The Sonora mini dress is inspired by a design by Valentino, with the price tag of $4,600! It features long line princess seam, a flattering fit and flare silhouette, and fun bow detail. If you feel that above the knee length is a bit short, extend the hem line to get a more modest dress!
Let’s have more detailed look at the design:
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. I was informed by a reader that you can also print the pdf as image to get the right scale, however I never tested it on my computer.
SEWING INSTRUCTION
You will need
- Fabric of your choice. This pattern is intended for woven fabric.
- Invisible zipper
- Light weight fusible interfacing
- 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:
- Center Front: cut 1 on the fold
- Side Front: cut 2 mirrored
- Center Back: cut 2 mirrored
- Side Back: cut 2 mirrored
- Front Neck Facing: cut 1 self fabric + 1 fusible interfacing
- Back Neck Facing: cut 2 self fabric + 2 fusible interfacing, mirrored
- Sleeve: cut 2 mirrored
- Bias strip for the bow tie
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 fabric to prevent it from unraveling.
2. Place the Center Front and one piece of Side Front right side facing, match the notches, pin and sew to join. Repeat with the other Side Front to get the Front Dress.
3. Place the Front Dress and one piece of Side Back right side facing, match the notches, pin and sew to join. Repeat with the other Side Back. You can add side seam pocket to the dress if you like. This is a tutorial on How to add an side seam pocket.
4. Continue to attach the Center Back pieces to the garment.
5. Attach invisible zipper to the back of the dress and finish the center back seam. This is a guide on How to sew invisible zippers.
6. Place Front Neck Facing and one Back Neck Facing right side facing, sew the shoulder seam. Repeat with the other side to get the Neckline Facing.
7. Place the Neckline Facing and Main Garment right side facing, match the notches and the seams, pin and sew to attach. Trim the seam allowance, clip the curves, turn the fabric over and staystitch seam allowance to the Neckline Facing.
8. Sew the underarm seam of the Sleeve. Fold and sew the hem of the Sleeve.
9. Turn the Sleeve inside out, align it with the armhole opening of the Main Garment. Match the notches, pin and sew to attach the sleeve.
10. Fold and sew the hem of the dress.
11. (Optional) Use spaghetti strings to create the bows and attach it to the dress. This is a guide on How to make spaghetti straps/drawstrings.
Although the princess seams require some skill to be done nicely, remember you can make it if you practice enough!
And here is the download link:
SONORA MINI DRESS SIZE XXS-5XL (A0 PAPER)
SONORA MINI DRESS SIZE 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. An advertisement may pop up, just close it and continue with your download. In case some ads attempt to make you enter your personal info, just ignore and close it. I do NOT require any kind of information to download my pattern files.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Because of many cases of copyright infringement, I have restricted permission on my patterns from now on and you will not be able to open it using PDF editing apps like Adobe Illustrator, Corel Draw etc. Please use PDF readers to open and view the files – there are many free PDF readers that offer layer viewing and printing, like Adobe Reader, Foxit Reader…
Happy sewing! And don’t forget to share your project on my Facebook page: Tiana’s Closet Sewing Patterns or tag me on Instagram #tianasclosetsewingpatterns, I will be thrilled to see the garment in real life!
