The Francoise puffed sleeve dress is a design for those who love to have an effortless style. Featuring a loose fitting silhouette, voluminous half length sleeve and a high-low curved hem, this dress can flatter almost any body type, and you will not have to sacrifice comfortability for style! It is easy to mix with other accessories – whether you want to look sporty or feminine.
Let’s have a look at the details of the Francoise puffed sleeve dress:
As usual, my pattern is made in 10 sizes from XXS to 5XL so you may find a suitable size for yourself. If you are not sure which size suits you, take a look at the measurement table before doing anything here: SIZE GUIDE.
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.
My patterns are now made in both A4/Letter paper and A0 paper format so you can print at home or at any print shop!
For home printers, you can print this using your home printer and either A4 or 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. This pattern is intended for knits, but because of the relaxed fit, you can make it with woven.
- Scissors, pencil or fabric marker, ruler, pins
- Sewing machine/Serger or needle and thread
- Printed pattern
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.
Cutting instruction:
After printing out and taping all the pattern pages together, you will get something similar to this:
You will see that there are 2 sets of lines on each pattern piece. 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.
The fabric will be cut into following pieces:
- Front: cut 1 on the fold
- Back: cut 1 on the fold
- Sleeve: cut 2
- Sleeve Cuff: cut 2
- Neckband: cut 1 (must use stretch fabric)
Place the pattern pieces on the fabric, pin the pattern pieces to the fabric to secure them in place. Using sharp scissors, carefully cut out the fabric pieces along the outer lines of the pattern. Take your time to ensure precise and clean cuts, as this will affect the fit and overall appearance of your garment.
Make sure to mark all notches and other design features such as darts, pleats, draw marks etc. from the pattern pieces onto your fabric. When sewing the garment, pay attention to notches, they must match up.
Sewing instruction:
1. Serge/zig zag stitch the raw edge to prevent fabric from unraveling. Because you are using knit, serging may be optional, but will create a more professional look for the garment.
2. Place Front and Back pieces right side facing. Pin and sew the shoulder and side seams. You can also add side seam pockets – tutorial here: How to add side seam pockets to your garment
3. Sew two parallel lines ¼ and 1/3 inch from the edge of the sleeve cap (starting from 1 inch from the notch on back armhole to 1 inch from the notch on front armhole). Pull and gather the fabric so that it matches the measurements of the armhole opening of the main garment.
4. Fold the lower edge of the Sleeve piece so that two notches match (right side facing in). Sew about 1 inch (2.5cm) from the lower edge toward the cap, back stitch to secure. You have created a box pleat on the Sleeve. Press the pleat open evenly to both sides.
5. Sew the underarm seam of the Sleeve.
6. Sew the two short ends of the Sleeve Cuff. Fold the Sleeve Cuff so that the wrong side is hidden inside.
7. Attach the Sleeve Cuff to the Sleeve.
8. Place the Sleeve and the main garment right side facing, matching all the notches on the armhole. Pin and sew to attach the Sleeve to the main garment.
9. Sew two short ends of the Neckband. Fold it in half so the seam allowance is hidden inside. Mark the center point of the Neckband and pin it to the main garment. Sew to attach Neckband to the main garment, make sure to also secure the tip of the drawstrings. Topstitch the seam allowance to the main garment.
10. Press the seam allowance at the hem of the dress and sew to finish the dress.
And here is the download link:
FRANCOISE PUFFED SLEEVE DRESS (XXS-5XL) A0 PAPER
FRANCOISE PUFFED SLEEVE DRESS (XXS-5XL) A4/LETTER PAPER
To download just click on the link above and choose “Save link as”. The PDF file will be downloaded to your device.
Happy sewing! And don’t forget to share your project on my Facebook page: Tiana’s Closet Sewing Patterns
