Pattern variation
The pleat detail step by step

Last week I had an inquiry about how the front pleat of The Shawl Collar Dress is made. A shortened version of this style was on my wish list so I photographed the process as I worked through Step 2 of the instructions.

In this variation I have made a top in lightweight linen. The finished length is 60 cm from the back neck seam. To achieve this I folded back the bottom sections of both front and back pattern pieces by 40cm. I have also added a pleat at the back as described in this previous Journal post. This length requires 0.5 metres less than the quantities stated for the dress.

Step 2 in detail.....

Image 1 I’ve lifted the facing to show the points that should be marked with slip stitches - 1,2,3 & 4

Image 2 is the right side with the facing now tacked in place

Image 3 the wrong side (2a in the instruction sheet)

Image 4 bring the left hand side over to the right, fold through 3and 4 (2b in the instruction sheet)

Image 5 the second fold - fold back through point 1&2 (2c in the instruction sheet)

Image 6 Pinned in place

Image 7 tacked in place on the wrong side

Image 8 tacked in place on the right side. From here follow the subsequent steps to the end.