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by Molly Hamilton
Every few years, I sew a new coat for myself. Usually, it is because I have an awesome fabric that I love and want to make a coat from. Not because I need a new coat. I made the 137 Australian Drover's Coat with a cotton jacquard. And I made a Basics Overcoat from a gorgeous UK-grown/dyed/woven wool plaid. When I made both of these coats, I had to make quite a few adjustments to be able to make them with the fabric I had (which was not enough for the full coat).
A few months ago, I decided to make a coat from this incredible double-sided wool that we had in stock at Folkwear. I thought I would make a sample that would show off this amazing fabric and help the fabric to sell (it hadn't moved in over a year). And, as soon as I cut the amount I needed for our 263 Countryside Fock Coat and started cutting out my fabric pieces, it all sold out. Isn't that the way of the world!?
I still wanted to make the coat, but there was less urgency, and I finally finished the coat last week. I thought the tailored look of the 263 Countryside Frock Coat would be great for this thick wool fabric and give me options for showing off both the grey and pink sides. I made the main body of the coat from the pink side of the fabric and used the grey side for the trim pieces. I made the pockets from a small section of a Liberty of London lawn. And, I finished most of the seams with bound seams, cutting the bias binding from the same section of lawn.
This coat came together much faster than I expected. The thick wool was a little challenging to press, and I used interfacing to give even more body to the collar, cuffs, and front plackets. I ended up using a clapper (really just the wooden base to my sleeve pressing stand) to help press seams.
This was my first time doing bound seams, and I just went with what made the most sense to me, but if anyone has tips for sewing bound seams, please leave them in the comments. You can see I am not showing my seams. They look ok from a distance, but aren't really pretty up close.
I had a hard time picking buttons for this coat (see photos below), and finally decided on the shell buttons because of the hints of pink in the shell. Since they were so flat, I made fairly large thread shanks for them. For lots of info about buttonholes, shanks, and more, read our detailed buttonhole post. I also went with fewer buttonholes than the pattern calls for.
I had a great chance to wear this beautiful coat just a few days after it was finished when a cold front came in, and the weather called for a warm wool coat to wear.
I really love this coat. The color, the design, the buttons. It is warm, pretty, and feels a bit luxurious (to me). Now I don't need to make a coat for a few more years!
Let us know in the comments if you have bound seam tips, want to let us know which buttons you would have chose, or have general coat-making advice!
by Esi Hutcheson
Back in the day — roughly between 1795 and 1815 — the Empire Dress reigned supreme among fashionable women. Characterized by its high waistline (just under the bust), the style marked a dramatic departure from the tightly corseted and structured silhouettes of earlier decades. Inspired by the classical ideals of ancient Greece and Rome, the Empire dress emphasized light, flowing fabrics like muslin, allowing women greater comfort and freedom of movement.
Fast forward to modern fashion, and the Empire dress made a chic comeback — often reimagined in modern babydoll dresses with gathered sleeves and soft, flowing fabrics. This contemporary revival blends the comfort and elegance of the original design with a fresh twist. It’s fashion history meeting modern style — a timeless silhouette reinterpreted for the present day. Folkwear's 215 Empire Dress pattern reflects this -- providing an authentic dress with typical period finishing as well as a modern (simple) take (shorter length, elastic armbands and waist, etc).
In this post, I will go through how I made the 215 Empire Dress for myself for a Halloween costume, and hope that this tutorial will help you understand how to use our pattern to make this classic dress -- whether for a period look or a modern dress! I will also show you how I lowered the waist slightly to fit myself.
Fabric Choice and Notions
When it comes to the 215 Empire Dress, I always think of the Bridgerton TV series. Their fabric prints may not have been accurate to the times, but I love The Featherington's dresses and prints. They stand out the most in character and fashion, and I love them. I was inspired by them when deciding what fabric to use for a 215 Empire Dress of my own from Folkwear's fabric collection. I chose the Cotton Satin Batiste - Burgundy Floral bold, rich in color, and floral, similar to a printed fabric the Featheringtons may wear, except not in pastel. If you are interested, check out this article about Historical accuracy – Regency. This article discusses fabrics used in empire dress styles, such as satin, fine cottons, silks, wool, and fine woven linen.
Folkwear suggests using soft, light to medium-weight fabrics such as cotton gauze, batiste, dotted Swiss, rayon challis, silk, or very lightweight silk velvet with drape. Handkerchief linen, or satin, would be suitable as well. For both the Authentic and Simple Versions, the notions needed are 1 to 2 yds (.95 to 1.83m) of ½” (13mm) bias binding or other tape for drawstring or elastic casing.
For the Authentic Version, our pattern suggests 5 to 6 yds (4.58 to 5.50m) of ¼” (6mm) ribbon for drawstrings and one package of seam binding or hem tape. If you are making the dress with the longer sleeve button-and-cord detailing you will need six ⅜” (9mm) buttons and 2 yds (1.83m) of ⅛” (3mm) wide cord, tape, braid, or ribbon.
For the Simple Version, you will need 4 yds (3.75m), maximum, of elastic for the bodice and sleeves.
Sizing and adjusting the Bodice Length
My measurements fall into the Folkwear size Medium. You use your bust measurement for the main part of the sizing for this pattern. I had the idea that I might continue to wear this dress as a casual dress even after Halloween, so I decided to make it ankle-length, and change the waistline to fit me a bit better. I lowered the waistline for comfort and the look I wanted. If you also wish to lower the waistline of your dress, you should lengthen the lines of the bodice pieces to the length you desire for your fit. I lengthened the side seam of the Bodice A piece by 3 inches and the center front by 1.5 inches.
I lengthened the remaining Bodice pieces, Back B, Side Front C, and Side Back D, to correspond to the side seam of Bodice A.
Sewing the Bodice
With the right sides together, stitch Bodice Front A to Front Side Bodice C, matching notch 1 and dots. Stitch only to the dot and backstitch.
Clip diagonally the seam allowance of Front Side Bodice C only to the dot. Don't clip the seam allowance of Bodice A.
Pivot the Side Front C and pin to the top of Front A, and continue stitching from the dot. Then, finish the seam as desired.
If you are making French Seams, stitch only to ½” (13mm) below the dot; make a French Seam. Then, without making a French seam, stitch to the dot, clipping to the dot as stated above, and continue to stitch to the top of Front Bodice A.
Since I'm making the authentic version, I made the open back. So, I pressed under ¼” (6mm) along the Center Back edges of Bodice Backs B and pressed under again ½” (13mm) and stitched close to the pressed edge.
If making the simple/contemporary version, stitch the Bodice Back B pieces with right sides together, using a ¾” (2.5cm) seam allowance, matching notch 2. Press seam open and finish the seam as desired.
For both versions, stitch the Bodice back to the Back Side Bodice D with right sides together and matching the small dots. Ease around the curve to help the stitching. Then press the seam toward the Back Side Bodice D.
You may use either the longer or shorter sleeve for the dress. However, you must use the longer sleeve if you plan to finish your dress with optional button detailing.
For my dress, I chose to make the simple/modern version of the sleeve, which meant using elastic. If you make the authentic version, you will follow the steps in the instructions to make the authentic sleeve with gathers and seam tape, then follow the directions below.
For the simple version: Make a double row of gathering stitches at the top of the Sleeve between stars as marked on the Pattern Piece.
Gathered top of Sleeve.
Both versions: With right sides together, stitch the sleeve to the bodice, matching notch 4 and pulling up gathers to fit between the stars. Stitch again 1/8” (3mm) inside seam allowance to strengthen the seam, and press the seam towards the sleeve.
Pinned Sleeve to Bodice.
Pinned Sleeve to the Bodice on a dress form.
With right sides together, stitch the underarm seam of the Sleeve to the Bodice Sides, matching notch 5 and armhole seams.
Stitched side seam of Bodice and underarm of Sleeve.
Simple sleeve: Press under ¼” (6mm) on the bottom edge of the Sleeve. Turn again ½”(13mm) and stitch close to the pressed edge, leaving a small opening to insert the elastic. I actually decided not to use elastic on my sleeve, so I just hemmed the sleeve without leaving a small opening.
Hemmed Sleeve.
Skirt
Stay-stitch the top of each skirt piece G, H, and J.
Staystitching on the wrong side of the Side Skirt pieces H.
With right sides together, stitch the Side Skirt Panels H to the Skirt Front G, matching notches 6.
Stitched Skirt Front G to Side Panels H
Stitch the Skirt Back J to the Side Panels H with right sides together and matching notches 7.
Stitched Skirt Back J to Side Panels H
For the Authentic Version, press under ¼” (6mm) on the sides and the bottom of the Facing I.
Pressed under edges of Facing I.
Stitch the Facing to the Center Back of Skirt Back J, right sides together, on ¼" (6mm) seam lines, matching the slashlines and boxes. When stitching, taper the stitch to the box. Reinforce the stitching at the box, then cut along the slash line to the box.
Pinned Facing I to Skirt Center Back/ Slashed on slashline on Facing.
Turn the facing to the wrong side of the Skirt Back and press. You can blind stitch or topstitch the facing to the inside of the Skirt. I topstitched the facing. My fabric is quite busy, so it is not very noticeable.
The facing is turned to the wrong side of the Skirt Back and pinned.
Sew a double row of gathering stitches along the upper edge of the Skirt Back J, between the stars on the Simple Version, and from the stars to the center slash, on the Authentic Version.
Gathering stitches on Skirt Back.
Pull up the gathers evenly to match the gathered back bodice and stay-stitch..
Pin the skirt to the bodice, with right sides together. Match the underarm seams on the Bodice to the box in the center of the Skirt Side Panel H.
Matched Bodice side seam to square on Side Panel H.
Match the center front of the bodice and the skirt front. Adjust the front gathers evenly to fit the Skirt. Then, baste the Skirt to the Bodice using a ½” (13mm) seamline.
Gathered front bodice pinned to skirt.
To make the casing for the waistline, pin the bias binding to the skirt, with the fold line of the bias over the previously basted seam line on the bodice. Make sure the right side of the bias binding is pinned to the wrong side of the skirt.
Fold in ½” (13mm) of the raw edge of bias at either end of the back opening on the Authentic Version. (On the Simple Version, fold under one end of the bias and overlap slightly to create an opening for the elastic.)
Pinned bias to skirt and bodice.
Stitch the bias to the bodice and press the seam allowances up towards the Bodice. Trim the seam allowances of the bodice and skirt.
Stitched bias to skirt and bodice.
With the remaining unstitched raw edge of the bias binding, turn under along the bias foldline and pin the bias to the Bodice to form the casing for the drawstring or elastic. Stitch the top of the bias to the Bodice.
Bias pinned to bodice to form a drawstring casing.
Finishing
To hem the skirt, turn under ½” (13mm) on the bottom edge of the Skirt. Turn under again on the hemline and stitch by hand or machine.
If you are making the ankle-length version with the tain, follow the instructions in the pattern.
Since I made the Authentic Version of the bodice, I cut two lengths of the ribbons for drawstrings, approximately 2¼yds (2.05m) and 2¾ yds (2.52m) for under-the-bust and neckline, respectively.
Thread the drawstring through the casings, pull up to fit, and tie.
If you are doing the simple version, you would thread elastic to fit through the casings at the waist, sleeves, and neckline, and stitch to fit.
This dress can be made for casual outings, regency-themed parties, and conventions. Have fun when making your 215 Empire Dress, and check out the Bridgerton styles online, truly spectacular costuming.
And if you are curious, I used the 263 Countryside Frock Coat to make this Spencer-type jacket I am wearing here. I just trimmed the bodice shorter, turned under the hem, and added extra buttons to make it double-breasted.
We are opening our studio up for visitors every first Friday of the month, starting this October 3rd!
Come visit our studio from 10 am to 3 pm every first Friday of the month. We are also going to have a Saturday open studio from 11 to 3 on most third Saturdays of the month. So this month, that will be October 18.
Location: 240 Clingman Ave Ext, Asheville, NC 28801
To get to us: We are located directly behind Ultra Coffee Bar. You can go around behind Ultra, and go up the wooden ramp. We are the first door you will come to on the wooden ramp. Or, come behind Akira Satake/Rite of Passage -- we are located through/behind their shop and to the right.
We are excited to invite you into our working studio to shop for patterns or fabric. We have a pretty easy checkout system and can help you with your projects, too.
In addition, we have a great collection of Folkwear samples, original clothing from around the world, and vintage/historic clothing. So you can see some amazing clothes and get inspired for your next project.
We are a working studio, so you will see some of our mess too! We have lots of cardboard boxes, cutting tables with projects on them, thread everywhere, and moving pieces. But we love for you to see (and appreciate) our work and what goes into running a sewing pattern company (or two).
And bring by your sewing projects if you want! We would love to see what you are working on!
We are looking forward to seeing you!
Upcoming Open Studio Days:
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.
Some Tips, Hacks, and Modifications
Making the same pattern multiple times allows small changes to be done confidently.
Just to be sure I like the fabric combinations I am planning, I often enlarge the sketch of the garment on the flat lay in the pattern and use color pencils to help me visualize the colors, fabric placements, and other details.
The use of a fabric with stretch in the side panels and undersleeve requires changes to the lining. To accommodate the stretch in the side panels and under sleeves, I add a small movement pleat in the center back of the lining and cut the undersleeve lining just a bit larger (+1/4” or so). Or, better yet, use a lining with crosswise stretch. The use of a stretch woven lining fabric adds to wearing comfort and ease of movement, especially through the shoulders and arms.
The version I made below uses a wool tweed with stretchy faux leather as contrast. One additional detail I added is a center back belt, a small design inspiration.
A friend of mine requested a purple and blue version of this same coat, which I made using a beautiful woven striped wool and a non-stretch woven faux suede accent. To achieve some “give” that I like, I cut the side panels and under sleeves on the bias, then bonded them to a stretch fusible interfacing cut on the straight grain. The stretch fusible adds the “recovery” to the stretch of a bias-cut fabric.
Below are a few photos of this version (#3)!
Another essential change I made to the Travelling Suit jacket was the addition of pockets to the inside front. We all need pockets! They hang below the waist seam just a few inches from center front. This third (purple) version also has an added snap tab to keep the pocket closed and prevent any sag when loaded. I’d also suggest adding an additional piece of fusible interfacing to the pocket fabric and across the opening.
The two versions above were also made with a full button front (rather than a top and bottom button on the original). This change also creates a focal point on the buttons, making a great place to use beautiful buttons. The side back, sleeve, and collar buttons are style-making details, so this is a place for your best buttons! I used solid cast pewter buttons from Three Feathers Pewter, which makes pewter buttons for historic reenactment (and modern wear). I like their buttons.
Another Project, Same Principles
I used the same fabric combo principles with the 263 Countryside Frock Coat. Again, I had a short piece of wool, the plaid, which was left over from making Folkwear’s 152 Scottish Kilt for men. Next began a lengthy search for the coordinating solid. Before we start a project, don’t we all have a certain mental image of what the end result should look like? The yellow I ended up using was not the color I had imagined I would find! But I liked it. Again, using an enlarged sketch from the pattern and coloring as I see it, helps in visualization.
The bright contrast is highlighted by turning the hem, front and sleeve facings to the outside rather than the inside.
To bring out the beautiful princess seaming on the back panel, I used a scrap of faux leather that I had in the remnants box to make the piping. I also used this faux leather for the upper collar to avoid the scratchiness of the wool against the neck.
Using heavier-weight wool necessitated a lining. Since the Frock Coat pattern does not include a lining, this was another pattern hack. A few adjustments to the outer pattern pieces will easily allow you to draft the lining pieces, such as accommodating for facings and adding a center back pleat for movement. I suggest you use a pattern tracing paper (S101 Pattern Tracing Fabric, available through Folkwear) to create the lining pieces from the pattern pieces, if you choose to line your coat.
The embroidery on the back and buttonholes on this jacket were done on my machine with a pattern downloaded from Urban Threads.
In my opinion, the 231 Big Sky Riding Skirt is another Folkwear pattern that can also fit my theme of “Time Twisted Clothing”. The Folkwear site is full of patterns that are “Time Twistable”.
I encourage you to dig through your remnant stash and find fabrics that work together. From this start, you can create something truly different from your leftover fabric pieces. I hope that this post inspires you to try more Folkwear patterns and to give the fabrics in your stash a new life!
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.
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.
If you want to make your sash using fabric instead of a decorative cord tie, you will following the instructions in the pattern and add the sash to the bib (here's where you don't want to stitch the entire Overdress bib to the dress before adding the sash).
I used a ribbon for the sash for the doll's dress instead of making a sash, but it is done the same way.
Insert the sash under front bib, centering the sash under bib, and lining up the top edge of sash with the marks at the sides of the bib. Hand stitch the sash to the bib invisibly at the sides of the bib only.
This was fun making the dress for this doll! It great seeing a Folkwear dress on what I would consider an iconic part of many girls' childhoods. I even made a tiny reticule for Molly -- also from the 261 Paris Promenade Dress pattern.
And if you are curious about the American Girl dolls, many of the American Girl doll stories were based on specific periods of American history, a way for young girls who could afford these dolls to learn about their lives; though the books were great and very accessible. The American Girl books were from the view point of these characters from different time periods, with different cultures, religions, and social statuses in America. The first three main dolls were Kirsten Larson (American immigrant pioneer to the west in the 1850s), Samantha Parkington (orphan adopted by wealthy grandmother in late Victorian/early Edwardian era) , and Molly McIntire (living through WWII) - our model here.
I hope that this tutorial helps you understand a little better how to make the 261 Paris Promenade Dress. A gorgeous (and comfortable) dress perfect for showing off amazing fabric.
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?
