In 2021, I’m all about a garment that’s as comfy as it is cute. The Idra Dress free sewing pattern is an adorable take on a non-stop recent trend: the sweatshirt dress. Rather than being a simple longline sweatshirt though, this dress brings a subtle statement sleeve into the mix. Pair this in a knit fleece with sneakers for a sporty look or opt for something more elegant with a pair of heels or boots.

Purchase Materials Used Below:

• 2.5 yds Heretic Red Bamboo and Cotton Stretch Knit Fleece
• 1 pc Italian Black Drawstring with White Accents – 49″
• 1 pkg Nickel Grommets
• Optional: Dritz Magenta Grommet Plier Kit – 0.375″
• MDF231 – The IdraSweatshirt Dress Sewing Pattern (free download below!)

Alternative Recommended Fabrics:

• Fleece Knit
• French Terry
• Velour
• Scuba

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All seam allowances are 1/2″ unless otherwise stated. See chart below for sizing specifications. Note, this specific pattern is available up to a size 30.

Begin your dress by attaching the front and back panels at the side seams. In order to not lose the fabric’s stretch, I’d recommend an overlock or similar stretch stitch for these seams.

Create your hood next, attach the two panels at the center seam. Since this part doesn’t need to stretch, I sewed them face to face with a regular seam and topstitched the seam allowance down, as you see below.

Fold the front edge inward half an inch, followed by a full inch. Pin and stitch into place to create your drawstring casing.

About an inch to an inch and a half from the bottom of your casing, insert your grommets following the directions on the package.

Overlapping the casings about an inch, pin your hood around the neckline of your dress, fabric faces together. Since the neckline is pretty wide, I used a straight stitch here and then topstitched the seam allowance down, as you can see in the lower righthand image. However, you can choose an overlock stitch instead, if you’d like to preserve some stretch.

Create your bottom cuff by folding it in half, face to face, and sewing along the short edge. I sewed this seam the same way I did my hood, topstitching the seam allowance down.

This seam can be placed at the center back of your dress. Pin the cuff around the bottom edge, evenly gathering the dress into the cuff. Stretch the cuff as you sew using an overlock or stretch stitch.

Create each of your lower sleeves, folding them in half and sewing along the inseam to create a long tube. Fold the tube in half, wrong sides together, and pin the raw edges at the seam, as you see below.

Form your upper sleeves by sewing up the inseam. Following the guide on your pattern, fold the tucks along the bottom edge. Face to face, pin the gathered edge along the raw edge of your lower sleeve and sew.

Attach each sleeve to its respective armscye on your dress.

Lastly, feed your drawstring through the casing in your hood and your new dress is ready to wear!