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The skirt of the 107 Afghan Dress is fairly simple to construct.  In this post I will go over how to do it, as well as some tips and tricks to make it easier.  I am going to focus on the modern version, not the traditional version, but much of what is here also applies to the traditional version.

To see how to make the bodice of the dress, go to our tutorial on Making the 107 Afghan Dress Bodice.

For the skirt, you will generally use one fabric, though the traditional version also has a panel for the upper back that can be a different type (coordinating print, etc).  I have also seen customers who have made the skirt with different panels of coordinating fabric, making stripes of colors throughout.  However, for this tutorial, we are using one fabric.

I covered a little about cutting out the skirt fabric in the tutorial for making the bodice.  But, you will cut the entire width of your fabric into the length you want your skirt to be.  So, for instance, if you have a 45" wide fabric, you will want at least 3 panels that are 45" wide and as long as you desire your skirt to be.  

To determine the length you want your skirt to be, measure from about 1" below your underbust (about where the bodice will end) to the length you want the skirt to end.  Then add 2.25" for the hem at the bottom (1.5") and for the seam allowance (.75") at the top.  For my skirt, I had 2.25 yards of 44" wide fabric.  I wanted 3 panels, so I divided 2.25 yards (81") by 3 to get 27".  I cut my fabric into 27" long sections. 

If you have 60" wide fabric, you could consider a narrower skirt and only use 2 panels. The width and length of the skirt can be left up to you.  Another thing to consider for this is the weight of your fabric.  A heavier-weight fabric for your skirt can make the entire dress very heavy if you make a very wide and long skirt.  Alternatively, if you use a very lightweight fabric, you might want to make the skirt more full (and be careful of making a very short skirt with lightweight fabric because it can blow up and around more easily). 

I sewed the sections together at the side seams, with right sides together, to create a large loop.  If you use the whole width of your fabric, you don't need to finish the seams here. The seam allowances will be your selvages. Press the seams open.

Gathering the Waist

You will sew gathering stitches at the waist of the skirt.  The seam allowance at the waist is .75", so you can sew gathering stitches at just over .75" (at a scant 1") and at 5/8".  You could even sew three rows of gathering stitches, adding another row at 1/2".

I think it helps to sew two sections of gathering stitches. One section on half the skirt, and another section on the other half.  This helps pull the gathers without breaking threads.  You could even divide the skirt into thirds and sew three sections of stitches.  This is also really helpful if your skirt is very wide or if you are using heavier fabric.  

If you are doing the traditional skirt, the pattern suggests putting in gathering stitches by hand with heavy duty thread.  You may be able to use a buttonweight thread and your machine.

Pull the gathering stitches so that they are even and are pulled as narrow as the bottom of the bodice opening (at the waist).  For my skirt, this was almost as tight as I could get the gathers.  Be patient and slow this gathering as you do not want to break threads and have to start over.

Attaching Skirt to Bodice

For the narrow version (or modern version), you will put the right side of the bodice to the right side of the skirt.  Adjust the gathers to be even and pin the bodice to the skirt.  I like to have one seam in the center back, but it is not really very important because the skirt is so full. 

For the traditional version, you will have finsihed the bottom edge of the bodice (basically making a narrow hem at the bottom of the bodice and you will put the wrong side of the bodice over the right side of the skirt (it will look as it will when being worn), and you will hand stitch (or machine stitch) the bodice to the skirt with a .75" overlap of the bodice over the skirt.

Once everything is pinned together, you can sew the skirt to the bodice, using a .75" seam allowance.  I like to sew this seam with the gathers facing up so that I can adjust them while I sew to keep them as straight as possible and eliminate any strange overlaps that can happen in the gathers.  

Once the bodice and skirt are sewn together, you can finish the edge by serging or zigzag stitching over the raw edges. You could even bind the seam allwoance, though that adds more bulk to the seam.  

Press the seam allowance toward the bodice and then topstitch over the bodice to add another line of stitching to support the skirt. 

Finishing

Hem the skirt with a narrow hem (as I did), or turn up 1/2" then another 1" to the inside a sew.  You could also use a blind hem stitch at the bottom.  Or do what i did and make a narrow hem and stitch.

I love our 107 Afghan Dress sewing pattern!  It is one of our patterns that invites creativity, embleshments, and unabashed, joyful fabric combinations.  It also honors the skill and tradition of women in the Afghanistan region who first created these iconic and stunning dresses.

There are so many directions to take this dress.  The pattern has 3 different embroidery options for the bodice (with tons of ideas in each), and embroidery designs you can add to the cuffs as well. Or make your own embroidery designs to add to the bodice, neckline, or cuffs.  Or use embroidered ribbons on the front and/or cuffs. And of course, there are tons of ways to combine fabrics in each piece to make something truly unique.  You can hardly not make a statement piece with this pattern!

And we do see that some customers find the bodice, in particular, to be a bit challenging to construct.  Like many of our traditional/folk patterns, it is not constructed like a typical Western, modern sewing pattern.  So, today, I am going to walk you through the construction of the bodice.  The skirt is basically lengths of fabric (however long you want them to be) cut to be the width of your fabric and sewn together at the edges, and then gathered at the waist to fit the bodice.  And maybe we will cover the skirt in a different post, but today, we focus on the bodice.

You can also see a quick tutorial on how the sleeve comes together here.  And in this post, we will cover some of that, but go a little further in depth with the bodice construction.

Fabric Choice and Pattern

One of the fun parts of this pattern is picking the fabric. This is a perfect time to go through your stash and your fabric scraps and pick out what ones are calling to you.  Put them all together and see what works.  You can have different fabrics for each of the pieces of the pattern. You can even use different fabrics for panels in the skirt.  The skirt takes the most fabric, so just keep that in mind when you are going through your fabrics or picking out fabric.  For the dress I made here, I used a 2.25 yard piece, which was just enough to make this shorter version.  If I wanted a longer skirt, I would have needed at least 3 yards.  To make the full-length version, I would have needed at least 3.5 to 4 yards of fabric.  

You should also think about fabric weights and textures.  Mixing textures is a great idea -- using velvet, cotton, embroidered fabrics, piques, etc.  Though I would suggest keeping the fabric weights similar.  You don't necessarily want a heavy denim with a lightweight lawn.  The bodice, waistband, and gusset are sewn with two layers (though you can also make them with just one), but this is to help provide stability to the skirt, which can be quite heavy, depending on how much fabric you use.  So, that is another consideration.  I have made this dress before and loved it, but with the shorter skirt that I like, a very lightweight fabric (while practical to sew) feels like I might flash someone easily.  This time around, I wanted to try a heavier-weight fabric for the skirt.  Which meant I was definitely going to use a double layer in the bodice, gussets, and waistband.  And I ended up picking lawns for those fabrics, so the double layer was critical.

Below is the collection of fabric I pulled out as my options for this dress.  I narrowed it down to 5 fabrics, one of which was double-sided (floral print on one side, chambray on the other).

by Lea Blackerby

My husband and I attend several Renaissance Faires, Highland Games, and Celtic festivals every year, so the idea came into my head to create a garment that bridged the gap between costume and a more everyday wearable style. Though I do love dressing up in historical garb, I have not wanted to make the significant investment in time and materials for a costume I can use only for these occasions.

Jackets of varying styles offer the most options to find the look I wanted: a piece that is great for festivals and Faires and can be used as an everyday-wear item.  Several Folkwear patterns came to mind when thinking about this "Time Twisting" of clothes - historic clothes made and worn in modern ways (but still giving a nod to the history) with interesting fabrics and combinations. 

Jackets can be altered in simple ways - changing the cuff depth, collar width/length, etc., plus using fabric variations. Folkwear’s 508 Travelling Suit jacket pattern was the perfect choice for me – a tailored style that hints at a historical garment. And, the 263 Countryside Frock Coat appealed to me as well. Here’s how I approached these projects.

Fabric Selection

Fabric, of course, is the critical decision. To take on the historic flavor, I felt woven wool was the best choice.  I dug into my fabric stash looking for a nice piece of wool, but nothing was quite enough.  Then I found a remnant of a stretch suede that coordinated well with a woven wool I had. The big plus for the stretch suede is that it allows a certain bit of extra “give” in the wearing, especially across the back and shoulders. I’ve used this concept to make use of the larger remnants hiding at the bottom of my fabric stash for all three of my Traveling Suit jackets I’ve made so far. You may have to purchase the coordinating fabric (like the purple suede on jacket #3), but the quantity needed is small. I will go through my modifications and tips for using stretch fabric for this pattern below.

by Esi Hutchinson

Our 261 Paris Promenade Dress is such a unique pattern to make a flowing and vintage style dress that originates from the early 1900s.  The pattern is based on a garment in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC (Folkwear and the MET collaborated on some projects in the early 1990s). But this dress has a very unusal construction method -- very differnt that the typical dress construction. The dress is voluminous and only has 3 main pattern pieces, but how they fit together is a bit tricky.  We have a great little tutorial on how they go together using a small paper model (you can also see the video here). But customers have asked for us to show how to do it with real fabric.  However the large fabric sections are very hard to photograph or video.  So we decided to try this option:  making a tutorial for sewing this dress in minature -- for Molly's American Girl doll she had as a child also named Molly.  And do check out all the other resources we have for making this dress, including using lace, sheer fabrics, and velvet. 

This sew-along will demonstrate how to make the 261 Paris Promenade Dress as if you were making it for yourself, but I will be making this dress on a small scale using some left over fabric scraps.  For this size doll, I used about 1/2" yard for the main and contrast fabric. I scaled down the pattern on the computer using Adobe Illustrator by taking the measurements of the height, roundness of the arms, and especially the head. I was able to get the pattern pieces scaled for the doll's size

For this dress the suggested fabrics are light to medium-weight fabrics with drape, such as silk, silk velvet, rayon, feather-weight cotton, or jersey. However, you can also use fabrics with more body, such as crisp cotton like a poplin, lightweight linen, and silk taffeta. Check out our fabric selection we have some beautiful cotton florals that can be used for the main fabric or contrast fabric, and a nice selection of hankerchief and dress weight linen fabric as well.

This pattern is fairly easy to make, but as I said before, the construction is a bit unusual and can be confusing. Hopefully, this sew-along will clear that any difficulty you may have.

Be sure to transfer all lines, dots, and squares for your size to your fabric pieces from your pattern pieces.

Let's begin!

Sewing Main Dress

For the Neck facing B, finish all outer edges by serging or turning a scant ¼”(6mm) to the wrong side and stitching close to the folded edge. 

With the right sides together, starting at the Center Back, stitch the Neck Facing to the center of Dress A, matching stitching lines and dots. This will be the opening for the head.  Stitch a continuous line around the neck edge as indicated on the pattern piece Neck Facing B, pivoting as needed for the stitching.  The best way to do this is to transfer the lines to the fabric with marking pens/pencils so that you can see the lines and sew along the neckline easily.

Now, carefully slash through both layers of the fabric between the stitching lines from dot to dot. Then, trim seam allowances to ⅜" (1cm).

Turn the Neck Facing to the inside of the dress and press the edges. You can topstitch along the pressed edge if you like.  This keeps the facing from turning to the outside.

Now, with right sides together, fold the Dress in half along the shoulder line. Stitch side seams, matching notches, starting at the underarm and ending at the dot near the bottom edge of the Dress.  Press the seams open, and finish the raw edges.

Adding the Overdress

NOTE: If you want to add embroidery, appliqué, or other embellishment to front and/or back bib, do it now, before sewing the Overdress to Overdress Lining. You can also apply a stabilizer to the wrong side of bib, to support the embroidery or applique stitching. If adding ball fringe to edges of Overdress, baste the fringe to the right side of the Overdress along the upper and lower seamlines, with balls pointing toward Overdress. I did not add any embroidery or embellishments, so that won't be shown.

For the Overdress, with right sides together, stitch the triangular bib-shaped upper edge of Overdress C (larger piece) to Overdress C Lining (smaller piece), matching the notches. Leave the seam unstitched till the last ½" (1.3cm) at each side edge. 

Trim the seam allowances and clip the curves. Turn the Overdress/Overdress Lining right side out, and press. Repeat with second Overdress/Overdress Lining. 

Now we will work on the Skirt D piece.  First, reinforce the center point of Skirt D by sewing ½” (1.25cm) on either side of point at the seam allowance, using very small stitches and pivoting at the point. Clip close to point but do not clip the seam allowances.

With right sides together, stitch the Skirt D to the Overdress/Lining assembly at the angled seam, matching notches. Press the seam allowances toward the Skirt. Repeat with second the Overdress/Skirt. 

Now we add the Overdress/Skirt assembly to the Dress. Take the right side of the lower edge of the Dress and pin it to the right side of the lower edge of the Overdress Lining only (make sure the main Overdress/Skirt is out of the way), and stitch together. Press the seam down towards the Skirt. Do this for the front and back of the dress.

T

The 261 Paris Promenade Dress dates from the second decade of the 20th century, when a revival of the 1795-1800 Directoire fashions produced loose, flowing gowns reminiscent of Classical Greek costumes. This style of dress liberated women's bodies from the punishing constraints of the Victorian corsets.

Our sewing pattern is based on this elegant dress style from the 1918-1920, and is made from just three main pattern pieces. The very full main dress is defined at the waist by a self-fabric sash that passes underneath the bib-shaped overdress in front and ties in the back. In the 1910s and 20s, the accessories of choice were long strands of pearls and cords with tassels or beaded pendants.

The large area around the lower skirt is perfect for creative embellishments, as well as the shaped overdress, or even along the bateau neckline. Add embroidery (machine or hand), beading, piping, or applique.  Plus, the different sections of the dress are perfect for putting together coordinating prints and/or colors, stripes, or textures. You can even add a vintage touch with decorative tassels or beaded pendants at the elbows of the dress (and the bottom of the handbag).  Instructions are in the pattern for making tassels.

261 Paris Promenade Dress also includes the perfect period accessory pattern -- a drawstring handbag. The bag features free-hanging tabs that complement the airy drape of the dress.  The tabs can be embellished to match the dress or made of contrasting material for an interesting accent.  

Here we will list some resources you can use to make your own Paris Promenade Dress:

A note on sizing, this pattern has tons of ease, so many people find they like it made in a size or two smaller than they normally would.

See what two customers made with this pattern, and what they had to say about it on our blog: Sew and Tell and Personalizing my Folkwear patterns.

A blog post on constructing the Paris Promenade Dress.  This dress is not made as typical dresses are -- the construction is very different from what you might be used to.  We made this post so you could visualize how the dress comes together.

We also have a video to show how the dress comes together.  We used small pieces of tracing fabric to show how this works, so that it would be easy to see.  The pattern uses a lot of fabric and showing that much fabric can be difficult. So the small paper pieces are perfect.

If you decide to use velvet for the overdress, Tips for Sewing with Velvet.

If you decide to use lace or sheer fabrics: Tips for Sewing with Lace or Sheers.

If you are using a slippery or silky fabric, this post on sewing with bias fabrics can be helpful.

Again, we were blown away by all the amazing entries we had for our Summer Sewing Contest (June 2025), and today we are sharing round 2 of the submissions (because there were so many great ones!).

We could only pick 2 winners, but there were so many that were really impressive, and beautiful, and practical -- garments that we loved seeing.  We hope these will inspire you as well!  If you missed the first round, go here!

First I will start with the other winner!

We were blown away by all the amazing entries we had for our Summer Sewing Contest (June 2025), and we just had to share these amazing garments.  We could only pick 2 winners, but all these were really impressive, and beautiful, and practical -- garments that we loved seeing.  And we hope they will inspire you as well! We are going to do two posts of entries because we had so many.  

First I will start with one of the winners!

by Twyla Clark (Folkwear fan!)

I did not grow up sewing from a young age and despite being a graduate of the now defunct Sewing Training Academy (STA) where we learned production sewing on industrial sewing machines; I am not confident in my sewing ability. Yet when I look closely at things I’ve sewn after not seeing them for a while, I’m surprised at the nice quality of the work. Perhaps some of you are like-minded? We all know someone who seems to sew better than us. We can all be our own worse critics.

With that in mind, the Folkwear Sunset Wrap pattern #271 might be a confidence booster. This elegant one-armed shawl in a lightweight linen could show off “fancy” French seams or an easy serged edge. (Speaking of which, who doesn’t know someone who was so terrified of their serger that they never even took it out of the box!) And three mitered corners to showcase! I’m always taken aback at how impressed non-sewers are with mitered corners and this pattern makes them simple to sew because the instructions are well written.

As a student at STA, I “discovered” Folkwear patterns while shopping at Textile Fabrics here in Nashville. The black & white illustrations were so captivating, I just had to buy one or two! My first Folkwear make was the Swing Coat # 254 (see a couple examples below), made from Home Depot drop cloth which became softer after washing yet the weight was perfect for a light coat. Then I saw the Sunset Wrap pattern photographed in plain white which seemed elegant but, to me, like a wallflower – it needed a little make-over and some color.

I’ve sewn the Sunset Wrap now literally dozens of times, so many that my friends nick-named it the Twy-Light Shawl (my name is Twyla but friends & family call me Twy or sometimes even Twylight) but I’ve never made it in plain white. Mostly I use it to collage statement-making fabrics; often using a gorgeous piece of drapery or upholstery fabric for the front panel and maybe the sleeve. Often, I may use a large dramatic print for the front panel and a fabric using like-colors but a smaller print for the sleeve. The longer pattern piece for the shawl drape is often a solid color that pulls the front & the sleeve together. Using three different fabrics for one shawl gives me the opportunity to go through my fabric stash and dream up fun combinations and to use up odd remnants.

The Sunset Shawl is, in my mind, an unsung hero as it’s the pattern that keeps on giving. This is not an item that will go unused in your closet and absolutely will be treasured as a gift. Consider these uses: At the beach as a cover-up from the ocean breeze it looks “old-Hollywood” stylish with a swimsuit or shorts.

For new moms, the shawl can be a way to hide a nursing infant. I haven’t made it in a French Terry yet, but wouldn’t that be great? I made one in a large plaid cotton for my daughter, Robin, tho’ I added a button and a couple of loops so she could drape it as needed. She sent me the cutest picture of her and baby Alden (see below).

For friends & family young and old, who may be wheelchair reliant, this shawl with just one sleeve is easy to take on and off while adding a feeling of dressed-up elegance. Keep in mind too that the sleeve itself can be sewn to fit the left or the right shoulder – just flip the pattern in the very first steps. I did this accidently once and it was a nice surprise – a mistake gone right.

I’ve made the Sunset Shawl in a quilted black fabric with a floral print on the reverse side and the result was charmingly like a “puffer” jacket that is so trendy now.

Rolled up in my oversized purse it’s easily accessible when the movie theatre, restaurant or wherever is too cool. Friends have told me it’s perfect on a cruise because it’s simple and elegant and dresses up most any outfit - including jeans.

Yup, it works in lightweight wool, feels sophisticated in linen, is down to earth in cotton and uses up odd remnants, helping to keep scraps out of the landfill. And, when my fabric for the length of drape was not quite long enough, I’ve shortened the drape by up to six inches and it still worked just fine. 

One of the reasons I like the 128 Russian Settlers' Dress so much is the simple options for finishing the dress that can give it so many different looks.  I explored the pleated back option on a heavier weight Guatemalan cotton dress with my last dress, and this week I wanted to try the simpler gathered back with the classic 1/4" ribbon.

I started with a floral cotton lawn that is lightweight and perfect for this dress.  This fabric has been in my personal stash for a long time and I do not know where I got it, but it has a similar Liberty of London Tana lawn look so I loved it.  By the way, we have some gorgeous Liberty Tana Lawns in our shop now that would also be perfect for this dress!

One small issue with my fabric was that it was actually quite narrow.  The pattern needs fabric that is at least 40" wide to fit the entire front/back pattern piece.  And my fabric was closer to 34" wide.  Which meant that the front/back did not fit.  This is an easy problem to solve with this pattern however, and I just folded out about 3 inches in the center of the pattern (vertically) to fit the pattern piece on the fabric.  I used the whole width of the fabric. 

Now, this technique can be used with whatever width fabric you have.  If you have a narrower width fabric than the pattern, you can fold the pattern to fit your fabric width.  I like the idea of folding the pattern and "truing" the top edge of the front (the sloped part) rather than folding the side down (because you may loose some or all of the slope at the front or side).  You could fold the center front/back to the width of the fabric, but I liked folding the middle of the pattern piece.  Similarly, with a wider fabric, you can move the pattern piece so that the side edge is aligned with the selvage and cut the pattern wider than it indicates, and opening the pattern down the center so that it uses the whole width of the fabric.  This is easy, especially when you are going to be gathering (rather than pleating) your dress.  And you can take advange of the whole width of your fabric. 

Because my dress bascially lost 12 inches of fabric width due to the narrow fabric (6 inches from the front and back since the pattern was cut on the fold), I ended up with a narrower version than the original patterns indicates.  This was fine for me, but if I had wanted more width or room in the dress, I could have cut another back for a fuller back and a wider dress altogether. 

If you haven't read about sizing this dress up from the original, it is VERY easy to do and the idea of having as much (or as little) fabric width in this dress is very simple.  Read about how to change the sizing of this dress in our blog post here.

I put in gathering stitches at the top of the front and back of the dress and on the back of the dress I added 6 more rows of gathering stitches.  I marked the first row of the 3 sets of stitching with a washable marker and used a measuring tape to make sure I was getting the markings in the correct place on the dress back.

I pinned and sewed the ribbon over the gathered stitches.  This was a very simple technique and was a lot of fun (and so easy) to make.  And it looks very pretty, and more complicated that it was.  It almost has a "smocked" look to it. 

I got the band and straps added and then I hemmed the dress.  I had just enough ribbon to add one more row around the bottom of the dress right where the hem was.  This was a perfect way of covering the hem stitching and compliments the ribbon on the back of the dress.  

A quick and easy sewing project that looks folksy and sweet (and like it took more time than it did!).

Which dress do you like best?  How would you make your own?  Which embellishment would you use?  Or would you leave it plain?  

I have been wanting to make the 128 Russian Settlers' Dress, particularly the sarafan, or overdress, into a sundress for myself, for a while.  I am planning to make two this month, and today I want to show you the first one I made!

For this dress, I used a hand woven (and spun and dyed and embroidered) indigo cotton that I purchased in Guatemala.  This gorgeous cloth was really a corte, or traditional Mayan skirt.  It is made into a large loop of fabric that is then worn gathered and cinched with a belt in Guatemala.  I loved this fabric when I saw it at a market and I bought it thinking I would use it for something like this dresss.  Since the sarafan from this pattern is mostly large rectangles, the corte was perfect for this pattern -- barely leaving any left over fabric to make an almost no waste garment.  The corte was wide enough to cut the full front and back of the pattern, but it was not as long as the pattern indicates.  Which actulally worked out well because I wanted this dress to be shorter anyway.  The fabric is a little heavier than a typical sundress would be made from, so having a shorter dress is one way to keep it a little cooler for the warm months.  

I cut the band at 33", which is my high bust measurement, or the measurement of where I wanted the band to rest when the dress is worn (which was actually slightly above my high bust).  

I also wanted to pleat the back as the instructions in the detailing section of the pattern show how to do.  The detailing gives instructions for box pleats and knife pleats.  I did box pleats because I also want to try the honeycomb embroidery option (which I will show another time).  I used tracing paper and a tracing wheel to mark the pleat lines. My measurements indicated that the last box pleat was pleated almost to the seam allowance.  It is easy to adjust pleats slightly to fit the band, and I did not have any problems with it. 

This pleating is pretty simple and I pinned and pressed the pleats, then basted them in place.  I pressed well from the front and back of the fabric.  I did not use the fabric stay the pattern suggests as I found it was difficult to keep straight when I was basting, but it maybe helpful for lighter-weight fabrics.

I looked at the stash of ribbons I had and decided to use a wider ribbon (1"/2.5cm) and heavier ribbon than suggested.  The heavier fabric and thick embroidery lines on the fabric made this design choice of an embroidered ribbon make sense to me.  Having a wider ribbon also meant that it would make sense to elimiate a row of ribbon and just have two ribbon lines with longer pleats between them.  So that is what I did -- I adjusted the placement lines for the ribbons and sewed them in place.

The Folkwear pattern #128 Russian Settlers’ Dress carries a rich history rooted in Russia but also connected to the Pacific Northwest of the United States—and beyond. Folkwear released this pattern in 1980, during the company’s first five years. It was inspired by the women of the Old Believer communities living near Folkwear’s original home in Northern California.

128 Russian Settlers' Dress sewing pattern includes instructions for a peasant blouse, sarafan (jumper), and a full apron. It also features embroidery patterns, pleating techniques, and traditional needlepunch methods. Additionally, it contains a history of the clothing tradition, originally written in 1979–1980. While some aspects of the costume have since evolved—such as a reduction in ornamentation and the use of machine embroidery—many Old Believers in Oregon still wear modified versions of this traditional dress today. The garments recall a time when peasant culture expressed beauty through everyday clothing.  The following is adopted from the history and information included in the sewing pattern.

History of the Russian Peasant Costume: Old Believer Tradition

The Old Believers (starovery in Russian) are a religious group that emerged in the late 17th century after Patriarch Nikon of Moscow introduced reforms to the rituals, texts, and icons of the Russian Orthodox Church. Those who resisted the changes were excommunicated and subjected to centuries of persecution. Many fled to Siberia and abroad.

Following the Russian Revolution (1917), large numbers of Old Believers settled in Manchuria, China. In the 1940s (during and just after WWII), many were forced to relocate again—this time to Brazil and Argentina, where living conditions were harsh. By the 1960s, some members of the group had resettled in Oregon, where a community that may now number as many as 10,000 continues to maintain their traditions. Other Old Believer communities can also be found in South America, Australia, Alaska, Canada, and several parts of eastern Europe. As of 2017, it is estimated that nearly two million Old Believers remain worldwide, with around one million still in Russia.

What is most remarkable about the Old Believers is their steadfast commitment to preserving their religious practices and way of life, often through isolation. Their customs and dress remain so close to those of historic Russian peasantry that many—including Russians themselves—consider them more "authentic" than modern traditions in Russia.

The Old Believers’ faith strictly regulated both behavior and appearance. Men did not shave, and women never cut their hair. An unmarried woman wore her hair in a single braid; once married, she concealed it under a headscarf.

The Costumes

Old Believers continue to wear traditional Russian peasant attire. At baptism, every infant receives a cross, a shirt, and a woven belt—items that remain essential throughout life.

Men and boys wear a rubashka, a brightly colored shirt with a high neckband and an off-center opening. These shirts often appear in vivid shades—shocking pink, chartreuse, citron yellow—and are embroidered with colorful floral borders. A handwoven belt ties the shirt at the waist, often finished with large, decorative tassels.

Women’s traditional attire consists of three main garments: the sarafan (jumper), the rukava (blouse), and the zapon (pinafore apron).

The sarafan is a jumper made from a simple tube of fabric, pleated with knife or box pleats, or gathered into a band. The back is generally fuller than the front and is smoothed with rows of narrow satin ribbons sewn over the pleats. Sometimes, the pleats are drawn into a honeycomb or smocked pattern. Sarafans are typically made from brightly colored rayon challis and are often trimmed at the hem with wide lace or additional ribbon. The shoulder straps and bodice may be edged with plain fabric matching the print and further decorated with ribbons. A deep slit, concealed in the front gathers, may be included to allow for nursing.

The rukava (literally “sleeves”) is the blouse worn underneath the sarafan. Traditionally, it is little more than sleeves with just enough fabric to tuck beneath the jumper, though longer versions are worn in colder weather. The blouse is usually made of a lightweight plain fabric in pastel or vivid tones. Embroidered shoulder pieces often echo the floral motifs found in the sarafan fabric. When not embroidered, the shoulder areas may be decorated with ribbons or machine embroidery. Sleeve treatments vary: formal versions are gently tapered, while practical ones have gathered wrists held with narrow ribbon or cuffs.

The zapon, or pinafore apron, is an essential component of the ensemble. It protects the sarafan from wear and dirt. Its fabric may match or complement the jumper or blouse, using a different rayon challis print. Lace and ribbon trims similar to those on the sarafan are often added to the bib, skirt, and ruffle. If embroidered, the zapon is typically made from a solid-colored fabric. The extent of the decoration—on the bib, skirt, or ruffle—depends on the occasion and the maker’s enthusiasm for embroidery.

A few weeks ago, we were thinking of ways to get inspired for summer sewing and were reflecting on how many great garments our customers make with our patterns.  And we thought it would be fun to have a Folkwear summer contest to show off customer makes and help everyone be inspired for summer sewing.  

So, we want to hear from you!  What great summer outfit or garment have you made with a Folkwear pattern?  Have you made a cute sundress?  An amazing vest?  A historic outfit for a summer ball or reenactment?  Let us know!

You can tag us on social media with your make:  @folkwearpatterns on Facebook and @folkwearsewing.patterns on Instagram.  You can also add the hashtag #FolkwearSummer to make sure we see it (and to get all the entries into one hashtag).  

OR, send us an email with a great photo of your garment/outfit (mail@folkwear.com). And we will post it or add it to a blog post with all the inspiration!

Your entry can be a garment or outfit you made in the last week (or sometime this month), or it can be something you made years ago!  Folkwear has been around a long time and we know there are lots of incredible summer outfits out there.  So, whether it is a brand new make, or something you were proud of making 10 years ago, it can be entered in this contest!

And everyone is a winner!  If you enter the contest by tagging your photo on social media or sending us an email with a photo, you will win a coupon code to use in our shop.  Everyone who enters will win the coupon code!

Join the contest through the month of June 2025.  We will close entries on June 30.  And, we will pick two winners on July 1 who will get their choice of 2 free Folkwear patterns!  U.S. winners can get paper or PDF versions, and international winners can get any 2 PDF patterns.  We might have some fabric to throw in also!

More questions?  Send us an email at mail@folkwear.com