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All About the Carter Dress

Fabric resources, fitting details, and tutorials to help you build your skills.

Posted in: Patterns • March 31, 2019





Build Your Wardrobe with the Carter Dress

Elastic shirring is really fun! The Carter dress uses elastic shirring to create a blouson fit with a cinched waist, paired with a square neckline and raglan sleeves for a modern peasant look.

You can raise, lower, or eliminate the shirring to customize your dress, and the loose fit is perfect for lightweight and medium-weight woven fabrics, like chambray, rayon, or linen.












Maya is wearing a size 2 Carter dress with 3” added to the length. Her measurements are 33”, 26”, 36 1/2” and she is 5’10”.




Tutorials to Build Your Skills

Here are some tutorials to help you sew the Carter dress.








Learn How to Customize the Carter Dress






This month we walk you through three pattern hacks for the Carter dress.




Use the Carter dress to master elastic shirring with this article.





The Seamwork team sewed this month’s patterns! See what fabrics we picked in Staff Makes.


Shop for Fabric

Love the samples in this month’s issue? Here is where we sourced the fabric.





Tencel Twill from Blackbird Fabrics.




This Robert Kaufman Indikon Yarn Dyed Cotton from The Confident Stitch is sold out, but you can find it here at Fiddlehead Artisan Supply.





This Black and White check Gingham from La Mercerie is no longer in stock, but you can find a similar fabric here at Stonemountain & Daughter Fabrics.


Get the Perfect Fit

Carter pattern details












Sizes 0 - 16








About the fit


The Carter dress is semi-fitted throughout. There is negative ease in the waist due to the elastic shirring.






Sizes 18 - 26










About the fit


The Carter dress is semi-fitted throughout. There is negative ease in the waist due to the elastic shirring.


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