Vikisews Leora Dress PDF (Beginner)

Leora is a close-fitting dress with a sheath silhouette. The front is made up of two separate parts, the front bodice and the front skirt. The center front bodice seam is finished with two channels. The tie pulled through the channels shapes a bust gathering. The top edge of the front skirt is curved. The dress features long set-in fitted sleeves and a deep V-neckline. Leora is below-the-knee length.

Suggested Fabric

To sew this dress, choose knit fabrics with the following properties:

– Medium weight, soft, breathable, malleable, stretchy (with elastane content)

– The fiber content can include natural fibers (wool, cotton), artificial (viscose), blends (wool + polyester, cotton + polyester, cotton + elastane, etc.), and synthetic (polyester, polyester + elastane)

– The following fabrics are recommended: sweater knit, ponte di roma, knit fabrics, double-knit fabrics, rib knit fabrics

Attention!We do not recommend using lightweight sheer fabrics (chiffon, organza, stretch lace).

The dress in the photo is made of a double-knit fabric. The fabric is medium weight, malleable and stretchy. The fiber content is a blend of wool, viscose and elastane.

Yardage

1. Main fabric

IMPORTANT! When purchasing fabric, please account for shrinkage and buy 5% more than required.

2. Lightweight fusible knit interfacing material, 140cm (55”) wide, for all sizes and heights – 10cm (4”). Fusible straight grained seam tape as an alternative – 30cm (12”).

3. Knit bias tape, 1.5 cm (5/8”) wide – 1.5-2m (59” to 79”), depending on the size. The required length of the knit bias tape must be measured on the paper patterns. This type of ready-made bias tape is most often used in underwear making. It can be replaced with 1cm (3/8”) wide silicone tape.

4. Matching thread, 5 spools (1 spool for the sewing machine and 4 spools for the overlocker).

Equipment

– Sewing machine for construction

– Overlocker for construction and for finishing raw edges. This may be replaced with a stretch overlock stitch or a zigzag stitch on the sewing machine (overlock or zigzag stitch width 2-3mm, stitch length 2.5mm)

– Coverstitch / coverlock machine for finishing the garment hem. If such a machine is not available, the garment hem can be finished with a twin needle on the sewing machine with a zigzag function

– Loop turner

– Ballpoint needles for knits

Important! For knit projects, we recommend using special sewing needles for stretchy knit fabrics (e.g. STRETCH, SUPER STRETCH, JERSEY, etc.).  When sewing, a ball-shaped needle point pushes the knit loops apart without piercing the threads.