Sew Your Own Classic Wrap Dress

from the Metropolitan Museum: Wrap dress, 1975–76 Diane von Furstenberg (American, born Brussels, 1946) Green-and-white dotted cotton/rayon blend jersey

Thank you, DVF!
When Diane von Furstenberg designed her wrap dress in the 1970s she created both a flattering wardrobe staple and a classic piece for women to sew.  Women of all ages should consider having at least one wrap dress in their closets. You can buy wrap dresses from designers like DVF, Issa, Roberto Cavalli and Vanessa Bruno, or  you can sew your own unique wrap dress. Guess which option we think you should choose?!

Inspiration: DVF New Julian Two classic wrap dress, $365 USD.

Wrap dress patterns:
Basic jersey wrap dresses are easy to sew and can be successfully tackled by advanced beginners. Here are a few wrap dress patterns that are takes on the basic DVF style:

New Look 6674

Style Arc Kate Dress

BurdaStyle wrap dress #139 02/2011, plus size

Kwik Sew 3489

Butterick 5454

Vogue  8784

Choose your fabric:
DVF uses silk jersey for her iconic dresses; cotton jersey works just as well. Mood Fabrics has a wide assortment of jersey prints and solids, both in silk or cotton. Click here for prints and here for solids.

Colorful silk jersey print, $25/yd

Soft blue rayon jersey print, $14/yd

Tips:

• Depending on the pattern you use, consider binding the front neckline edge rather than using a facing.
• Stabilize the shoulder seams with clear elastic, twill tape, organza strips, or your own preferred stabilizing method.
• Use an overlock machine to stitch hems for a professional look. If you don’t own an overlock machine, use a twin needle. Take a scrap piece of your fabric and sew a test hem first. If you get dimpling or puckering, try interfacing the hem area with a lightweight, compatible fusible interfacing.
• If you’re serging seams for speed and a clean finish, check your fit first before stitching. You want to have a close-to-the-body look for maximum flattery. Make sure your sleeve caps are snug to the shoulder without any unintentional gathering at the top of the armscye.

Now get sewing! If you make a wrap dress with fabric from Mood, we’d love to see a photo. Send jpegs to me at meg [at] moodfabrics dot com. And if you have any ideas for future blog topics, send those my way too. Thanks!