The “Little Black Dress” has been synonymous with effortless elegance since what seems like the dawn of time, and it has long been believed that every woman should have at least one in their closet. They can usually be easily dressed up or down, and they’re always meant to make the wearer absolutely shine no matter the occasion. The Cosmos Dress, our current take on the LBD here at Mood, features a fitted bodice with an invisible back zipper, a partial lace overlay, and a super full skirt complete with over-sized pockets. Really, it might be the perfect dress.
Fabrics & materials used:
- 4 yards Italian Black Heavy Stretch Cotton Sateen
- 1 yard Black Polyester Lace with Scalloped Floral Design
- 1 580 Black 24″ Invisible Zipper
- 2 Black Silk Covered Buttons – 16L/11mm
- 1/4 yard .125″ Black Elastic
- MDF007 – The Cosmos Dress (Free download below!)
Pattern includes a 1/2″ seam allowance unless otherwise stated.
I recommend starting construction with the bodice of the dress. Place the side front panels on either side of the center front, with the side front lace overlays in between. Because of its stretch, the panel should be slightly less wide than the sateen panels.
At the top of the front bodice seams, leave about 1/2″ with no lace placed into the seam. This will be your seam allowance for attaching the bodice lining.
Sew the rest of the sateen panels together to form the bodice, and sew the back lace overlay to the front lace overlay at the sides and shoulders. The lace will not attach to the sateen layer again until sewing the back zipper.
Sew your bodice lining pieces together the same way you sewed the outer layer, but skip the lace this time. Place the right side of the lining against the bodice and sew along the top, like you see above. Be sure to keep any of the lace tucked downward and out of the seam.
For the skirt, you essentially have two entirely full circle skirts cut into three panels – one full circle for the front, and two half circles for the back to create side seams and a back seam. Sew your pocket panels at the top of the side seams, like you see above, with the right sides facing each other. You can then sew along the bottom of the pocket and down the remainder of the side seams to close the sides of the skirt. When attaching the bodice, place the pockets toward the front of the skirt.
Turn your bodice right side out and attach the collar to the lace overlay. I recommend using a zig-zag stitch or serger to ensure that you don’t lose any stretch.
Lining up the side and back seams, attach the outer layer of the bodice to your skirt. Make sure to include the top of the skirt pockets int he seam allowance and evenly stretch the lace overlay to align with the seams as well. Insert the zipper before folding the lining down over the raw seams, like below. I recommend slip-stitching the lining closed.
Finish the bottom of your skirt, the arm holes, and the upper back portion of the lace overlay with a small rolled hem.
At the back of the collar, hand sew two small loops of elastic on one edge and two corresponding buttons on the opposite ledge for an easy closure.
The finished product is an elegant silhouette, with an incredibly full and bouncy skirt. It has a ton of movement when you walk and is fun to wear – perfect for a New Year’s Eve event. For even more volume, you could sew some horsehair trim into the hem of the skirt.
I definitely love the drape of the sateen that I used for this dress, and a stretch lace is definitely a must to have the overlay fit comfortably and correctly, but Mood has a ton of options for both so you can make infinite Cosmos dresses of your own.
Which fabrics will you be pairing together? Let me know in the comments!
23 comments
I would love to make this dress but using natural (and affordable) fabrics. How would you suggest that I go about this? I can’t use polyester lace or stretchy cotton.
Unfortunately any stretchy lace is going to have some synthetic fibers in it. You could try a non-stretch fabric, but you’ll need to play around with the sizing of the overlay pattern pieces. The sides will definitely need to come out, so I’d recommend making a muslin or two to try a few different fits before you cut into a final fabric.
Hi, I am making this dress for a wedding, I absolutely love the design, it’s beautiful, but I have quite a doubt. Does the pattern includes the measurements of the seam allowance (1/2 “) or do I have to add it when I’m cutting the fabric? Thank you so much for everything.
Hi May! The pattern includes a 1/2″ seam allowance, so just cut on the line and you’re good to go!
How much of a requirement is the stretch? I have a fabric (picked up from mood) that I really want to make into a similar dress, but it doesn’t have any stretch.
Hi there! The stretch isn’t completely necessary, it mainly gives it a little more ease while wearing. You could try a size up with a muslin and take it in wherever needed!
I plan on making this dress soon, but since I have limited funds (lol) what do you recommend me to use instead of the Italian Black Heavy Stretch Cotton Sateen for the bodice? I already (or at least I hope I do) have the fabric I plan on using for the skirt, which are some old curtains of my grandmothers, just need to know about the top!
Hi there! Any medium-weight fabric with a slight give or stretch should work well.
Hi, I am in the middle of making this dress. I don’t see anything about how to construct the collar, it just says that you should attach it to the lace overlay with a zig zag stitch. The pattern states to cut two pieces out of lace… are the just sewn together on three side and then flipped right side out?
Yes, that’s correct! 🙂
I’ve made a version of this dress for my work chritmas party this week. It’s by far the most ambitious garment I’ve tried to make and I’m so happy with how it turned out!! Thanks so much for the pattern!! 😀
Absolutely adorable! I can also see this made in lovely spring fabrics. And used as a bride or bridesmaid dress.
Agreed, that would be lovely!
Wow
Having lost my mind, I think I’m going to turn this into a wedding dress, maybe in blue or a print fabric. Think I can lengthen then skirt to tea- or floor-length?
Did you make a wedding dress with this after all??
I´m going to make this for a ¨¨Back to the future¨ event . It will be in pink and strapless. Do you think i have to make any alterations for this, or should it by fine.
Thanks for these amazing patterns.
Hi Brigitte! You should be fine with no alterations, but you may want to make a muslin of the bodice, just to be sure the top is secure enough to stay up on its own. You could also add some stay tape along the top for a little extra security!
As a figure skater, is there a way to add a leotard so I can turn this into a skate dress? I see that the skirt poufs out well with a spin, and I think it would be a splendiferous dress for a solo routine and competition.
Hi Amelia! You could make the bottom half of our Valeriana Bodysuit out of a compression jersey and attach it at the waistline of the Cosmos pretty easily! 🙂
I made this over the last few months! It’s my first time making a dress (or anything really wearable). Made a bunch of mistakes but also learned a bunch! Thanks for sharing the pattern 🙂
Hello Courtney !
I am currently making this dress and I have run into a problem
It might be me being dumb but I can’t understand where is the zipper located ^^”
Could you tell me if it’s supposed to be installed into a side seam or the back seam ?
Thank you for your answer !
Hi Ama! The zipper goes in the back 🙂 Happy sewing!