How to sew a Gathered Yoke Dress v2 (free pattern)

This is a slight variation to my v-neck midi dress with long puff sleeves and gathered yoke. It has pockets too!

Pattern

Most parts are rectangles, but I made a printable pattern for the yoke and pockets:

If you want to make the neckline and cuffs with the same fabric as the bodice, without using ribbing, see:

Steps

Gather the skirt

Gather the skirt panels so the skirt width matches the yoke width. Keep about 10cm on both sides un-gathered.

Connect the yoke and skirt

Serge and attach the skirt to the yoke. Add a top stitch.

Repeat 1 & 2 for the back.

Add pockets

Sew pockets to the front of the dress – follow my post how to sew in-seam pockets:

Attach shoulders & sleeves

Iron on a strip of interfacing along the shoulders. Serge the shoulders together, inside out, to attach the front and back of the dress.

Then, open it up and serge the sleeves onto the yoke and top parts of the skirt.

Sew the sides together

Serge the front and back of the dress together; from the cuff of the sleeves, around the armpits, to the hem. (Be careful to not sew the pockets closed – feel the fabric while you sew so it’s on the left of the needles.)

Make the neckline

Measure the circumference of the neckline to finalise the ribbing length.

Iron the ribbing in half, and clip it along the neckline. Serge the neckline, and give it a top stitch.

Add cuffs

Make cuffs with ribbing fabric and serge it onto the end of the sleeves. (Photos from another project.)

Hem the dress

Try the dress on to finalise its length. Hem hem the bottom with a cover stitch or overlock + lock stitch.