Introducing the Sloan Dress!

Do you remember those bubble skirts from the past? With the Sloan dress, you can sew bubble sleeves! This dress is designed to be fitted, featuring darts that extend into a tuck below the waist on the front, fish eye darts on the back, a slit along the center front seam, and lined gathered sleeves. It has a high, round neckline and closes with an invisible zipper at the center back.

Make a statement with a spring dress in your favorite wovens, like linen, chambray, quilting cotton, or rayon. Or sew a special occasion dress out of sateen, brocade, taffeta, or satin.

Maya is wearing a size 4 graded to a 0 at the bust. We added 1 1/2" (3.8 cm) to the bodice length and 1" to the sleeve length. Her measurements are bust: 33" (83.8 cm), waist: 27" (68.5 cm), and hip: 37 1/2" (95.3 cm), and she is 5' 10" (1.78 m) tall. Both of the fabrics are deadstock from Stonemountain & Daughter Fabrics.

Tambrie is wearing a size 18 from the 12-30 range. We reduced the bust 3/4" (19 mm), added 1/2" (12 mm) to the waist, and graded the hip to a size 16. We also shortened the sleeve lengths 1 1/2" (3.8 cm). Her measurements are bust: 46" (116.8 cm), waist: 39 1/2" (100.3 cm), and hip: 48" (122 cm), and she is 5' 8" (1.73 cm) tall.

She’s wearing a Lady McElroy Rayon Challis in Dancing Daisies. The bonus is deadstock linen and viscose, both from Stonemountain & Daughter Fabrics.

The member bonus for Sloan features leg-of-mutton-inspired short sleeves.

Fabric and Fit

Fabric recommendations: Look for stable medium-weight woven fabrics such as linen, linen blends, sateen, chambray, shirting, quilting cotton, rayon, brocade, taffeta, and satin.

Fabric qualities to look for: The bubble sleeves are the stand-out feature of this dress. Consider the effect you want when you’re picking out fabric. Drapier fabrics, like rayon and linen blends, will give you softer bubbles, while fabrics with more body, like brocade and taffeta, will give you more pronounced bubbles. Fabrics with a crisper hand, like shirting, will lend a crisp effect to the sleeves, while fabrics with a softer hand, like double gauze, will give a fluffier effect.

Seamwork members, take advantage of your member deals this month! You can save up to 20% off your order here.

Fitting tips:

• Follow this tutorial to lengthen and shorten a sewing pattern
  


• If you need to adjust the armhole depth, use this tutorial.


• If you want to blend between sizes, use this video tutorial.


• To adjust the shoulder slope, follow this tutorial.


• 
  Here are fitting tutorials for the shoulders and sleeves.


• Here are tutorials for wide or narrow shoulder adjustments
  


• Here are tutorials for small bust adjustments and full bust adjustments.


• If you prefer videos, there are bust adjustment videos in the Hansie sewalong here.

Ambassador Projects

Some of the Seamwork Ambassadors sewed up the Sloan dress already!

Laurel sewed the bonus version of Sloan.

“I totally fell in love with the bonus sleeve, and I'm already planning one in linen for a more casual summer vibe. I legit love this pattern.”

Kathy sewed the Sloan dress from a thrifted vintage bedsheet.

“The Sleeves! And how quick and easy it was to put together! Only four pieces to cut! Looks like it would take forever but it didn’t.”

Kari sewed the Sloan dress in a black eyelet, with the scalloped border at the hem.