew it in place. Start at the bottom of one front piece, sew around the neckline of the back piece, and finish at the bottom of the other front piece.
Press the seam allowance inwards and fold the strip over it so that it is completely covered. Stitch this completely twice - first with a narrow edge at the edge so that the seam allowance can no longer slip...
... and then 5mm further inwards so that the seam allowance is covered. It will look like that.
Do the same with the arm strips with the only difference being that you sew them in a circle. Pin the strip onto the armhole, right sides together, so that its side seam meets that of the dress and sew it all around.
Here too, stitch the strip twice as soon as it is over the seam allowance. Place the two tunnel parts right sides together and close a side seam.
Fold the two open ends inwards by 1cm twice each and stitch this tight to the edges. Then fold the upper edge inward by 1cm (it's best to place it against your top so that the side seams of the tunnel meet those of the top so you know which is the top edge). Iron this well and pin the left side of the tunnel to the inside of the bottom edge of the top so that the open edges line up exactly. Start at the right front part...
... and end at the left side seam. Now stitch the tunnel close to the top of the dress along the folded top edge. Fold the ends of the folded edge inward to form a small triangle to create a clean finish.
Place the left side of the top flap on the right fabric side of the bottom flap so that the front centers are exactly on top of each other. Now stitch the two layers in place from the center front to the end of the overlap using the tunnel seam.
Then prepare the skirt parts. If the fabric is fraying, it is advisable to neaten the side edges of the skirt parts and the pocket bags all around. Using the marking in the pattern, place one pocket piece right sides together on each skirt piece and close the seam by ending at the bottom 1cm before the end of the bag. Lock the seam. Repeat with the other three bag pieces.
Then place the two skirt parts right sides together and close the side seam. The pockets are folded outwards. Start at the top of the side seam (here: left, red staple), sew around the bag and the remaining side seam to the hem. Repeat on the other side.
Fold the hem of the skirt inwards twice by 1cm, iron it and pin it in place. Then you stitch it in place.
Then place your skirt part inside the top, right sides together, so that all open edges are on top of each other and close the entire seam. Turn your dress right side out.
Prepare the grosgrain ribbon by folding the two ends inwards by 1cm twice and stitching this in place close to the edge.
Use a safety pin to pull the ribbon through the drawstring. You can now tie the ribbon into a bow on the left half of the front part.
Congratulations, your dress is ready Olivia!
