Garden Party Dress by honigdesign

version 1

version 2

A simple but versa!le dress pa"ern for all seasons, with 6 design choices: an op!onal band
feature and hem detail on the skirt, a fla"ering deep V neck or a sporty crew neckline and the
choice of a summery short sleeve or one that hits elegantly below the elbow.

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Thank-you for downloading this free .PDF pa ern! I hope you will enjoy making it.
I would love to know your thoughts on what you like and what you think could be be er! Please feel free to email
me at designhonig@gmail.com.

Why this dress…

My goal was to make a dress that is both fun and wearable. It’s a simple, classic silhoue e with six front pleats that
open slightly as you walk. Add a band of eye catching colour for some fun, or a strip of lace for elegance. No need
for a cardigan or shawl, this is an all in one ou it.

About the pattern…

I purposely haven’t included any facings or advanced structural details. The idea with the Garden Party
Dress is an everyday frock that’s chic and playful but also comfortable and unfussy. If you were to make
this dress for a more formal event, there is no reason why you couldn’t add these (and I think it would be
quite nice, too!)

What you’ll need...

Main fabric: Gabardine, lightweight wool sui ng, co on, poplin, linen or lawn.
Band feature: Anything from velvet to lace if you want a stand out feature. Ideally, it should be a similar
weight to the main fabric. In all cases, please sew a test swatch to see how the two different fabrics
fall when sewn together.
Lining: Silk, polyester or rayon lining fabrics, polyco on, lightweight co on, depending on the main fabric.
NoƟons: One 18” / 45cm zipper, hook and eye closure. For the op onal belt you will need grosgrain
ribbon (length = your waist measurement plus 6cm or about 2.5” ) and two addi onal hook and eye
closures.

Fabric 60”/150cm 45”/115cm

Version 1 Main Fabric 1.65m 2.1m
Version 2 Main Fabric* 1.75m 2.2m
Lining 50cm 65cm
Band Feature 30cm
Hem band detail 50cm if cut on the bias, 15cm cut on the straight grain
*includes allowance for a longer sleeve. If you plan to sew a short sleeve subtract 20cm

Before you cut your fabric - a note about seam allowances and overall fit…

All seam allowances are 1.5cm, except for:

all centre back seams – 2cm seam allowance
the op onal hem band – 1cm seam allowance (with 2cm on the centre back)
for version 1, allow 0.5cm for the centre front slit
Version 1 has a sharp opening down the centre front, with no centre front seam. This means it will
naturally pop open somewhat when worn. This is part of the look, so don’t fight it! However, please do
be conscious of how ght you are making the bodice when you sew in the zipper, and how ght you make
the sleeves. The ghter these are, the greater the tension on the centre front. Similarily, a lower slit will
pop open more.
The sleeves included here are slightly narrower than ‘standard’ sleeves. Since none of us are standard size,
on my blog I will show you how to customise the sleeve pa ern to your preferred fit. I‘ve omi ed lining for
the sleeves to allow the elbow to bend with less restric on.
If you’re planning to sew version 1, I will also show you how to change the posi on of the band and create
a pa ern piece for it.
The success of this simple pa ern is in the fit. It’s a good idea to sew a muslin of the top half of the
garment at least. If you don’t have me to make a muslin, be sure to check the pa ern to ensure the bust
point is in the right posi on and that the V neck (for version 1) is a depth you are comfortable with.
 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Garden Party Dress

honigdesign
Test Square
L
A,B

9 10 11 12 14 15 16
13

17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24
K C D

25 26 27 31 32
28 29 30

F J
E
G

33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40
N
M

I H

Body Measurements:

UK Sizes 8 10 12 14 16
Bust 33” / 84cm 35” / 89cm 37” / 94cm 39” / 99cm 41” / 104cm
Waist 24” / 61cm 26” / 66cm 28” / 71cm 30” / 76cm 32” / 81cm
Hip 35” / 89cm 37” / 94cm 39” / 99cm 41” / 104cm 43” / 109cm

You only need to print pages 1-24 if:

You are sewing version 2 (no skirt band)
You are sewing version 1, but you are changing the locaon of the skirt band or the length of the skirt (In this
case, use pieces K and L to redraw the skirt band and hem band on desired locaons, trace off and add
seam allowances to all pieces.)

A,B Bodice Front (Versions 1&2) I Lower Skirt Front (Version 1)

C Bodice Back (Versions 1&2)
D Sleeve
E Upper Skirt Front (Version 1)
F Upper Skirt Back (Version 1)
G Skirt Band Front (Version 1)
H Skirt Band Back (Version 1)
J Lower Skirt Back (Version 1)
K Skirt Front (Version 2)
L Skirt Back (Version 2)
M Hem Band Front
N Hem Band Back
INSTRUCTIONS

Step 1 – Cuƫng the fabric

Lay out the fabric using fabric weights or pin the pa ern pieces in place. Cut around the pa ern and transfer all
markings to the wrong side of the fabric.

Step 2 – Sewing the bodice (versions 1 and 2)

1.Sewing the Darts
a. On bodice front, pin the dart legs right sides together and s tch from the edge of the fabric to the
p of the dart. Leaving a li le thread at the end will allow you to e a knot at the p of the dart.
b. Press, or iron, the darts toward the side seams (away from the centre front). If you are using
thicker fabric, like wool, you may want to trim away the fabric from the dart, crea ng a 1-1.5cm
parallel “seam”, and then press open.
c. Repeat for the bodice back. Press toward the centre back or away from the side seams.
2.With right sides together, sew the front and back bodice together at the shoulders. Press seams open.
3.Sew the front and back bodice together at side seams. Press the side seams open.

Step 3 – Sewing the bodice lining

1.Repeat steps above, but do not cut away the dart fabric.

Step 4 – AƩach the lining to the bodice

1. Place the bodice and the lining right sides together and pin at neckline.
2. For version 2 sew a 1.5 cm seam around the neckline.
3. For version 1, the top of the neckline should have a 1.5cm seam allowance but the deep V should have a 0.5cm
seam allowance. When you reach the pivot point at the top of the neckline, leave the needle down, li your
presser foot and align the foot with the V, leaving a 0.5cm seam allowance. Sew along the length of the V un l
you reach the pivot point on the centre front. Leave the needle down, li the presser foot and with a small pair
of scissors clip into the seam allowance up to the needle, being careful not to cut past the seam allowance and
into the garment. Con nue on the other side.
4. Clip corners at the top of the neckline, or the top of the “V”.
5. With wrong sides together, press neckline. Clip into the seam allowance to release tension, as necessary.
6. Baste s tch around the arm hole, matching seams and notches.
7. Star ng 2cm away from the le centre back, baste s tch along the bo om of the bodice, matching darts and
side seams. Stop s tching 2cm away from the right centre back. You can omit this step if you prefer to slip s tch
the lining in place at a later stage, which will cover the seam allowance at the waist.

Step 5 – AƩaching the sleeves

1. With right sides together, sew the sleeve edges together. Press the seam open.
2. Turn up the bo om of the sleeve 0.75cm or 3/8”. Press, repeat and press again. Using the iron at each stage will
help maintain a sharp edge. S tch the hem in place.
3. With right sides together, place the sleeve against the arm cycle, or scythe, matching seam sand notches.
4. Sew a 1.5cm seam around the arm cycle.
5. Press the seam inward, toward the bodice.
6. Finish it off by zig zag s tching or overlocking the raw edge.
7. Repeat for second sleeve.

Step 6 – Assembling the skirt

1. On the skirt front, fold pleats toward the centre front and pin in place.
2. Sew the skirt front and back together at side seam. At side seams, press the seam allowance toward the back.
3. Check– the le and right pleats closest to the centre front should line up with the front bodice darts, while the
side seams of the skirt should line up with the side seams of the bodice. Depending on the thickness of the fabric
you are working with, the measurement between pleats will have moved slightly. Adjust, redistribu ng the fabric
as necessary. Once you are happy with the placement, baste the pleats.
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4. Fold the back pleat toward the centre back and baste. It will overlap the seam allowance.
5. For Version 1 , sew the band together at side seams and press the seams toward the back.
6. S!tch the band to the top of the skirt. Press the seam downwards. If your band insert is lace, or another see-
through fabric, you may want to press the top seam up and sew a row of s!tches along the top of the band.
Repeat for the bo"om third of the skirt.
7. A"ach the bodice to the skirt, again, matching side seams and ensuring that the centre front dart matches the
pleat closest to the centre front.
8. Press the waist seam up. Be conscious of the placement of your iron so that the pleats on both sides get the
same treatment. Depending on the drape of your fabric, you may just want to press the top of the pleats, or
press further down the skirt.

Step 7 – Inser!ng the zipper

There are many ways to insert a zipper, and this method works well for a tailored fit:
1. With the help of a partner, if possible, fit the dress on and pin down the back of the dress to follow the shape of
your back. Check for comfort and fit, and that you can move your arms as freely as possible. Pin down the back
of the skirt as well, paying a"en!on to the fall of the dress.
2. Remove all pins from the le$ side of the dress only.
3. Now, with right sides together, repin the le$ and right centre backs together.
4. Baste s!tch down the length of the dress, following the line of pins.
5. Remove the pins and press the back seam open.
6. Place the zipper face down on the seam allowance and open the zipper. Switch to a zipper foot. Keeping the
dress free, baste the centre of the zipper to the seam allowance. Repeat for the other side.
7. Now, with the bodice back spread flat, s!tching through the bo"om of the skirt opening, s!tch through
all thicknesses, crea!ng the “lap”. Pivot at corners across the bo"om edge. Check regularly to make sure that
none of the dress has crept back under the presser foot.
8. Remove bas!ng to open the zipper.
9. Slips!tch the lining onto the zipper tape and across the waist seam as needed.
10. Now, follow the bas!ng on the skirt to s!tch the back skirt seam.
11. A"ach a hook and eye closure to the top of the bodice.

Step 8 - Adding the hem band

1. The hem band has a 1cm seam allowance (except where it hits the centre back - 2cm)
2. Iron, or press, a 1cm seam allowance on the top and bo"om of the hem band.
3. Sew the hem band together at side seams and press the side seam allowance open.
4. With right sides together, pin the bo"om of the hem bandto the bo"om of the skirt.
5. Star!ng 2cm in from the centre back, sew just inside the seam allowance
6. Flip the hem band over and press. S!tch the seam allowance and the centre back. Flip the hem band over and
press the seam allowance and the length of the hem.
7. Sew a 2.5cm hem, catching the top of the hem band, or slip-s!tch the hem band in place.
8. Slips!tch around the centre back where the hem band has not been machine s!tched.

Op!onal Grosgrain belt

1. Measure the circumference of your waist in the finished dress and add 2cm to overlap. Add another 2cm seam
allowance on each side of the belt. (Waist circumference plus 2.5”/ 6cm)
2. Fold back the edges of each side of the grosgrain belt by 2cm and sew in place.
3. Sew in the hook and eye closures.

And you’re finished! You should be twirling around in a brand new frock!

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