Ever since starting my professional career, I try to always have at least one sheath dress in my closet - for some reason, I always feel so well put-together and elegant while wearing one in the office, it has become my go-to choice when I want to look my best. For this summer - and finally getting back to the office after many months of work-from-home - I wanted an 'extra' special sheath dress. So, why not make a hot-pink gathered one? Never a better reason/season for this!
Since I aim to share not only what I make, but also how I make it, I have prepared a pattern tutorial for this dress - I am sure it could be a great wardrobe addition for many of my fellow seamstresses!
Before jumping to the tutorial, I want to give a big shout-out to todays sponsors of the tutorial: SewEasy and Hemline, presented by Sewgroup International Limited.
SewEasy was first established by the Mason family of Sydney, Australia in the early 1980’s and later acquired by Sewgroup International, its current owners. SewEasy represents and specializes in Quilting and Patchwork products as well as functional Sewing and Storage equipment, bringing joy to sewers / quilters and crafters all around the world. The SewEasy range consists of a collection of around 250 amazing products, that can be utilized by beginners to professionals alike. Today more than a million Sew Easy rulers are used throughout the World. SewEasy places a high emphasis on quality control and utilizes many cutting edge technologies like laser cutting to ensure perfect and precise measurements. You can view the entire Product Range on the SewEasy website; alternatively, stop by your favorite craft store and ask for SewEasy products.
Hemline was founded in 1987 by the Castley family, whilst working on their wholesale business in Sydney, Australia (now an integral part of Sewgroup International). The Hemline product range quickly became very popular, because it represents top quality products, with affordable pricing in a variety of sewing related categories. Hemline has continued to enrich the lives of sewers and crafters all over the world, with steady growth and great international success. The initial range of 80 products has expanded to become one of the largest in the world, and the Hemline brand now contains more than 1,000 sewing and craft related essentials. The Hemline brand has spread worldwide, with national distributors supplying Hemline globally. You can view the entire Hemline Product Range on the Hemline website; alternatively, please stop by your favorite craft store and ask for Hemline products.
Lastly I would just like to mention that by purchasing SewEasy and Hemline products you are also supporting SewAid. Sewaid is a program which offers selected women in developing countries the opportunity to not only learn how to sew, but to also provide them with the machines, equipment and skills they need to start a small home business in dressmaking or alterations and repair in their region of the world. The Sewaid program is primarily a teaching / aid program and we rely heavily on our wonderful volunteer teachers who donate their time and expertise as well as fund their own travel to each program. If you would like to discover more about this wonderful and helpful program, please visit SewAid website.
What I personally like about SewEasy and Hemline products is that they offer high-quality, functional products with affordable prices, as well as carry an incredibly wide product range - no matter what sewing task I have on hand, I can always to be sure I will find what I need in either SewEasy or Hemline assortment!
In the tutorial you will see me using a few different SewEasy and Hemline products, and I will also link my favourite ones below in this post.
Now... let's start our tutorial!
The gathered dress we will be creating today is easily modified from the basic dartless block, that fits you well and has zero ease (we will be working with stretch fabrics, so no need for easy - we want to this dress to be close fitting, to really make the most out of those gathers!). If you don't have a Basic dartless block yet, here is my previous tutorial on how you can make one (this is my favourite quick and easy technique!).
And here is a full tutorial on how to adjust the basic block to create the beautiful gathered sheath dress:
I am really enjoying this dress so-so-so much, I can't resist to share more photos!
And here are a few of the tools featured in the tutorial:
This Curved ruler from SewEasy is an all-in-one tool and has everything you need for clothing pattern drafting: long ruler, 90 degree angle ruler, hip ruler, armhole ruler, neckline ruler, it has everything! It's so handy to have all tools in one place, instead of 5 different ones!
When I'm on a go, I like to have a retractable measuring tape in my bag, in case I need to measure something/somebody. This hot pink (matches my dress, doesn't it?!) retractable measuring tape from Hemline is such a cutie!
Seam gauge is such a great tool when you need to quickly add seam allowance - for pattern making, this tool is irreplaceable! This seam gauge by Hemline has all needed measurements and indications where to use which measure, it's super handy!
Thank you for watching todays tutorial and I hope you enjoyed it! If you make a dress using this tutorial - please send me a photo via Instagram messages, I would love to see your creation!
Best wishes,
Julie
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