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Thursday, August 18, 2011

How to Draft the Pattern for an A-Line Dress?



Front:







A-B = full length + 1/4 inch
A-C = 1/4 chest + 1/2 inch
Square out lines from points A, B, and C.
A-F = half shoulder + 1/4 inch
C-H = 1/4 chest + 1 1/2 inches (Note: This 1 1/2 inches is the ease. If you think this is more than you prefer, you can reduce the ease to 3/4 inch. If you prefer to use a knit fabric or any kind of stretchy fabric, there's is no need to have ease, as the fabric itself is stretchy, or an ease of 1/2 inch is enough.) 
B-K = 1/4 chest + 3 to 4 inches for kids' size (1/4 chest + 6 to 8 inches for women's size) (You can increase this measurement according to how wider you want your hemline to be.)
A-D = 1/12 chest + 1/4 inch (You can change the width of the neck according to your preference.) 
A-E = 1/12 chest + 1/2 inch (You can change the depth of the front neck according to your preference.)
Shape neck D-E.
Square down from F. Mark I where the squared line crosses H-C. Mark M where the squared line crosses B-K.
F-G = 1/2 inch (1 inch for adult-size dress)
Join G-D.
I-J = 1 inch
Shape armhole G-J-H.
L-K = 3/4 inch (1 inch for women's size)
Shape bottom hemline B-M-L as shown.
Extend B-M-L 1 inch for bottom hemline fold (shown by a dotted line in the pattern).





Back:




A-B = full length + 1/4 inch
A-C = 1/4 chest + 1/2 inch
Square lines from points A, B, and C.
A-F = half shoulder + 1/4 inch
C-H = 1/4 chest + 1 1/2 inches (Note: This 1 1/2 inches is the ease. If you think this is more than you prefer, you can reduce the ease to 3/4 inch. If are going to use a knit fabric or any kind of stretchy fabric, there's is no need to have ease, as the fabric itself is stretchy, or an ease of 1/2 inch is enough.) 
B-K = 1/4 chest + 3 to 4 inches for kids' size(1/4 chest + 6 to 8 inches for women's size) (You can increase this measurement according to how wider you want your hemline to be.)
A-D = 1/12 chest + 1/4 inch (You can change the width of the neck according to your preference.) 
A-E = 1 inch (You can change the depth of the back neck according to your preference. ) 
Shape neck D-E.
Square down from F. Mark I where the squared line crosses H-C. Mark M where the squared line crosses B-K.

F-G = 1/2 inch to 3/4 inch for kids (1 inch for ladies)
Join G-D.
I-J = 2 1/2 inches


Shape armhole G-J-H.





L-K = 3/4 inch (1 inch for women's size)
Shape bottom hemline B-M-L as shown.
Extend B-M-L 1 inch for bottom hemline fold (shown by a dotted line in the pattern).
E-N = C-P = B-O = 1.25 inches. Join N-P-O for button and buttonhole extensions at the center back. Cut the back pattern at N-P-O for full opening.





You can also cut out the button placket (2.75-inch width) from another piece of fabric and attach it to ECB. In that case, you have to add a seam allowance of 0.25 inch at ECB. 

Seam allowances to be added to this dress are 0.5 inches at the neck, shoulder, and armhole, and 1 inch on the sides. The hemline allowance (1 inch) is already added in the pattern draft itself.





I have posted a free A-line dress sewing pattern for kids' sizes 6 to 12 years at this link and for sizes 3 to 5 years at this linkHope you may find it helpful. 

You can find lots of free PDF printable sewing patterns on this page on my blog.

You can also click the Free Sewing Patterns Page at the top of this blog page (under the blog title) to find more free sewing patterns.

Click the below links to have a browse through the pattern drafting and sewing tutorials on my blog.



Please check the below links to see the tutorial for making this dress:








91 comments:

Sara said...

Thanks for this - very helpful

Flora said...

Thanks for your comment Sara. It's nice to know that this is helpful to you.

Coser Tejer Crear said...

Very clear! Thank you for sharing! Off to the sewing room!

Flora said...

Thanks Mar!

Unknown said...

This is exactly what I needed to remake my vintage wedding dress. Thanks!

Flora said...

Thanks Aery! I am happy to know that this tutorial was of help to you.

Unknown said...

Thank you for the knowledge u shared... can u tell us the fish line dress in the same way

Debi said...

Thanks this is a very helpful pattern.

SUE HORNE said...

Just found your blog by Pinterest! Oh my what an education you have given me! Thank you so very very much! This is so very helpful :)

Aprobada sin plaza said...

Thank you very much for the pattern.

Madame Baron said...

Hello... tq so much for the pattern draft, I will try to make for my daughter :)

Mamma Blogger said...

Extremely detailed and so interesting to understand how a pattern can be broken down into tiny steps! Thanks from me too!

Unknown said...

A big thanks to u for sharing this tutorial.

armalu,blogspot.com said...

obrigado por partilhar. Temho uma netinhos gemeos de 3 anos fazer faço cortar tenho uita dificuldade, obrigado pela ajuda

Flora said...

Thanks to everyone for your encouraging comments.

S.Haddad said...

This is great, but how do I take the shoulder measurement?

dollmm said...

Thank you SOOOO much for taking the time to share your vast knowledge with us.

olateju adunola said...

Thank u, I enjoyed reading ds n I completely understand it.Ow abt a tutorial on trousers

olateju adunola said...

Thank u, I enjoyed reading ds n I completely understand it.Ow abt a tutorial on trousers

Crochetfan said...

hi I have just printed of the a line dress pattern and page His not there , what am I doing wrong checked a few times no luck help

Crochetfan said...

page H is not there

Unknown said...

Thanks for sharing. Very clear instructions. Cheers

Unknown said...

Thanks for sharing. Very clear instructions. Cheers

Gbemi said...

Thank you so much for sharing, Flora!
I've made up to 6 dresses with this tutorial.
It's very easy to follow.

joanna said...

Really helpful!Thank you.

DMM Jhon said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Unknown said...

This looks wonderful! I cannot wait to try it.
African Wax Print, African George Fabric

Unknown said...

Hola me parece muy útil sólo que no entiendo mucho en pulgadas

Unknown said...

I love you all the way from Nigeria. Thank you so much for this.

Unknown said...

is 'shoulder' means half shoulder length?

Siti Ahmad said...

Tq for sharing. Very useful and clear

Siti Ahmad said...

Tq for sharing. Very useful and clear

Sue's World said...

Thanks loads for this awesome pattern. Made a dress today and it looked great.

JACKLEHM said...

Maybe I missed it in the directions, but what size of a girl is this pattern for?

Flora said...

You can use this pattern draft to make dresses for kids as well as women. I have included the instructions for adult size too in the pattern draft. Please check.

Flora said...

Yes Ajeena shoulder means half shoulder. Thanks for asking this question. I will change it to half shoulder in the tutorial.

Flora said...

Yes Ajeena shoulder means half shoulder. Thanks for asking this question. I will change it to half shoulder in the tutorial.

Flora said...

You can use this pattern draft to make dresses for kids as well as women. I have included the instructions for adult size too in the pattern draft. Please check.

Dean Sirois said...

Hi-thanks for this - I am assuming this is for a woven fabric dress and not knit?

Olayinka adunni said...

Thank you very much really helpful and informative

Unknown said...

just found your blog. really very helpful post like it
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Unknown said...

Thanks. .. it means a alot

Wrella said...

Flora! You complete me! Ha ha ha

I was in search of a simple pattern I could alter for a woman of sizable girth but to no avail - until you, Flora, stepped in as an answer to prayer. I can simply take each measurement, fill in the blanks and viola!, a pattern is born! I cannot tell you what a God-send you and your blog are to me!

Happy sewing, ma'am. Happy everything!

kassiopi reyes said...

Thank you very much for this pattern. It is quite helpful!! Please be so kind to explain to me why the distance AF is half the shouldel. I am a little bit confused. Thanks in advance.

Unknown said...

The dress is so pretty and I wish it could fit me nevertheless; your sewing adventures are interesting, creative, and unique. I hope you will soon be designing pieces for sale. I will be recommending my friends to this site so that they can view the excellent pieces you have designed. Find time and read my article by clicking on How to write a personal experience essay paper.

Unknown said...

I want to make thus dress in a 0-3 months for my friend's baby (she hasn't had her yet) but i can't seem to find all the measurements i need. can someone help please?

Gquad said...

Such a great tutorial on how to draft a dress. Thank you! I'll definitely be trying this soon!

Ali said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Rachael Ayres said...

Do you have a photo of this on a woman? Are you sure adding 3 1/4 inches on the BK measurement is enough for both children and adults?

Mobile Muzh said...

Great instructions. Still a questions about the L-K measurement. WHY is it 1/2 inch?
Follow-up, how does one draw the correct arc for L-M ?

Lata Sundar said...

hi Flora,

would A-C be the same measurement if we needed to add sleeves to this pattern?

MaryJones said...

I think 1/2" is roughly what you need. Your goal is to get the angle formed by H-L-M to be pretty much a right angle so you get a smooth curve round the side. If you were making an adult dress, maybe it would be a little more than half an inch, maybe even up to an inch. I usually draw an arc by starting on the inside of the curve and just eye-balling it. If you do it in pencil you can rub it out if it looks wonky - you just want a nice smooth curve. This isn't 100% accurate if you were trying for a completely tailored dress, but it's very easy to do, and good enough to give an excellent result. So thank you to Flora!

MaryJones said...

PS to my last comment: There's no end of variations to what you can do with a simple A-line pattern. In my blog I give some examples. http://newgrandmawantstosew.blogspot.com/2018/07/variations-on-simple-line-dress-for.html.
I didn't, as it happens, use the Frills and Flares version (wish I had!) as I was still using a version from Climbing the Willow. But I now think the Frills and Flares DIY approach is much better and is what I'll recommend in future.
Thank you again, Flora

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Fabrics_World_USA said...

Thank you very much for the pattern.This is so great. Thanks for sharing. You and the clothes look amazing! Such an inspiration.
Stretch Sequins|Glitter Stone|Designers Lace

Unknown said...

Nice

Unknown said...

Mahi
Nice

Yvonne said...

Very nice, need to make an A-Line dress for my daughter.

dollmm said...

This is so helpful. Just found this site. Thank you very, very much for this pattern.

Twirlers Mama said...

How do you get shoulder measurement?

Unknown said...

Nice work. I will give it a trial.

Flora said...

Thanks Wrella! Am happy that this pattern draft was helpful to you!

Flora said...

Yes, Dean. This is for woven fabric. For a knit fabric, you don't have to add in ease.

Flora said...

Thanks, Mary Jones for your reply.

Flora said...

Thanks Mary Jones. Good to know you liked this pattern.

Flora said...

The shoulder width measurement is taken on the back from one end of the shoulder to the other. You need to use half of this measurement when drafting this pattern.

Flora said...

Thank you! Hope you got it right!

Flora said...

Hi Mobile Muzh! I have added the necessary changes in the pattern draft for a woman's size dress. Thanks for pointing it out. For drawing the correct arc for L-M, you can use a French curve. Thank you!

Flora said...

Hi Rachael, I have added the necessary changes in the pattern draft for a woman's size dress. Please check.

Flora said...

Hi, You can use the standard measurement chart for babies. Check this website: https://www.childrenssizechart.com/.

Flora said...

Hi, The shoulder width measurement is taken on the back from one end of the shoulder to the other. You need to draft only half of the front of the dress as it convenient is mark the measurements; therefore, you need to use half of the shoulder measurement. When you cut the pattern on the fabric on fold at center front you will get the other half of the pattern mirrored on the fabric. Hope it is clear to you!

Flora said...

Thank you!

Flora said...

Thank you!

Flora said...

Wow! Great! Thank you!

Flora said...

Thank you!

Flora said...

Intentaré incluir las medidas en centímetros.

Flora said...

Am glad it is helpful to you. Thanks for your comment!

Flora said...

Oh great Gbemi! Am happy to hear this!

Flora said...

Thanks for your kind words, Sue!

Flora said...

Thank you!

Flora said...

Thank you! I will try to post a tutorial.

Flora said...

Hi, I have included it. Hope you got it now!

Flora said...

Thank you!

Flora said...

Thank you! I will try to post a tutorial on trousers!

Flora said...

The shoulder width measurement is taken on the back from one end of the shoulder to the other. You need to use half of this measurement when drafting this pattern.

Flora said...

Hi Lata, if you want to add sleeves to this pattern, you can use the same measurement for A-C or you can use the scye depth measurement + 1/2 inch for shoulder seam for A-C.

Lata Sundar said...

Thank u Flora for your response.

Anonymous said...

Thank you so much for posting this. I did have a question. How much, if any, seam allowance is incorporated as written?

Flora said...

Hi, Seam allowances are 0.5 inches at the neck, shoulder, and armhole, 1 inch on the sides, and 1.25 inches or 1.5 inches at the bottom.

Anonymous said...

Just seen this on Pinterest. Had been looking for something easy like this for a long time. A great help. I’m thinking of making it next week or the following once the visitors have returned to Canada. Will keep you posted.

Flora said...

Hi, Thanks for commenting here. Happy sewing!