The Alder Dress

The Alderdress

Tips and tricks to make this woven top

Meet The Alder Dress. It’s our fourth sewing pattern and has been designed for annual subscribers of The Pattern Pages. This versatile A-line calf-skimming dress is reversible so the back can be the front and vice versa. With a stylish high round neck and keyhole detail and tie, this sleeveless style is easy to make and will become a go-to staple in your wardrobe this summer.

As a mother & daughter team, we want to create patterns that are versatile and that both of us would like to wear.

Adding dimension with darts

Darts come in pairs, and this dress has four darts – two on the front and two on the back. Inserting the darts helps change this flat front and back into shaped pieces that will fit the contours of your body.

5 tips to stitching the darts

1Mark the dart lines with chalk, and press the dart before sewing to help it keep its shape while stitching.

2Start to sew the dart from the top of the dart at the widest end. Use the marked line to position the fabric so you sew in a straight line.

3The vital part of a good dart is the tapering off at the bottom point of the dart.

4Never backstitch at the dart bottom. Instead tie a knot in the thread and secure in place.

5Always sew your darts one after the other. You have more chance of getting these to match.

The Alder Dress pattern includes pieces to make your own bias binding. However, you can use readymade bias, which you can get in lots of pretty colours and prints that can either contrast or match your dress fabric.

♥ Start by pressing the side seams of the bias binding (readymade bias binding will folded and pressed already to go).

♥ Press one of the sides of the tape so that it lies flat. With right sides together line the open side of the tape with the armhole, and pin in place. Where the bias binding tape meets, open out the binding and sew the two ends together to join.

♥ Sew around the armhole in the binding crease that’s nearest the raw edge.

♥ Turn the binding to the other side of the armhole, and press and pin towards the wrong side. This will now encase all the raw edges. Starting sewing under the arm, edge-stitch the binding to the inside, and press from the inside.

Tips for styling:

1. This pullover pattern has a generous pattern ease so ensure you pick the right size.

2. Designed for medium weight woven fabrics such as twill, denim, cotton sateen, brocade and blends, which you may already have in your fabric stash at home.

3. Make the tie in a contrasting fabric for extra wow factor.

4. Add a stylish belt to cinch in the waist or wear loose on holiday.

5. This style is perfect to show-off a border print fabric.

Lockdown result:

This is pdf pattern is easy to assemble at home and has just 24 pieces. The fabric came from our stash, and is an inexpensive woven fabric but has a lovely drape. The pattern has pieces for your own bias binding, but we decided to cheat and add a contrasting readymade version and finished off with a contrasting silk tie instead of making one in the same fabric.

Get your copy here 1

Annual magazine subscribers Find your copy of The Alder Dress PDF sewing pattern within the exclusive subscribers only section 2

Find out more To purchase sewing patterns from The Pattern Pages or become a subscriber visit the shop www.thepatternpages.com/shop-subscribe