Sawtell dress
The Sawtell dress is a sophisticated, yet versatile, wardrobe staple with a range of design details that will appeal to the sewist who is seeking to expand their sewing techniques and skills.
Made in a lightweight fabric this garment will play the role of Summer cover-up perfectly. In something heavier and more structured, styled with a turtle-neck and tights it will become the mainstay of your Autumn and Winter wardrobe.
Garment details
Featuring an inset placket with pleats and bust darts, the Sawtell dress has a yoke and box pleat in the back, capped sleeves and a wide hem. The neckline is finished with bias binding and pockets are inset for an eye-catching design feature and new technique for you to learn.
Sawtell dress Fit Kit (additional purchase)
The Sawtell dress Fit Kit was written to supplement the pattern for this beautiful design and is jam-packed with a broad range of pattern alterations for common fit issues.
Although we’ve designed the Fit Kit to work alongside the Sawtell dress, you will be able to refer to it long into the future when you are working on other projects.
Have you seen our Sawtell top pattern too? Purchase the Sawtell dress and top patterns, plus the supporting Fit Kits in a discounted bundle for only $50. That's a saving of $38!
Please note: This listing is for a digital resource only.
Suggested Fabrics
The Sawtell dress is compatible with light to medium weight fabrics such as: viscose/rayon, silk, linen, linen blends, cotton, wool suiting and lightweight denim. If you would like to use something lightweight, such as viscose / rayon or silk, consider fusing the placket pieces for additional stability.
Keep in mind that the weight of the fabric will determine the amount of structure in the finished garment. Softer fabrics will give the garment drape and movement, while stiffer fabrics will create a more voluminous and structured silhouette.
Fabric requirements and finished garment measurements can be found here.
Notions
Size A-J:
- Coordinating thread
- 0.7m (0.8yd) x 32mm (1¼ in) single fold bias tape
- 0.5m (0.5yd) lightweight fusible interfacing
- Optional: 1m (1.1yd) x 32mm (1¼ in) single fold bias tape for finishing inside placket edge
Size G-P:
- Coordinating thread
- 0.8m (0.9yd) x32mm (1¼ in)single fold bias tape
- 0.5m (0.5yd)lightweight fusible interfacing
- Optional: 1m (1.1yd) x32mm (1¼ in)single fold bias tape for finishing inside placket edge
Sizing
The pattern is available in sizes A - J (drafted for a B sewing cup size) and G - P (drafted for a D sewing cup size). Our size charts can be found here.
The Sawtell dress is designed to be loose and boxy in shape, with subtle shaping through the top of the side seam and bust darts.
The Sawtell dress is designed to have considerable design ease at the waist and hips, so keep this in mind when selecting a size. More details related to fitting the Sawtell dress and making a toile can be found in the Fit Kit that is available as an additional purchase.
Fabric requirements and finished garment measurements can be found here.
Pattern includes seam allowances.
Difficulty
The pattern is placed at a Level 2.5 on the In the Folds pattern skill scale, which means you feel confident with the basics and are ready for new challenges
By working through this pattern, you will learn new skills and techniques and gain confidence in: sewing darts, sewing an inset placket and inset pockets, binding a neckline, sewing a yoke using the burrito method, stitching in the ditch and sewing pleats and capped sleeves.
Digital product details
The pattern is suitable for printing on both A4 and US letter sized paper. A copy shop version is also included in the file (A0 or US 36" x 48").
Size A-J
Print at home pattern: 40 pages (a printing plan is included in the instructions so that you can choose to only print the pages you need for your size).
Print shop version: 2 x A0 pages
Size G-P
Print at home pattern: 47 pages (a printing plan is included in the instructions so that you can choose to only print the pages you need for your size).
Print shop version: 3 x A0 pages
The Sawtell dress Fit Kit: 65 pages containing a broad range of patternmaking and fitting tutorials to help you through the process of fitting the Sawtell dress. Available as an additional purchase.
The pattern includes embedded layers. This means that you can select only the size/s you would like to print.
If you have any questions please see our FAQ and Digital Product Policy.
Thank you to our amazing models!
Thank you so much Karina (@lovemade.handmade), Melissa
(@melissalowrydesign) and Sara (@fabric_scraps) for the beautiful photos of your Sawtell dresses!