How to Sew a Knot-Front Dress – Ready-Made Patterns and a Tutorial
A step-by-step tutorial for sewing a knot-front dress: reinforce the pieces with fusible interfacing, form the tie and the pleats on the front, join the top and bottom of the dress, set in the zipper along the center back seam, finish the neckline and armholes with facings, and finish off the side seams, vent, and hem.
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Translated
Things you will learn
The ready-made patterns are drafted for a 168 cm height in three sizes: 42 (bust 84 cm, waist 65 cm, hips 92 cm), 54 (bust 108 cm, waist 88 cm, hips 116 cm), and 68 (bust 136 cm, waist 116 cm, hips 144 cm); print them full-size at the correct scale.
You'll need a cotton fabric with good stretch (1.8 m at a width of 1.5 m) and blouse-weight fusible interfacing to reinforce the pieces.
Cut the pieces with 1 cm seam allowances and a 3 cm hem allowance: the upper front pieces (2), the back facing cut in one piece (2), the front facing cut in one piece on the fold (1), the back (2), and the lower front piece on the fold (1).
The front knot is formed from a long tie, folded in half and stitched along the marked lines, with the outer corners trimmed and the inner corner of the seam allowance clipped.
The neckline and armholes are finished with facings, the dress closes with a zipper along the center back seam, and the back has a vent.
What you'll get
You'll get a fitted dress with a striking knot tie on the front, a zipper and vent along the center back seam, and facings finishing the neckline and armholes.
Materials and tools
Materials
Cotton fabric with good stretch, you'll need 1.8 m at a width of 1.5 m
Blouse-weight fusible interfacing, used to reinforce the facings, the front piece's corner at the start of the tie, and the right side of the vent
Thread and sewing supplies, needed throughout the sewing process
Tools
Zipper, set in along the center back seam
Pins, needed to hold the pieces at the notches before sewing
Preparation
Print the pattern
The ready-made patterns are drafted for a 168 cm height, in sizes 42 (bust 84 cm, waist 65 cm, hips 92 cm), 54 (bust 108 cm, waist 88 cm, hips 116 cm), and 68 (bust 136 cm, waist 116 cm, hips 144 cm). Print them full-size, at the correct scale.
Cut out the pieces
Cut the pieces you need with 1 cm seam allowances, and a 3 cm hem allowance. You'll need: the upper front pieces (2 pieces), the back facing cut in one piece (2 pieces), the front facing cut in one piece on the fold (1 piece), the back (2 pieces), and the lower front piece on the fold (1 piece).
Reinforce the pieces and transfer the markings
Before assembly, the pieces are reinforced with fusible interfacing and the zipper markings are transferred.
Reinforce the facings and the tie's corner
Reinforce the facings, the front piece's corner at the start of the tie, and the right side of the vent with fusible interfacing. On the left side of the vent, only reinforce the vertical seam allowance, about 1 cm.
Transfer the zipper markings
Be sure to transfer the markings for where the zipper ends along the length of the center back seam.
Sew the darts
The darts shape the fitted silhouette of the dress's lower portion.
Sew and press the darts
Sew the darts on the lower front pieces and the back, fold them toward the center of the pieces, and press.
Make the knot tie
The tie that forms the knot is folded in half and finished along the marked lines.
Fold and stitch the tie
Fold the tie in half and stitch from the outer corner to the inner corner, following the marked lines.
Trim and clip the corners
Trim the seam allowance at the outer corners. Clip the inner corner of the seam allowance, leaving 2 mm to the seam.
Turn the pieces and pin the integrated section
Turn all the pieces right side out and smooth out the corners. Fold the tie's integrated section along the marked lines and pin it in place at the matching notches.
Assemble the front piece with the knot
Pleats add volume to the upper front before it's joined to the bottom of the dress.
Form the pleats
Form the pleats on the upper front piece, matching up the notches. Stitch the pleats down to the width of the seam allowance or even less.
Finish the center raw edges
Serge the front piece's center raw edges.
Join the top and bottom of the dress
Join the top and bottom of the dress, pin, and stitch. Finish the seam allowances and press them down. Fold the tie's integrated piece along the marked lines and pin it at the side seams.
Sew the center back seam and set in the zipper
The zipper goes in along the center back seam, accounting for the vent.
Finish the back's center raw edges
On the back, finish the center raw edges.
Sew the center seam
Sew the center back seam from the zipper down to the vent.
Set in the zipper
Set in the zipper. Stitch the bottom ends of the zipper to the seam allowances.
Sew the shoulder seams and finish the neckline
The neckline facings go on after the shoulder seams on the main pieces are sewn.
Sew the shoulder seams
Put the front and back pieces right sides together, sew the shoulder seams, and press the seam allowances open.
Sew the facings' shoulder seams
Sew the shoulder seams on the front and back facings, and press the seam allowances open.
Stitch on the neckline facing
Finish the facings' outer raw edges. Lay the facings against the neckline, match up the shoulder seams, and pin. Stitch the facings on, starting and ending the stitching near the zipper.
Finish and topstitch the neckline
Trim the seam allowances down to 5 mm and clip them, and cut off the corners. Fold the facing back, press the seam allowances onto it, and topstitch 1–2 mm from the seam on the right side. Press the turned facing.
Finish the armholes with facings
The armholes are finished in a similar way to the neckline.
Pin the facing to the armhole
At the armhole, put the main pieces and the facing right sides together and pin, as shown in the photo.
Stitch the armhole, gradually turning the dress
Gradually turning the dress right side out, pin the facing and the dress together all along the armhole line. Stitch, trim the seam allowances down to 5 mm, and clip them.
Topstitch the armhole
Unfold the facing and press the armhole seam allowances. Topstitch 1–2 mm from the seam on the right side. Turn the facing right side out and press. Finish the second armhole the same way.
Sew the side seams, finish the vent and hem
The final stages are the side seams, the vent, and the hem.
Sew the side seams
Sew the dress's side seams, finish the seam allowances, and press them toward the back. Tack the facing down at the side seams.
Finish the vent and hem
Finish the vent, then fold under and stitch the dress's hem.
Finish and variations
Finish
Wear your finished dress
The finished dress, with its knot tie on the front, is ready to wear — the striking front detail gives the silhouette real personality.
After turning the tie right side out, the corners look bulky and won't lie flat.
Likely cause
The inner corner of the seam allowance wasn't clipped close enough to the seam.
How to fix it
Clip the inner corner of the seam allowance, leaving just 2 mm to the seam — this lets the corner turn out flat easily.
The front pleats don't line up at the notches
Problem
After forming the pleats on the upper front piece, the pattern or silhouette comes out asymmetrical.
Likely cause
The pleat notches weren't matched up precisely before stitching.
How to fix it
When forming the pleats, carefully match up all the notches before you stitch the pleats down.
The neckline or armhole facing shows from the right side
Problem
After finishing the neckline or armhole, the facing peeks out on the right side of the dress.
Likely cause
The facing wasn't folded back and pressed properly, or wasn't topstitched on the right side to hold it in place.
How to fix it
Fold the facing to the inside, press the seam allowances onto it, and topstitch on the right side 1–2 mm from the seam to hold the facing in place from the wrong side.
The armhole puckers or pulls after finishing
Problem
After stitching on the facing, the armhole looks pulled or puckered.
Likely cause
The armhole seam allowances weren't clipped after stitching, or the clips weren't spaced closely enough.
How to fix it
After stitching, trim the armhole seam allowances down to 5 mm and be sure to clip them — this lets the armhole lie flat along the curve.
?FAQ
What sizes are the patterns drafted for?
The patterns are drafted for a 168 cm height, in sizes 42 (bust 84 cm, waist 65 cm, hips 92 cm), 54 (bust 108 cm, waist 88 cm, hips 116 cm), and 68 (bust 136 cm, waist 116 cm, hips 144 cm).
What fabric works for this dress?
A cotton fabric with good stretch — you'll need 1.8 m at a width of 1.5 m.
What allowances are built into the pattern?
Seam allowances of 1 cm, and a hem allowance of 3 cm.
How is the front knot formed?
From a long tie: it's folded in half, stitched along the marked lines, the outer corners are trimmed and the inner corner of the seam allowance is clipped, then it's turned right side out and tied into a knot.
Where do the pieces need fusible interfacing?
The facings, the front piece's corner at the start of the tie, and the right side of the vent; on the left side of the vent, only the vertical seam allowance is reinforced.
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Cute)) Not sure about the dress, but I'd sew a blouse with a detail like this for myself. What do you think it would look like?
Actually, that's an interesting idea! I think it would look really nice! You could combine two close shades of fabric — run the trim through in one spot and make one side of the tie in a different color. It should turn out great!
Such an interesting design! I ordered something similar for my daughter last summer, though sadly I don't sew clothes myself. It's a genuinely original piece — you rarely see anything like it.
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Actually, that's an interesting idea! I think it would look really nice! You could combine two close shades of fabric — run the trim through in one spot and make one side of the tie in a different color. It should turn out great!