Hi everyone! I’m Sienna the content producer here at Seamwork. Each month in the Seamwork Classroom, we have a new sewalong class that walks you through each step to sew a new Seamwork pattern. This month, we’re sewing up the Benning dress. Let’s take a look at this pattern and talk about all the cool skills you’ll pick up when you’re done with this class.

The Benning dress is a tiered dress with a fun and floaty silhouette. It features a v-neckline, short cut on on sleeves, bust darts, a waist seam that hits about 2” above the natural waist, and best of all, pockets!

In this class, we’ll sew each step including the tricky parts like

• the gathered tiers


• faced v-neckline


• and inseam pockets

We’ll also cover some easy fit adjustments and help you select a great woven fabric for this project. The best thing about this class is you’re not in it alone! You can connect with other sewists in the Seamwork community and chat about choosing fabric, selecting a size, and sewing up your Benning dress. It’s a great place to ask questions and cheer each other on!

In lesson 2, I’m going to pass things over to Haley who designed the patterns. She’ll talk about what fabrics will work well for Benning and she’ll share the fabrics she chose for the photo samples.

Let’s get started!

Here’s what you’ll need for this project:

• Benning pattern


• light to medium weight woven fabric


• all-purpose polyester sewing thread


• a sewing machine needle appropriate for your fabric


• 5/8 yards of lightweight fusible interfacing

Here are some additional resources to help you make the most of this class:

• Video: How to Lengthen and Shorten a Sewing Pattern


• Ruby Star Society: Alexia Abegg