Cutouts have been making their way into runway shows again recently, but not in the gaudy way we saw in the early 2000s. Instead, we’re seeing chic silhouettes and otherwise modest garments showing just a pop of skin. The Moonflower Dress hops on this trend accompanied by a pleated skirt that would look gorgeous in anything from brocade to sateen!
Purchase Materials Used Below:
- 5-6 yards Mood Exclusive Brown Patina Bovine Best Stretch Cotton Sateen
- 1 yard Whisper White Stretch Cotton Poplin
- 1 571 Bone 24″ Invisible Zipper
- MDF244 – The Moonflower Dress Sewing Pattern (free download below!)
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.
First, mark and sew your darts on your front and back bodice pieces. Press the darts toward your side seams.
Attach the front and back of your bodice at the shoulders and side seams. Press the seams open and repeat with your lining.
Attach your lining to your bodice along the neckline. Clip your seam allowances at the corners, flip right side out, and press.
Create each of your sleeves, sewing up the inseam using a French seam. Hem the bottom, folding it up 1/2″ followed by a full inch.
Set each sleeve into its respective armscye, only sewing it to the main layer of your bodice. Attach the lining layer by folding the raw edge inward and slip-stitching the lining to your sleeve.
Following the pleating guides on your pattern, pleat each of your skirt panels and stay-stitch them into place.
Face to face, pin and sew your pocket at the side seams between each front and back panel.
Finish up the remainder of your side seams and the lower edge of your pockets with French seams.
Finish the front edges of your skirt with a 1/4″ double rolled hem.
Face to face, overlap your skirts to align the notches, which should measure the distance between the cutout opening on your bodice. Sew between the notches, clip the seam allowance up to the seam you just sewed, and flip, as you see below. The seam allowance for the remainder of your skirt should remain standing upwards.
Pin and sew the outer layer of your bodice along the remainder of your skirt’s seam allowance. Attach the bodice lining to your skirt similarly to how you attached it to your sleeves, tucking in the raw edges and slip-stitching.
Lastly, insert an invisible zipper at the center back of your dress before finishing up the remainder of the center back using a French seam. Finish the bottom of your skirt with a 1/4″ double rolled hem.
3 comments
I admire and appreciate your attention to detail in all your pattern instructions. From other sites I’ve visited, I was under the impression that professional touches like French seams were a lost art. Such little things make the difference between garments that look homemade and those that look professionally tailored.
May I ask ~ would it be possible to make the front of the bodice be a traditional full length, stitched to the waist seam, without leaving the gap?
Thanks
Hello Adele!
Thanks for visiting the Mood Sewciety Blog! We’re proud to have released over 350 free sewing patterns, and we hope you’re enjoying them.
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Thank you for your understanding and happy sewing!