Lovely to see you’re starting with our pattern Alana!
Alana is a pattern for a beautiful, feminine dress that will seduce you with all her flair! Her V-neckline, swirling skirt and wide sleeves with trim, make her the perfect dress for a night out or a fun party!
You can make the Alana dress with 3 different waistbands:
- Version A is a waistband with 3 small, encased elastics that go all around the waist. This gives the waistband a smock effect. You can also use these pattern pieces if you want to use smock elastic (so without making the encasings).
- Version B is a waistband with small pleats in the front. This version requires precision. The waistband has an elastic in the back. Because the front waistband is not stretching, this version is a bit tighter to put on.
- Version C is a straight waistband that is added to the front piece by slightly gathering the front. The waistband has an elastic in the back. Because the front waistband is not stretching, this version is a bit tighter to put on.
Pin the facing on the front and back, right sides together and make sure the markings and the shoulder seams match. Also make sure that the center front of the front and front facing are matched exactly. For a nice V-shape of the neckline, baste the stitching line first. Stitch all around.
Cut the V-neck until your stitching. Trim the corners of the seam allowance at the shoulders.
Finish the side seams of the sleeve with an overlock or by zigzagging. Pin the seams, right sides together and stitch. Press open.
Gather the hem of the sleeve, as explained above.
Stitch the short sides of the sleeve trim, right sides together and press open.
Fold the sleeve trim in half lengthwise, with the wrong sides together and press. Press one of the long sides 1,5 cm to the wrong side.
Gather the hem of the sleeve so it fits the sleeve trim. Pin the long, unpressed side of the sleeve trim to the sleeve, right sides together. Make sure that the markings match. Stitch all around and remove your gathering threads.
Fold the sleeve trim in place, all seam allowances disappear inside the sleeve trim. Pin the sleeve trim to the inside of the sleeve. Topstitch on the sleeve trim, right next to the seam, through all layers. Work on the right side.
Pin the sleeve into the armhole, right sides of the fabric together. Make sure the markings match. The single marking indicates the front, the double one the back. Divide the fabric evenly between the markings of the cap of the sleeve. Baste to avoid false pleats and stitch in place. Finish the edges with an overlock or by zigzagging. Press the seam allowances towards the sleeve.
The skirt:
Finish the side seams of the front and back skirt with an overlock or by zigzagging. Pin the seams, right sides together and stitch. Press open.
Gather the waist of the skirt in the same way you did before.
Press 1 cm of the hem of the skirt to the wrong side. Press another 3 cm to the wrong side. Now handstitch the hem (or stitch with your sewing machine).
Waistband version A:
For this version of the waistband, you will need pattern piece n° 9 for the front and n° 12 for the back. You need both pattern pieces twice.
Stitch the short sides of a front waistband to a back waistband, right sides together. Press the seam allowances of the left side seam towards the front and the seam allowances of the right side seam towards the back. This is very important to be able to put the elastics through the encasings later on!
Repeat for the other waistband, the one that will be at the inside of the dress. Press 1 cm of the bottom of this inner waistband to the wrong side.
Work on the right side of the bodice. Slide the outer waistband over the bodice, right sides together and pin in place. Slide the inner waistband into the bodice, right side of the waistband on the wrong side of the dress. The unpressed side of the inner waistband lays together with the waistline of the bodice. Pin all layers and make sure that the markings and side seams match. Stitch all around and press the seam allowances towards the waistbands.
Slide the skirt over the outer waistband, right sides together, and gather the skirt so it matches the waistband. Make sure that the markings and sides seams match. Pin and stitch all around.
Fold the inner waistband in place, with the pressed centimeter to the inside and pin all around. All seam allowances disappear inside the waistbands. Stitch the waistband in place by stitching exactly in the ditch of the waistband and skirt pieces. Work on the right side of the dress. Leave an opening in the back to insert the elastics.
Now stitch the 5 encasings of the waistband. The elastics will be inserted in the top, middle and bottom encasing. Stitch through both layers of the waistband, at a distance of 1,2 cm each time. Always leave an opening in the back, right where you left the opening in the previous step. This way, you can insert the 3 elastics in the next step. Work on the right side of the dress.
Insert the elastics through the encasings with a safety pin, start with the one in the top encasing. Work towards the left side seam and go all around. Stitch the short ends together. Finally, close all openings.
Waistband version B:
Create and stitch the pleats of pattern piece n° 10, this is the waistband on the outside of the front. The waistband on the inside of the front is just flat (pattern piece n° 11). Start at the top pleat and work your way down. In total, there are 6 pleats in the front piece; they are indicated with markings on the pattern piece. Mark every pleat with a basting thread and a notch in the side seam. Doublefold the fabric on the first line, wrong sides of the fabric together, and press. Now stitch the pleat in place at 0,6 cm from the edge. Press the pleat towards the bottom. Repeat the process until all the pleats are stitched.
Waistband version B & C:
Outer waistband: pin the short sides of a front waistband (piece n° 10 for version B and n° 11 for version C) to a back waistband (n°12 for both versions), right sides together and stitch.
Inner waistband: for both versions B and C, pin a waistband n°11 (front) to n° 12 (back), right sides together and stitch the short sides. Press all seams open. Press 1 cm of the bottom of the inner waistband to the wrong side.
Gather the bottom of the front bodice in the same way you did before (not the back). Work on the right side of the bodice.
Slide the outer waistband over the bodice, right sides together and pin in place. Slide the inner waistband into the bodice, right side of the waistband on the wrong side of the dress. The unpressed long side of the inner waistband lays together with the waistline of the bodice. Pin all layers and make sure that the markings and side seams match. Stitch all around and press the seam allowances towards the waistbands. Remove the gathering threads.
Slide the skirt over the outer waistband, right sides together, and gather the skirt so it matches the waistband. Make sure that the markings and sides seams match. Pin and stitch all around.
Fold the inner waistband in place, with the pressed centimeter to the inside and pin all around. All seam allowances disappear inside the waistbands. Stitch the waistband in place by stitching exactly in the ditch of the waistband and skirt pieces. Work on the right side of the dress. Leave an opening in the back to insert the elastics.
Insert the elastic in the back waistband so both ends of the elastic pass the side seams slightly. Stitch the elastic in place in the side seams. Close the opening in the back waistband.
Give your new dress a nice press!
We wish you a lot of fun with your new dress! Show your creation on Facebook and Instagram with the hashtag #atelierjupeAlana or share it in our Facebook group ‘Atelier Jupe - Create & Share’.