N.98 // Dress // How to sew
How to read the Sewing Pattern
STEP 1
Transfer the notches, front/back center, and darts from the pattern to the fabric pieces.
STEP 2
Only if your bodice parts are not interfaced.
Apply Seam Stay Tape along the edges of the neckline and armholes.
Instead of the Stay Tape, you can cut strips of fusible interfacing, and to reinforce the tape, just run a straight stitch down the middle of the strip.
In the following instructions, the fabric bodice pieces are fully interfaced.
STEP 3
Stitch together the front bodice parts, P1 and P2. Pin the pieces with the right sides facing, matching the notches. Clip the curved seam allowance on the front P1 to align the matching edges better.
Sew using a regular sewing machine.
Seam allowance - 1 cm.
Once sewed, press the seam allowances open.
STEP 4
Stitch together the back bodice parts, P3 and P4, keeping the center back open/unstitched. Pin the pieces with the right sides facing, matching the notches. Clip the curved seam allowance on the back P4 to align the matching edges better.
Sew using a regular sewing machine.
Seam allowance - 1 cm.
Once sewed, press the seam allowances open.
STEP 5
Join the front and back of the bodice along the shoulder seams. Pin with right sides facing and sew using a regular sewing machine.
Seam allowance - 1 cm.
Once sewed, press the seam allowances open.
STEP 6
Repeat steps 3,4 and 5 for the lining bodice parts.
Seam allowance - 1 cm.
Note: The lining pieces are slightly smaller than the bodice ones at the neckline and armholes to prevent the lining from showing and to make the seamline invisible from the outside.
STEP 7
Connect the lining layer of the bodice with the bodice in fabric.
Start with the neckline.
Pin the layers with the right sides facing, matching the center front and the shoulder seams. Stitch at 1 cm from the raw edge. Once sewn, clip the curved parts of the seam allowances and then press it to one side, towards the lining layer. Subsequently, topstitch the lining layer catching the seam allowance under the stitch, with the right side of the bodice facing up, as shown in the photos. 
Proceed by joining the two layers along the armholes.
Pin the layers with the right sides facing, matching the shoulder seams. Stitch at 1 cm from the raw edge. Once sewn, clip the curved parts of the seam allowances and just press to flatten the two layers.
To remove any unnecessary bulk, trim off parts of the shoulder seam allowances, as shown in the photos.
Turn the bodice to the right side out.
Carefully, without pulling, from the front side of the bodice, slide the back of the bodice through the shoulder straps.
Then, carefully push out the neckline and armhole edges with a Seam Creaser or any other tool and press to flatten the layers.
STEP 8
Join the center back and right side seam of the bodice. Pin with the right sides facing, lining with the lining, and fabric with fabric aligning the seams and the notches.
Stitch at 1 cm from the raw edge. Once sewn, trim the bulky parts of the seam allowances and press the seam open.
If you prefer the zipper into the center back seam, simply join the sides and leave the back open.
STEP 9
Take the fabric and lining skirt pieces (P5, P6, and P7) and close the darts. After sewing, press the darts towards the sides.
STEP 10
Sew the side seams of the skirt, keeping a portion from the waist to the notch ‘H’ on the left side open/unstitched for the zipper.
Seam allowance - 1 cm.
Finish the edges of the seams as per your preference.
Once sewed, press the right side seam allowance towards the back panel and the one on the left open.
STEP 11
Join the sides of the lining and fabric flounce pieces P8. Before joining the lining sides, cut off about 2 cm from its hem edge to prevent it from showing out when wearing the dress.
Seam allowance - 1 cm.
Finish the edges of the seams as per your preference.
Once sewed, press the seam allowances towards the back panel.
STEP 12
Hem the ruffles.
You have two options to hem the ruffles. You can use bias tape like I did for the fabric layer, or you can use the same technique used for the lining, which is shown below - on both layers - the hem is folded twice at 3/5 mm.
This hem consists in folding the edge while sewing at a few millimeters from the edge. After sewing the first fold, flatten the hem by pressing it down, then go back to the machine and sew the second fold in the same manner.
STEP 13
Attach the ruffle to the skirt by aligning the sides and center back/front. Work on both parts - lining and fabric. Pin the pieces with the right sides facing and stitch at 1 cm from the raw edge.
Note that to match the edges properly, you will probably need to make small nicks along the seam allowance of the ruffle.
Seam allowance - 1 cm.
Finish the seam allowance edges as per your preference.
Once sewn, press the seam allowance upwards.
STEP 14
Join the skirt section to the bodice - just the fabric part. You can also connect the lining part, but it’s better to do it after sewing the zipper. You will definitely want to have less fabric when sewing the zipper, as it gives you more room to work and greater flexibility.
Pin the right sides facing, matching the sides, the center front/back, and the front and back seams with the darts.
Once sewn, press the seam allowance downwards.
STEP 15
Sew the zipper onto the left side of the dress, ensuring that the waist seam matches when the zipper is closed. I recommended hand-basting the zipper before machine sewing for better results.
STEP 16
Join the lining skirt section to the lining bodice.
Pin with the right sides facing, matching the sides, center front/back, and front and back seams with darts.
Once sewn, press the seam allowance downwards.
STEP 17
Attach the lining to the side of the dress with the zipper.
Pin the layers with the right sides facing, working between the fabric layer and the lining.
Stitch approximately at 5/7 mm from the edge, as shown in the photos.
STEP 18
Join the lining layer with the fabric layer along the waist seam allowance. Slide your hand between the dress and lining layer and pull the seam allowances of the waist seam of both layers inside out. Pin and sew them together next to the darts and the right side seam by making a straight and long stitch of about 2 cm. I also recommend decreasing the thread tension.
Note that you must be very precise to avoid one of the layers being shorter/longer or twisted.
Your dress is now all finished and looks fantastic. It’s time to show it off and be proud of all your hard work.
How to sew this dress unlined
1. Stitch together all the bodice parts. Join all the seams (front, back, shoulders, right side), keeping the left side open for the zipper. Alternatively, you may insert the zipper at the center back seam.
Finish the edges of the seams as per your preference.
Press the front seam allowances towards the sides; the side and the back ones towards the center back; the center back to one side, and the shoulders allowances towards the back panel.
2. Sew the darts on both the front and back panels of the skirt. Once sewed, press them towards the sides.
3. Sew the side seams of the skirt, keeping a portion from the waist to the notch ‘H’ on the left side open for the zipper.
Finish the edges of the seams as per your preference.
Once sewed, press the seam allowances towards the back panel.
4. Join the sides of the two flounce panels together.
Finish the edges of the seams as per your preference.
Once sewed, press the seam allowances towards the back panel.
5. Hem the flounce.
6. Connect the flounce to the skirt part. Match the sides and center back/front.
Finish the edges of the seams as per your preference.
Once sewed, press the seam allowance upwards.
7. Connect the skirt part to the bodice.
Finish the edges of the seams as per your preference.
Once sewed, press the seam allowance downwards.
8. Sew the zipper.
9. Finish the neckline and the armholes with bias tape.