Use your v-neck as a guide to determine the angle of your stripes by lining the pattern edge right up against the edge of a stripe.
Pin and cut.
Now you will use the piece you just cut to line up and cut the next pieve. Lay the piece directly onto the fabric, lining up all stripes exactly.
If you’ve done a good job lining up the stripes, the pattern piece should almost disappear.
Pin and cut.
Now you should have two of the exact same pattern piece. This will be the front Right and back Left of the dress.
Next, turn one of the pattern pieces right side down onto the fabric. Follow the above steps to line up the stripes again.
Pin and cut. Then do the same one more time, with right sides of the fabric together, pin and cut.
You should now have four pieces, two of one diagonal and two of the other. These four pieces make up your dress!!
Turn the pieces right sides together and line up the stripes along the center. The exactness with which you line these up will determine the continuity of your chevron, so do a good job!!
Using a 1/4″ seam allowance, serge or stitch down the center seams. If you are using a knit fabric, sew with a zig-zag stitch to maintain stretch.
Press your seams.
Now you should have two chevron pieces, front and back.
** This is when you should add your pockets. Of course, I forgot, and add them later. But at this point would be easier.
Lay these two pieces, right sides together, and line up the stripes along the shoulder and side seams. Again, take your time to do a good job.
Using a 1/4″ seam allowance, serge or stitch the shoulder and side seams.
Press your seams.
You should have a basic dress at this point, with a continuous chevron pattern around the bodice. Good job!
Next, determine the height at which you want the ruched waist. I like mine at or just above my natural waist.
Mark this height with pins, or a ruler.
Using tailor’s chalk and a straight edge, draw a line across the front of the fabric where you would like the ruching to begin. You will follow this guide when sewing, so make it as straight as possible.
Do the same on the back, then lay the dress on it’s side to match up the line.
Wind a bobbin with elastic thread.
Place the elastic thread bobbin in the machine (use normal thread on the top) and increase your thread tension. Stitch a zig zag along the line around the circumference of the dress.
You should have something like this.
Now, using the previous line of stitching as a guide, add another row of ruching, about 1/2″ away.
Continue until you have 5 lines of ruching.
Press your ruching to increase elasticity. (You can spritz water on there, too. I just use the steam setting.)
Oops, I forgot about the pockets!! Typical for me:) Â If you want to add them, choose a fabric and trace a basic round shape around your hand.
You should have four identical pieces.
Determine where you want the pockets to sit along the side seams, and seam rip the opening to the length of the pocket edge.
Pin the pockets with right sides together onto the side seam.
Stitch along the seam and the pocket edge.
You should have something like this.
Now, place the pockets, right sides together, and pin around the edges.
Start stitching above the pocket, on the side seam, then continue around the pocket, and down onto the side seam again.
There, pockets are in!
When you turn the dress around, and tuck them in, you get that fun on-seam pocket (with a pop of color, if you choose!)
Now we are going to bind the v-neck with bias tape. Measure around your neckline and cut a 1″ length of fabric on the bias.
Make it into bias tape by using a bias tape maker, or pulling it through a pin (stuck into my completely hashed and ready-to-be-replaced ironing board cover.)
Open up one end of the bias tape and pin it’s edge to the wrong side of the fabric along the neckline.