Sewing Pattern
Cap-Sleeve Wrap Dress
Dresses Garments
Combining comfort and style, this lovely design by Amanda Walker features a flattering bodice with sweet cap sleeves and a sewn-in waist tie. The project is a great choice for those who want to focus on their stitching technique as it uses jersey and needs no buttons or zips.
Essentials
- Jersey fabric, 2m (150cm wide)
- Interfacing
Dimensions List
- 8-20
Cutting Guide
Front bodice: cut one pair
Back bodice: cut one on the fold
Front facing: cut one pair
Back neck binding: cut one 3.5cm x 24cm strip
Sleeve: cut one pair
Skirt front: cut one pair
Skirt back: cut one on the fold
Left tie: cut one on the fold
Right tie: cut one on the fold
Note: adhere interfacing to the front facing pieces, plus the facing of the skirt front pieces
1.5cm seam allowance used unless otherwise stated.
Stitch a wrap design
1 Download and print the pattern. Cut out all the pieces according to the cutting guide, then transfer any markings. Position the back neck binding on the neckline of the back bodice, right sides together and matching the raw edges, then pin. Stitch in place, fold the binding inside the bodice, then press. Pin, then stitch from the right side.
2 Match the front and back bodice pieces at the shoulders, right sides together, leaving 1.5cm protruding from the front neck edge. Stitch the shoulder seams, neaten the seam allowances, then press them towards the front. Fold each tie in half lengthwise, right sides together. Pin then stitch along one angled end and the long raw edge. Trim the corners, turn the tie right sides out through the open end, then press flat.
3 Lay the front bodice pieces right sides up and stitch. Place the longer tie on the left-hand piece, 2cm from the bottom of the angled edge and matching the raw edges, then pin. Repeat with the right-hand bodice and other tie piece. Pin the front facings in place, sandwiching the ties between and matching the notches, then fold to the inside. Understitch along the long edges of the facings, then slip stitch the tops to the shoulder seams.
4 Stitch the darts into the front bodice pieces and press them up towards the shoulders. Neaten the edges of the side seams on all of the front and back bodice pieces then stitch together, leaving a gap in the stitching line on the right-hand seam, as indicated on the pattern. Neaten the underarm seam, then sew a row of gathering stitch around the head of the sleeves, starting from the front notch and finishing at the back notches. Match, pin and stitch the underarm sleeve seams, right sides together, press the seams open, then turn the sleeves to the right side.
5 Pull the gathering threads up slightly, then place the sleeve into the armhole. Match the side seams and underarm seam of the sleeve, plus the notch in thecentre of the sleeve to the one at the end of the shoulder seam, then adjust the gathers to fit the armhole. Pin, stitch, then neaten around the base of the sleeves. Fold the 3cm hem and machine edge stitch in place. Repeat for the second sleeve.
6 Fold in the pleats on the front and back bodice, pin, then stitch across the base of them. Neaten the side edges of the front and back skirt pieces. Match and stitch the side seams together and press open. Fold the pleats in the front and back skirt waistline, then stitch across.
7 Attach the skirt to the bodice, matching the side seams and pleats of the bodice and the skirt. The corner of the front bodice pieces should be positioned to the folds of the front skirt facing. Fold and press the facing over to the wrong side along the fold line and slip stitch the top of the facing along the waistline seam. Neaten the base of the skirt, then fold and press up 3cm hem and machine edgestitch in place.