DOWNLOAD LINK AT THE END OF THE POST
I have been obsessed with a design on Chicwish – an organza ruffled trim off the shoulder dress. But I have been quite frightened to buy fast fashion products from China with all the warnings of toxic substances and materials, so I figure I should make favorite items myself.
This is quite an easy piece to make. You just need some knit fabric, and some organza trim (I got myself a roll on amazon), and with some basic skills, you are ready to go!
As usual, my pattern is made in 10 sizes from XXS to 5XL, so you will find yourself a suitable size. You can also lengthen or shorten the hemline to get your desired length – you can even make a maxi skirt from this pattern.
The pattern is made using layered PDF, please check for your desired size before printing so you won’t waste your paper. I have included a first page with many details about sizing and printing, so please first read the first page and make sure you know what size you need! If you still do not know how to print a layered PDF, please check for the printing instruction in this post: PRINTING GUIDE.
You can print this using your home printer and A4/Letter paper. I calculated the printing area so that you will be able to use either type of paper to print the pattern out perfectly. Always print the first page first and check with the test square if you are printing at the right scale before you print out the whole pattern – avoid waste of ink and waste of paper, save the earth!
Some PC may print smaller than actual size even when you choose 100% scale – I don’t know why this problem exist, but my HP laptop cannot print true to size. I have to scale up to 103% to get the right size. You may need to check with your PC to see if it prints true to size, if not, scale up a bit.
SEWING INSTRUCTION
You will need
- Fabric of your choice
- 3 inch (7.5cm) organza trim (I bought it here, many colors to choose from)
- Scissors, pencil or fabric marker, ruler, pins
- Sewing machine/Serger or needle and thread
- Printed pattern
What fabric can be used for this project? This design is made for knitted fabric only. It need the stretch to fit nicely.
How much fabric do you need for this piece of garment? To be precise, you may need to check how much fabric you need before buying. It will depend on the selected pattern size, the width, and design of the fabric you plan to use. Just to be sure, print all the paper patterns and lay them out at the width of fabric you plan to use (usually from 90 to 150 centimeters or 35 to 60 inches). Measure how much fabric you will need. Don’t forget to account for pieces that need to be cut multiple times and pieces that are cut on the fold.
For this pattern, you will need to use a sewing machine that has the function to sew stretch fabric (zig zag stitch for example), or use a serger which is designed to sew stretch fabric nicely.
Cutting instruction:
After printing out and taping all the pattern pages together, you will get something similar to this image:
You will see that there are 2 sets of lines on each pattern size. The inner lines are sewing line (and you sew along these lines), and the outer lines are cutting lines (you cut the fabric along these lines, remember the folding lines where you have to fold the fabric before cutting). The distance between sewing line and cutting line is seam allowance, and it varies from point to point. For example, the side seam allowance is about 1/2 inch (1.2cm), and seam allowance at hemline is 1 inch (2.5cm). This is the reason why I do not remove the sewing lines from the pattern. Please use it as a guide to know how much seam allowance you need to give at each seam.
Fabric will be cut into following pieces:
- Front: cut 1 pc on the fold
- Back: cut 1 pc on the fold
- Sleeve: cut 2 pcs
- Organza ruffle trim: at least 1.5 times the length of the top edge of the garment. You will get the measurement after you sew up the pieces and get the main garment.
Make sure to mark all notches and other design features such as darts, pleats etc. from the pattern pieces onto your fabric. When sewing the garment, pay attention to notches, they must match up.
Sewing instruction:
You will need to know how to sew knit fabric first. Here is some instructions that I found really useful: https://www.wikihow.com/Sew-Stretchy-Fabric
1. Place Front and Back pieces right side facing. Pin and sew the side seams.
2. Sew the side seam of the Sleeve.
3. Place the armhole part of the sleeve and the garment right side facing. Match the notch to get the right front and back armhole. Pin and sew to attach the sleeve to the main garment.
4. Cut the organza trim at least 1.5 times longer than the circumference of the opening at the top of the garment. Sew the two ends of the organza strip together. Sew 2 parallel lines along one edge of the organza trim, about ¼ and ½ inch from the edge. Pull the threads to gather the trim so that it matches the opening at the top of the garment.
5. Place the gathered organza trim and the main garment right side facing. Pin and sew to attach the organza trim to the main garment. Remove the threads that gather the organza trim.
6. Turn the organza trim up so that the seam allowance is folded toward the main garment. Topstitch to keep the organza trim in the right position.
Of course if you find the organza trim too dramatic, you can just use a binding tape to finish the neckline of the garment.
7. Finish by hemming the remaining raw edges.
And here is the download link:
BARBARA RUFFLE TRIM OFF THE SHOULDER TOP (SIZE XXS – 5XL)
Happy sewing! And don’t forget to share your project on my Facebook page: Tiana’s Closet Sewing Patterns
Tiana
