Chic, elegant and comfortable are all words that describe the Zenobia Dress. Bishop sleeves and a full tiered skirt give this dress a romantic and feminine aesthetic. The Zenobia dress can be made up of a variety of fabrics for different occasions and effects. Use a cotton sateen/voile combination like we did for the perfect casual dress or try a 4 ply crepe/chiffon combination for an elegant evening dress that can be embellished to the nines!
Fabrics & materials used:
- 3 yards of Mood Exclusive Botanical Curiosity Stretch Cotton Sateen
- 2 yards of Mood Exclusive Botanical Curiosity Cotton Voile
- 1 501 White 24″ Invisible Zipper
- 1 Spool of 20 White 1000m Gutermann Sew All Thread
- .5 yard of Off-White Weft Fusible Interfacing
- 1 Made With Mood Label
- MDF078 – The Zenobia 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.
Begin by cutting out all your pattern pieces according to their instructions and making sure to mark all notches. Next, carefully close the darts on your bodice pieces.
Now, using a French seam, connect the back bodice pieces to the front bodice at the sides.
Now we will move on to the upper skirt. Begin by connecting the front piece to the back pieces at the sides with a French seam, then making a basting stitch all along the top length of the piece. Pull the threads on the stitch you just made to create your gathers. Keep gathering until the piece matches up with the bottom of your connected bodice pieces.
Now connect the gathered skirt piece to the bodice using a french seam.
Sew the bottom 2″ of the newly connected skirt piece using a French seam at the center back. Now connect the bottom skirt pieces at the side seams, again with a French seam, and baste all around the top. Gather the top of the piece so that it matches up with the closed bottom of the top skirt piece. Pin in place and then attach using a french seam to complete the skirt.
Now it’s time to work on the sleeves! Begin by closing the seam on the upper sleeve using a French seam.
Next, close the sleeve puff at the side and baste the top and bottom. Gather the top so that it matches up with the bottom of the top sleeve. Attach the pieces using a French seam.
Let’s work on the cuff. Sew the two cuff pieces together and press the seams open. Then fold the piece and sew the side seams.
Now, using the basting stitch we made earlier on the bottom of the sleeve puff, pull the threads to gather until it matches the size of the cuff.
Pin, then sew the pieces together. Finish the inside by sewing the cuff into place by hand using a slip stitch.
Almost done! Add the fusible interfacing to the neck facing pieces and then sew them together at the side seams. Pin the facings in place along the neckline of the dress and sew into place. Clip the seam allowance here at the curves so that the piece will lay flat when flipped in and press. Add your invisible zipper to close your center back. Hem your dress to the desired length. Complete your garment with a Made with Mood tag and voila! Your Zenobia Dress is complete!
29 comments
Merci!!
can this be made with knit , I do see cotton stretch sateen
Yes, but you may need to take it in a bit depending on how much stretch the fabric you choose has.
Could the neckline be converted to a v-neck?
For sure! You will just need to adjust it on the pattern and create a facing to match the new shape of the neckline.
For yardage, if I’m making one of the largest sizes (28), is 3 yds of sateen & 2 yds of voile still going to be enough?
Hi Julie, 3 yards of sateen should still be good, but you may want to get 3 yards of voile as well to be sure you have enough for the gathered lower skirt panel.
Hi 🙂 I cut out the pattern from the printed papers – if I lay it on my fabric now, do I add the 1/2″ seam allowances or i tht included in the printed paper pattern already?
Thank you!
Yes, seam allowances are included! 🙂
If I was to make it out of just one fabric, would I need 5 yards or just 3? – Sorry, probably a bit of a silly question!
Not silly at all! You’d need about 4.5-5 yards if using all one fabric. 🙂
It’s just simply beautiful!!
What size is the model wearing?
Hi Mari, she’s wearing a size 18. 🙂
Hi does this pattern comes with instructions please
Hi Elizabeth, that instructions are the blog post above. 🙂
Hello! I just have one quick question. If I were to make the dress out of all one fabric, does the fabric need to be a stretchy type, or could I use a simple cotton? I’m a bit confused by the use of both “stretch” cotton sateen and cotton voile.
Hi Emma! Stretch is not required for this pattern, but a bit of give in the bodice portion (where we used the sateen) is always nice for more comfort. It’s not actually needed for the pattern though. 🙂
Hello, if I make a size 4 and use the same fabric for the whole dress, how much fabric would I need to buy?
Hi Inna! I’d recommend at least 4 yards of one fabric, although you may want a bit extra if you’re working with a directional print. 🙂
How much sesm allowance is added to the pattern?
Hi Bea! A 1/2″ seam allowance is included in this pattern. 🙂
Hello, I hope you see this question. When attaching the lower sleeve, does the wider part attach to the upper sleever or does the narrower part attach to the upper sleeve? I can’t tell by the picture. Thank you.
Hi, Yolanda! The wider part attaches to the upper sleeve. 🙂
Hi Lee. Thank you so much for your response. I’m nearly done now. I just have the cuffs to finish and I have to hem the skirt.
would this pattern be suitable in tana lawn, liberty cotton
Hi Katherine, we’re sorry for the delay in responding to your question! We get dozens of comments and questions each day, and so many questions get buried and, unfortunately, unanswered. We are now focusing user support on patterns 2 years and newer. We hope this will prevent questions on our more current patterns from going unanswered. Although this is late, we wanted to respond in case anyone else has the same question: yes you could make this dress in tana lawn/ liberty cotton
Hi, it would be handy to have a section for layout. Where there is two fabrics of the same pattern it is difficult to determine which is the sateen and which is the voile. Perhaps mark on the pattern pieces instead of a separate layout diagram? It would also be useful to have fabric widths, for those of us wishing to use up their stash instead of buying m ore fabric. Is it a step too far to have metric fabric lengths as well as imperial? I notice the button sizes include mm!
Hello!
Thank you for your feedback. Most of the instructions on our 350+ patterns, especially these older ones, do reflect their no-cost nature. But we understand your frustration!
Unfortunately we can’t update the instructions on every pattern in our archive, especially if they are over 2 years old, however, if there are errors we will correct them! We encourage you to take a look at the improved in newer patterns, offering more thorough guidance! We appreciate your engagement and invite you to explore these updated options for a better sewing experience!
Gracias