I’m obsessed by wrap dresses! Even before I started sewing, I wore wrap dresses all the time – they are surely one of the most fantastic garments on a curvy figure. Plus: no bust fitting. What could be better?
And on that point: Wrap dresses (/tops/skirts) topped the sewalong poll, so expect to see one in the mid-term future!
If you want to start getting ready beforehand, my go-to pattern is by Christine Jonson, a pattern designer I’d never really heard of before I started googling wrap dress patterns. It’s a simple design, with an option to add a collar and cuffs, although to my shame given how many times I’ve made this, I’ve never added them!
The only adaptation I made was to remove the waistline seam – I noticed that none of my existing wrap dresses had it, and in prints it’s just annoying. I simply put the top and bottom pieces together and voila: a dress pattern with only 2 (count them!) pattern pieces. Once you have the knack, it’s quick to put together. I don’t do the self-fabric lining on the bodice. Instead, I finish the edge with a t-shirt neckband type finish: make a long strip about 1.5 inches wide, fold it in half wrong sides together, serge to the right side of the neckline (leaving about 1/2 inch of the band showing), flip to the wrong side, and then secure down with coverstitch or twin needle stitching on the outside.
To be honest, the hardest thing about making a wrap dress is finding nice fabric! Cute printed jersey isn’t that common, so you have to look for it – and then don’t pass the opportunity to buy it! I stalk Emma One Sock obsessively, and many folks love Girl Charlee although I recommend getting a sample first because the quality can be variable in my experience and I had a particularly major disaster recently. Sewing these on a serger is certainly easiest, but you can also use a sewing machine – I’ve compiled some great sources of tips here.
I wear these all the time – to work, parties, around the house. They are a winning combo: they feel like you’re wearing pyjamas, but people think you’re dressed really smartly! I can’t imagine anything better.
If you’re interested in making your own wrap dress, I have a whole section on my blog with pattern recommendations and tutorials! Check it out here.
TNT Pattern Details:
Sizing: Up to XL (43″, 42.5″, 51″) – but remember the way that wrap dresses fit, you can be significantly larger than this and fit the XL!
What size did you make? XL (I am 47″ – 40″ – 48″)
What adjustments did you make?
- No fitting adjustments
- To make the process even faster, I connected the top bodice and lower skirt pieces to create a mere 3 piece pattern! (front, back, sleeves).
- I do a different neckline than suggested, as described above
Fabric and Notions required: 4 – 5 yards depending on whether you’re lining the bodice and the length of the sleeves. It’s easiest to make it on a serger, but you can do it on a sewing machine too
Curvy Rating (1-5): 5 – I LOVE this pattern! So good if you’re an hourglass or apple shape and extremely flexible if your weight fluctuates. I’m not so sure about pears – what do you pears out there think?
I have the same Knit problem… some are available locally, but the quality is really bad. (Can land nice double knits, and wovens, but not good jersey). And then discovered Marcytilton.com. Credit card hasn’t been the same since
I’ve used a lot of Christine Johnson’s patterns. They are easy to resize. Her Taper Skirt is nice on a curvy figure.
Hot Patterns has a faux wrap called the Cosmopolitan Dress. I love her patterns as they are based on a sloper that is close to a size 16 and go large. Even with a 42″ full bust, I rarely need to do bust adjustments.
I am a beginner, and have just bought McCalls 6959. Would it be similar to yours, do you think? (For the sew-along).
This is made for woven fabrics rather than knits, so not all the steps will be relevant, but you can certainly still follow along!
Hummmmm…..I didn’t realize a pattern that calls for woven fabric couldn’t be made with knit. Why is that? Maybe I should purchase the other pattern, too….
Hi Nita – because knit fabrics stretch, they have what’s called “negative ease”, which means that the material stretches to fit your body. As a result, the pattern pieces have to be smaller than for wovens, which don’t stretch. It is possible to convert a woven pattern to a knit one, but it requires a bit of expertise to know where to make it smaller – some people just make a size or two smaller, and that can work sometimes.
Ah! Makes sense! Thank you for all your patience and willingness to answer my question!
I love Christine Jonson patterns. Currently the pocket skirt from travel trio 2(maybe don’t have the pattern in front of me) shortened to knee is my favorite summer skirt.
Ooh, i”ll have to try it!
Looks great! Good point about the waistline fluctuations, too. I need to make a wrap dress!
I’ll follow you from here, but won’t participate this thime.
Thanks for all your shares ! It is a great blog for me !
If you like CJ’s wrap dress pattern you will love all of her other patterns. Very beautifully drafted for many women’s figures!
I. Am. In. I have this pattern and want to make wrapped dresses now. Thank you for sharing the tip on cutting the front and back without the waist seam. Where do I sign up for the sew along?!
I would love to eventually make one of the wrap dresses that fastens in back, akin to the old-fashioned Swirl dress. For that, I would choose a woven instead of a knit. Alas, my sewing skills aren’t there yet. But I’ll at least follow the sewalong so that I can learn from the process.
I do find wrap dresses always require a camisole for me, and living in a hot climate, I dislike that extra layer. I’d like to find a pattern that can accommodate a larger bust and smaller waist (10+ inch difference) without becoming very low-cut.
Ms pear shape here! I always have a hard time wearing a traditional wrap dress, like yours were the two sides can open up, because there is always a crazy amount of fabric where my boobs should be. But illusion wrap dresses work really well. I’m going to be frankensteining a Lekala pattern to make one (or two)
Have you tried the new Sewaholic Yaletown dress, Hilary? It’s designed for pear shapes so might work better for you!
I wish 🙁 that is the exact patten I’m looking for but I’m a size 22-24 so I’d have to grade up 6 inches in the bust and waist and 10 inches in the hips. I it ever becomes avaliable in larger sizes id but it in a heartbeat!
You might want to look at Butterick 5030. It is drafted for wovens, but can work for stable knits too. Up to size 22…44-37-46
Cake’s Tiramisu pattern is a faux wrap, but it is gorgeous and goes up to about a size 28, I think. I’ve made her Pavlova wrap cardigan and the only adjustment I made was to lengthen it in the body. I would be a 26-28 so she does draft to a wide range of sizes.
Thank you Denise! That is perfect!
You know, there does seem to be a crazy amount of ease in the Yaletown… I bet if you made it in a knit and were ok with less ease, you wouldn’t be too far out of the pattern size range!
Are you wearing a camisole or some sort of modesty panel underneath? I notice the black fabric over your cleavage. As a busty and long-waisted gal, I have always shied away from wrap dresses because of the cleavage issue. Not sure I want to wear another layer of fabric since I live in Florida, and have had trouble finding camisoles which don’t show more cleavage than I would like.
Hi Suzi, Yes, I’m wearing a camisole – I stock up on these ones which are very cheap from Marks & Spencer (they are UK based but currently have free shipping to the US!). I find that it works well with wrap dresses, and gives me proportions that nicely balance my bust and waist.
http://www.marksandspencer.com/fairtrade-cotton-rich-strappy-vest/p/p22198159
I usually wear a cami under wrap styles (I’m always cold, so I don’t mind the extra layer). However, you can get more coverage on a wrap style over your bust by doing an FBA and raising the neckline so that the crossover occurs higher up on your chest.