Let's do a pattern hack today! We're going to sew an Alina dress out of jersey.
Many of you have asked us if it’s possible to make ourAlina dress sewing pattern usingjersey fabric. The official answer is: no, it’s not possible because the pattern was designed for woven fabrics (which are not stretchy!).
But in sewing, anything is possible, and since so many of you want to make this pattern with jersey fabric, we've decided to offer you a tutorial hack.
Why are so many precautions taken in ?
Because patternmaking for jersey fabrics is really different from that for woven fabrics. It’s a whole different process, and once again, Alina wasn’t designed for this. Here, we’re offering you a HACK. You’ll need to make some adjustments and not be too strict about certain details.
With that said, it's time to have some fun!
Changes to the pattern sizes
Since we want to sew the Alina pattern in jersey fabric, we'll choose sizes one size smaller than the size normally recommended. For example, if your measurements correspond to a size 38, you'll need to choose a size 36.
And we’ll go down one more size from the underarm to the waist.
To use the example of the front piece again: we cut the neckline and sleeve in size 36, but from the underarm down, we taper to size 34 until we reach the waist, which is in size 36.
In fact, at the bust, in addition to the dart, the original pattern included some ease that allowed you to move around—such as rounding your back to pick up a pen that had fallen on the floor, and so on. But when made from jersey, this ease will result in very unsightly excess fabric, so it must be removed.
This specific re-curving process is applied to both the front and the back of the garment, of course.
Changes to the pattern
As for the back, you have two options.
1) Or you can leave it as is.
2) Alternatively, if you don’t want a seam in the back, you’ll need to trim the pattern by 1 cm at the center back. This applies to both the back piece shown in the photo below and the back skirt panel.
In this case, when you cut these pieces from the fabric, you’ll need to cut them “on the fold.”
For the front, you'll mark the dart with pins or tape directly on the pattern paper.
Next, you’ll pin the pattern to the fabric as best you can, making sure the center front is aligned with the fold. This is the slightly tricky part of this hack because, with the dart formed this way, the pattern paper will create bumps. You’ll need to be patient.
Changes to the assembly process
– You don’t have any bust darts to sew.
– You don’t have a zipper to sew in.
– If you cut the back pieces on the fabric fold, you’ll need to sew the back piece at the tip. (This means sewing the back exactly the same way as the front.)
– If you didn’t cut the back piece on the fabric fold, the process is the same as in the sewing booklet, except that instead of sewing in the zipper, you sew the two back pieces together, right sides together.
– For the sleeve hems and the bottom hem of the dress, fold the fabric 1.5 cm toward the wrong side and sew the hem with a double needle.
What about the neckline finishes?
This is where things get a little different. We’re going to create our own “bias” strip from jersey fabric.
To do this, cut a strip—preferably on the straight grain—with the following dimensions:
– width: 3 or 4 cm (4 cm is easier to sew)
– length: the total measurement of your neckline
Here, we cut a strip 3 cm wide. That's what you'll see in the photos below.
Next, using an iron with the wrong side facing you, press a 1-cm fold along the entire length of the strip.
Then unfold this fold and sew the short edges together, right sides facing, with a 1-cm seam allowance to form a circle. Open the seam with an iron.
Now we’ll pin this circle to the neckline of the dress, right sides together. You should pin the unfolded side of the bias tape.
Then sew all the way around, 1 cm from the edge.
Optional: Fold the excess fabric in half.
Then fold the neckline strip toward the inside of the garment, making sure to keep the crease you ironed earlier. Pin it carefully all the way around.
Sew with a double needle. (The seam should secure the fold of the binding strip. So, with a 4-cm-wide strip, you’ll need to sew a little farther from the edge of the neckline than shown in the photo below, which was taken using a 3-cm-wide strip.)
And that's it for this hack!
Just a quick note: When this dress was sewn, the length was shortened. Without any alterations, the dress was designed to fall just above the knee.
Let's hear your hacks!
The fabric is a viscose jersey that you can find inour shop. It's also available in green.
I can't take it anymore!
The Alina dress patternis available as a print-and-cut pattern or as a PDF.
