Women's Dresses/Bodycon Dress Pattern PDF | Ribbed Knit Tank Dress | Fitted Midi Dress Sewing | Womens Summer Basic | XS-M
1 / 4Interactive sewing map
Step-by-step technological process of sewing the garment.
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Finish Slit Seam Allowances
- On the right side of the back pieces, mark the guide points by measuring 3–4 cm up from where the slit begins. Finish the seam allowances on a serger set to a 3-thread stitch, following the marked sections. Stitch from the right side of the fabric. Press with an iron.
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Sew Back Center Seam
- Place the back pieces right sides together, align at the center edge, and pin to match up the guide points. Insert the pins parallel to the center edge, about 3–4 cm apart. This way, the pins won’t get caught by the serger blade. Sew the seam on the overlocker set to a 4-thread stitch. Stop about 2 cm before the start of the slit, as shown. Thread the overlock chain into a knit needle or hook and tuck it neatly between the layers of fabric. With your sewing machine, finish the seam exactly at the marked starting point of the slit, as shown in the photo.
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Reinforce Slit Area
- Reinforce the seam allowances around the slit area on the back pieces. To do this, measure up about 1.5 cm from the control point at the top of the slit and mark a new line with tailor's chalk. Apply the stabilizer from this mark down to the bottom edge of the dress, attaching it to the wrong side of the fabric.
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Sew Right Shoulder Seam
- Place the front and back pieces right sides together. Pin along the RIGHT shoulder seam (imagine you're wearing the dress). Leave the left shoulder open for now. Sew along the seam allowance at 0.7 cm using an overlock. Stitch along the back piece side. Press the seam, then press the seam allowances toward the front.
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Prepare Bias Strips - Step 2
- Next, fold the raw edges in toward the pressed center line, then fold the bias strip in half again so the finished width is 1 cm. Pin in place. Mark the reference points on the right side of the bias strips using tailor’s chalk or soap.
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Prepare Bias Strips - Step 1
- Press the bias strips for the armhole and neckline in half, wrong sides together, along the long edges.
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Press Back Seam Allowances
- Press the seam allowances to the wrong side on any back piece (overlock stitching facing up on the right side). At the slit area, press the 0.7 cm seam allowances open in opposite directions.
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Stitch Armhole Binding
- Attach a twin needle to your sewing machine. It's a good idea to test your stitch on a scrap piece first. On some machines, loosening the upper thread tension can help improve stitch quality. Sew the binding in place using the twin needle. The left line of stitching should be about 1–2 mm from the edge of the binding (the edge lying against the dress). Begin stitching at the tail end of the binding. Secure your stitches at both the beginning and end. Remove the basting and press the seam.
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Pin Armhole Binding
- The ends of the bias tape (about 2 cm each) should extend past the edges of the dress, just like you see in the photo. You can also pin the bias tape while gently stretching it to keep things even.
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Position Armhole Binding
- Lay the dress facing you. Get the bindings ready for finishing the armhole. At both the start and end of the binding, leave a 2 cm allowance—this helps you start and finish the stitch, keeping the binding evenly stretched along the entire edge. Find the armhole marker on the binding. Place the side with the armhole marker against the front part of the dress. Pin the binding to the dress, lining up the markers at the armhole and shoulder seam.
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Baste Armhole Binding
- If you’re comfortable with sewing, you can skip the basting and attach the bias tape directly, stretching it as you sew. If you’re just getting started with sewing, it’s best to baste the bias tape first, stretching it evenly between the guide points.
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Tuck Serger Tail
- Bend the serger tail at the neckline toward the armhole and tuck it under the seam allowance fold.
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Sew Left Shoulder Seam
- Stitch the LEFT shoulder seam of the dress with a serger. Sew from the back side. Press, then press the seam allowances toward the front.
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Finish Neckline Binding
- Using the same method, pin the bias tape to the neckline, matching the notches. Baste with slight tension, then sew the bias tape in place using a twin needle on your machine. Remove the basting stitches. Press with an iron. You can trim the ends of the binding.
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Secure Left Shoulder Seam
- Swap out the twin needle on your machine for a stretch needle. Fold the seam allowances on the left shoulder toward the front, pull the overlock thread tail, and from the right side, secure it with a bar tack about 0.5 cm from the shoulder seam. The bar tack should be 3–4 stitches long. You can also secure the seam allowances by hand from the inside if you prefer. Press with an iron.
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Sew Side Seams
- Fold the dress with the right side facing in. Pin along the side edges, matching up the notches. Sew with an overlock machine, using a 0.7 cm seam allowance. Stitch from the back side. Press with an iron, then fold the seam allowances toward the front. Hide the ends of the overlock stitch between the layers of knit fabric using a knit needle or crochet hook.
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Tack Side Seam Allowances
- Swap out the twin needle on the machine for a knit needle. Press the seam allowances at the side seams toward the front, and from the dress’s front side, add tack stitches about 0.5 cm away from the side seam. Each tack should be 3–4 stitches long. You can also secure the allowances by hand from the inside.
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Pre-press Hem
- Pre-press the hem allowance (3 cm) to the wrong side along the bottom edge of the dress.
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Finish Left Armhole
- Finish the left armhole with bias tape, just like you did for the right armhole. Baste, then stitch it in place using a twin needle for knits. Press with an iron.
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Stitch Hem
- Use a double needle to stitch on the sewing machine. Sew from the right side of the dress, making sure to secure the stitches at the beginning and end. During the sewing process, your hand-basted stitches will act as a guide—basting stitches should run exactly between both needles. Remove all basting stitches once finished. Press the seam flat.
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Prepare Slit Corners
- Fold back the seam allowances for the slit. Turn the hem allowance up to the right side of the fabric. Pin along the short edge. Sew with a 0.7 cm seam allowance on the machine. Start stitching at the edge of the hem fold. Press with an iron.
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Turn and Shape Corners
- Fold the hem allowance to the wrong side, then use a thick needle to gently shape the corners. Press the corners flat.
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Baste Hem Allowance
- Refresh the crease of the hem allowance (3 cm) at the bottom of the dress. Secure the hem allowance with a row of stitching using a twin needle. You can also secure the allowances by sewing a zigzag stitch with a frequency of 2–3 and a width of 3.5. For finishing hems with a twin needle: Baste the allowances using a row of contrasting thread, 1 mm from the edge of the allowance.
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Topstitch Slit
- Topstitch the seam allowances along the slit on the right side, keeping 0.5 cm from the edge. Start stitching exactly at the hem seam and finish at the hem seam on the other side. Secure the beginning and end of the stitch with a backstitch. Press to finish.
