Kenzie Winter Mini Dress Pattern

Comment

Celebrate the start of the new year with a chic winter dress that’s perfect for your next night out. Designed by Aishat Sulaiman, this mini dress pattern includes romantic puff sleeves and a back zipper and shows off luxe fabrics like the silvery gold brocade our sample is made in. Pair your mini dress with tights and heels for a sophisticated eveningwear look for date night and winter holiday celebrations.

Pattern Overview:

This pattern is a lined fitted mini dress with puff sleeve and a zipper closure.

Materials:

All calculations are on a single layer. If you want to cut your fabric on the fold, increase consumption by 0.5 yards. When purchasing fabric, please account for shrinkage and buy 5% more than required.

FABRIC REQUIREMENTS – YARDAGE:

Recommended fabrics: Brocade, cotton, denim, or any structured fabric
All-purpose polyester thread
Sewing machine (capable of a straight stitch)
Needle
Elastic, 3/8 inch width
Zipper
PDF Pattern – This is located at the bottom of this page. See printing instructions below.

Tips: All-natural fibers and some synthetic materials undergo shrinkage during their first wash and can change the texture and hand feel. (Aishat prefers the look and feel of washed fabrics.) Pre-washing is necessary if you want your garment washable after sewn (without shrinking). Giving the washed material a light press before cutting will ensure your paper pattern pieces can lie smoothly on top.

SELECTING YOUR SIZE:

Body Measurements:

Start by taking your body measurements. Measure the circumference of your bust, waist, and hips by pulling the measuring tape snugly; it should fit tightly around your skin but not too tightly. Measure directly over bare skin or typical-for-you undergarments. Keep the tape parallel with the floor, and ensure it is not twisted. Compare your measurements to the “body” measurements in the chart above to see your recommended size.

PRINTING INSTRUCTIONS:

Note: To download the pattern, click on the pattern download button at the bottom of the page. We recommend opening your pattern download using Adobe Acrobat.

First, determine if you will print your pattern at home or have it printed by an online or local copy shop. This pattern includes a file for both printing options. Download the pattern file for the printing option you’ve chosen.

Once your file is open, you can proceed to print. You may also use the “Layers” panel to toggle on or off pattern lines for various sizes. Toggle off the pattern lines for any sizes you do *not* wish to print. You should now see only the line for the size you did not toggle off displayed.

NOTE: Pattern lines may overlap; you are advised to print one size at a time. It is easiest to cut out the pattern when only one size is printed at a time.

Print at a Copy Shop: A0

Online pattern printers and local copy shops can print a large-format paper pattern economically.

Print at Home: Letter Size or A4 Paper

Each “Print at Home” file can be printed on letter- sized or A4 Paper. You will need a PDF viewer to print this pattern. You can download Adobe Reader for free if you do not have a PDF viewer already.

PATTERN PREPARATION:

The lining patterns can be traced off from the main pattern, stopping at the line labeled lining hem. You can also fold or trim at the line labeled lining hem to get the pattern pieces for the lining after cutting out the pattern pieces on the main fabric.

Ready to cut? Check out the pattern inventory.

PATTERN INVENTORY:

PATTERN LAYOUT:

Play around with the pattern placement to minimize fabric wastage, but ensure the grainlines remain parallel to the selvedge or your preferred cutting direction. Transfer all markings to the main fabric and the lining fabric cut out patterns.

Sewing Instructions:

The image below shows how all patterns should look after cutting in the main fabric.

With the right side facing each other, pin the side front to the center front piece, matching up the notches, sew in place, and press. Repeat for the second side piece.
Following the process in the previous step, repeat the same for the back pieces. Now press all seams open.
Also join the lining pieces together just like the main fabric.
With the right sides of the back pieces together, measure down from the neckline your preferred length of zipper and stitch down from this point using a 1-inch seam allowance. Open up the seam and iron it in place.
Sew the zipper into the space using a 1-inch seam allowance, ensuring that the teeth of the zipper are starting 1/2 inch down from the beginning of the neckline, so as to give space to sew in the lining.
With the right side together, sew the shoulder of the front and back pieces of the main fabric together using a 1/2 inch seam allowance and iron in place.
Repeat the previous step for the lining front and back pieces.
Match up the lining and main fabric necklines and zipper allowance with right sides together.
Sew the lining onto the main fabric using 1/2 inch seam allowance along the neckline and sew as close as possible to the zipper teeth with their right side together. Clip into seam allowance around the neckline, being careful not to cut through stitching.
Turn the lining to the wrong side of the front piece and iron it in place.
Now turn the back lining to the wrong side and match up the open end of the zipper allowance and sew using 1-inch seam allowance.
To sew the sides of the dress, first pull the front lining and match up the sides with that of the back lining.
Ensure that the main fabric is pulled aside and sew the lining side together using a 1-inch seam allowance, and repeat for the other side.
Now pull the front main fabric and match up the sides with that of the back main fabric. Ensure that the lining fabric is pulled aside and sew the main fabric side together using a 1-inch seam allowance, and repeat for the other side.
After sewing the sides, iron the seams open, and turn the dress inside out to reveal the right side of the lining. Now, staystitch the armhole of the lining to that of the main fabric.
Hem the sleeves using 5/8 inch seam, creating a casing for the elastic.
Measure your wrist, cut two elastic strings to this measurement. And insert the elastic into the previously created casing and stitch in place.
Now fold the sleeves to match the side underarm seams.
Now sew the sides of the sleeves using a 1-inch seam allowance.
Turn the sleeves to the right side.
Put the sleeves into the dress, pin them in place, and sew.
Hem the lining using 1/2 inch seam, and the main fabric using 1 1/2 inch seam and finish all raw edges.
Turn the dress to reveal the main fabric and press.