Women's Emma Dress

The Emma

Difficulty level = Beginner

This pattern has a fitted collar with an extremely loose, flared top. There are five length options: top, tunic, knee (tunic + 1 tier of ruffles), tea (tunic + 2 tiers) and maxi (tunic + 3 tiers). Plus, an optional sash. For the tiers, each tier is gathered and slightly wider than the one before. By the time you get to the maxi length, the dress is super full. It’s absolutely stunning and feels phenomenal on. Do check the fabric requirements though…the maxi uses rather a lot!

Our Facebook group is a great place to get help, share your tips and creations! We are a friendly bunch, and we love to help and see what you have made.

Please read the full instructions before getting started.

Wash, dry, and press your fabric before starting your project. A bit of prep now prevents shrinking and means your garment will stay the same size you made it.

Never leave a child or baby unattended or allow to sleep in a garment made from one of our patterns with ties, snaps, buttons, or anything they could remove, choke on, or get caught on. Always use caution if you are unsure. We love our patterns, but we love your bundles of joy more!

Size Range

Womens 1-10, Womens Curvy 6C-15C

Size Chart

This pattern is drafted to the sizes listed below. If you are between sizes, choose the larger size and adjust the pattern to remove the extra width to achieve the intended fit.

Finished Measurements (Inches)

• Sizing – Sizing is different in different countries and stores, so please measure your model before picking your size. The ready-to-wear size your model normally fits into may be different from our size chart.
• Picking your size – The garment is extremely full, so the chest, waist and hip finished garment measurements are significantly larger than the size chart. Please select your size based on your chest measurement on the size chart so that it fits as designed around the chest and armholes. The finished garment measurements below are just for info, not for selecting your size.
• Bust adjustment – The ladies pattern is designed for a sewing C cup bust (B cup in most ready to wear bras)
  • If you have a smaller cup size, you do not need to make any adjustment.
  • If you have a larger cup size, you may find you need to adjust the length slightly. The garment is very full at the chest, so you are unlikely to need to do a traditional FBA (full bust adjustment). However, for cup sizes F and above, you may find the garment lifts a little at the front as it goes over the bust so lengthening the Front piece slightly will assist with keeping the hemline level. To do this, add 1 to 1.5 inches in length to the center front of the Front pattern piece only. Smooth this line out towards the side seams so the side seams are the same length, and the Front hemline is now curved downwards.
• Height adjustment – The ladies garment is designed for a 5 foot 6 inches. If you are taller or shorter, you will need to adjust the height at the ‘top’ cutting line. You may find if you are significantly taller or shorter you will also need to move the top of the side seam up or down slightly under the arm so the armhole is comfortable but does not expose your chest.
• Pregnancy – This garment is very full, so it is perfect for growing bellies! To keep the hemline level at the Front, you will need to add a little length to the Front piece in the same way as the larger cup size advice above. 
• Post-partum / nursing – This is a perfect post-partum dress, comfy and stylish! 
  • If you want to nurse in it, you will need a halter neck or strapless nursing bra. 
  • If you are making the top or tunic version, you do not need to make any adjustments for nursing. You can simply lift the finished garment and breastfeed as normal. 
  • The dress lengths are only suitable for nursing if you lower the top of the side seam for side access. To do this, move the notch for the side seam down by 3 inches for a knit/stretch fabric, and 4 inches for a woven fabric. There will be a gap at the side seam. To close this, apply a snap at the original notch level, and again halfway down the gap. Try the garment on and check this closes the gap sufficiently for you. If not, apply extra snaps.
• Muslin – To ensure you get the best fit, sew a muslin to check the fit. A muslin is a test version of the pattern in an inexpensive fabric. You do not need to cut out and sew the full garment. I would recommend the following as you muslin this dress:
  • Use an inexpensive woven or knit fabric similar in weight to the final fabric you plan to use.
  • Cut out the Collar, Front, and Back piece with the top length. Label each piece with tailors chalk / fabric pen so you know what each piece is.
  • Baste these together using a ½ inch seam allowance
  • Try on. If you are happy with the fit, continue to your final garment.
  • If you feel the fit needs adjusting for your personal shape, turn the muslin inside out and try on again. Adjust the seams with pins until you are happy. 
  • Trim your new seam allowances to ½ inch and pull out your basting stitches. 
  • Use these bits of fabric as your pattern pieces instead of the original pattern pieces. Continue to sew your final garment.
  • Make sure to keep your adjusted pattern pieces in case you wish to make more!
  • Make sure to check the Collar is a comfortable fit when crossed over as marked on the pattern piece. It should cross over 1 inch after you have taken into account the ½ inch seam allowance all the way around. If it is not long enough, add length to the center.
  • The armhole is not shaped like a traditional armhole on a t-shirt or dress. It will come straight down to a V under the arm. The V should hit approximately where the top of a bra or vest would sit. Your chest should be covered when you raise your arm out to the side.
  • The garment itself should be extremely full through the chest area. It is not shaped at all in this area and is instead meant to be billowing and oversized. 
  • If you want to see your muslin cinched in at the waist, you can either use a belt you already own, or cut 1x Sash piece to see what the garment looks like with the sash.
  • The sash is very long and is designed to be worn wrapped twice around the waist, tying at the front, side, or back. It is not attached to the garment and is totally optional. 
• If you get stuck with fitting, see our favorite resources on our Pinterest Sewing Fitting Advice board.

Fabric – You can use nearly any light or medium weight fabric (woven or knit/stretch) for the body of this garment. However, your fabric choice will be critical in how the garment fits so please choose with the end look you are wanting in mind:

• A woven fabric will give much more structure than a knit. 
  • A light weight woven such as a chiffon, taffeta, organza, or georgette will be billowy and floaty looking. 
  • A light to mid weight woven such as a silk, rayon, silk crepe, crepe de chine or silk satin will drape and follow the contours of the body more.
  • A woven with structure such as a linen, poly cotton or quilting cotton won’t drape or follow the contours of the body so it will give a boxier look and will change the armhole shape slightly. It will also fold rather than gather at the waist if you use the sash. This is a very particular look and more suited to children or anyone wanting a very structured looking top or dress.
• A knit or stretch fabric will drape more than a woven. 
  • A fabric with 4 way stretch (stretches in all directions) will give more drape than a 2 way stretch (only stretches in one direction). It will also swing and swish around your legs more.
  • Light to medium weight stretch fabrics such as jersey, silk satin with elastine, silk jersey with elastine will give a lovely drape and swing.
  • Generally, knit/stretch fabrics are heavier than wovens. You may find you need to hem your garment slightly higher if it stretches out in length while wearing it.
• The Collar needs structure as it holds the weight of the garment (otherwise it will stretch or sag). 
  • If you use a medium weight woven, you do not need to interface it. 
  • If you use a light weight woven, or a knit/stretch for your main garment fabric, you will need to interface your Collar. 
  • Alternatively, the Collar is ‘cut 2’. One is for the outside of the Collar; one is the Lining of the Collar. You could use your main garment fabric for the outside, and a Lining fabric with more structure for the inside.

Lining

• The Collar and sash can be made either with the same fabric on both sides, or with main fabric on one side and a lining on the other. The Collar lining will be hidden in the final garment. The sash lining will be visible.
• If your main fabric is sheer and you want to follow the lining option, you will also require Lining for the top.
• If you are doing the top, you will follow the lining to the same top hemline. If you are doing the tunic you will follow the lining to the same tunic hemline.
• If you are doing one of the dress lengths, the lining goes only to the tunic hemline. If you wish, you can add tiers of lining to your lining as you will to your dress so that your lining and dress remain the same length, however these are not included in the fabric requirements. Make sure to add additional fabric for these. 
• Any lightweight lining fabric will work. The most common is a polyester lining, usually just called ‘lining fabric’ in stores.

Fabric Requirements 45 inches/115 cm wide(in YARDS)

Fabric Requirements 60 inches/150 cm wide (in YARDS)

* If you are using a narrower fabric, a directional print, or a fabric with nap you may need more.
** Make sure to wash, dry, and press all fabrics before cutting out in case they shrink.

You will also need:

• Collar fastenings – 2x snaps, or 2x small buttons (maximum 1cm / ½ inch wide), OR 2x Hook and Eye
• Interfacing – You will need a small piece of iron on interfacing for the lining of your Collar piece. ¼ yard will be more than sufficient. For medium weight woven fabrics, a lightweight interfacing is best. However, if you are using a stretch or light weight woven fabric, use a heavier interfacing to give the Collar more structure/stiffness as it will be holding quite a bit of the weight of the garment.
• OPTIONAL Bias tape – If you are doing any of the dress lengths and following the sewing machine option and not using a serger/overlocker you will need bias tape to enclose the gathered hem where the tiers attach. You can either use store bought bias tape or make your own using the instructions in our free DIY bias tape tutorial. You will need double fold bias tape that is ¼ inch wide when finished. Or you can buy/make ½ inch wide single fold bias tape and fold in half down its center line. 
• Thread to match

Tools needed are sewing machine, pins, scissors, tape measure or ruler. A serger/overlocker is optional but not required.

Settings

The pattern is a separate download. Choose either the US letter paper, A4 paper, or A0 paper size based on the printer you wish to use. If you are in the US or Canada then your printer will likely use US letter paper. Other regions normally use A4 paper. Some people prefer to print their patterns at a print shop: A0 is best in this case.

Print at 100%.

On the second page, you will find a 1-inch and a 3-inch square test box. Print this page first, on its own, and measure these squares.

Once you are happy that the test box is accurate, print the rest of the pattern pages.

Please follow this video for information and assistance on assembling this pattern.

Also, please note that some Rebecca Page patterns and projects also come with cut files and a printable design page which you can use to plan your project if you wish. These are provided in a separate section below to avoid any confusion!

Cut each of the pieces according to the directions on the pattern piece. Seam allowances are all included so just cut them as is.

For the Collar fastening you can either use a hook and eye closure or a button and loop closure. If you go with the button/loop, you will need to either cut 1x button loop piece or cut a piece of thin elastic to the same length as the button loop pattern piece.

The OPTIONAL Sash can be used with any length of garment. It can be cut on the fold in one or, in two mirror image pieces with the join being in the center where the fold would have been. If you cut it in two sections, you will join it together in step 5. There are two sides to the Sash piece. You can either treat it as one side fabric and one side lining or do the same fabric on both sides. 

The top lining is optional and can be used with any length of garment. For the top length, your lining should also be cut to the top length line. For the tunic, knee, tea or maxi length, your lining should be cut to the tunic length. The skirt tiers are not lined in any option.

There are 5 length options. Before cutting you need to select which option you are following:

Use the cutting instructions on the pattern pieces to cut your fabrics. 

If you are doing any women’s size and using a 45 inch wide fabric OR doing sizes 8 – 10, 8C – 15C and using 60 inch wide fabric, you will find your Front pattern piece does not fit across your fabric. You have two choices:

• The top/tunic is designed to be cut with the grainline running vertically down the pattern piece. Normally grainlines are really important, and I would never suggest altering them. However, this design drapes so much out to the side that some of the garment is cut on the bias and beyond. This gives the garment it’s swing and drape. If you are using a woven fabric or a knit/stretch with good recovery and less than 50% stretch, you can turn the pattern piece, so it runs down the fabric (e.g. the grainline runs across the pattern piece). Before cutting, hold your fabric up in this direction and check if you like how it hangs.
• Alternatively, if you are using a fabric this does not work with (for example a 4 way knit fabric that stretches as it hangs & swings), you can split your Front pattern piece. To do this, cut the garment as if it is not on the fold with 2 mirror image pieces. Make sure to add a ½ inch seam allowance to the center front. Then join this either with a French seam or sew and then finish with a serger.

NOTE – Where the pattern pieces would not otherwise fit, the fabric requirements have been worked out by turning the pattern pieces down the grain.

Cutting Charts – All pattern pieces are included, however if you prefer to cut using a cutting chart, the dimensions for the rectangular pieces (in INCHES) are below: 

E.g. If you are using 60 inch wide fabric and doing a 3XL size maxi length version:

• Tier 1 = 48 inch wide x 9.8 inch high (cut 3)
• Tier 2 = 47 inch wide x 9.8 inch high (cut 4)
• (Tier 3 = not required)

E.g. If you are using 60 inch wide fabric and doing a 3XL size maxi length version:

• Tier 1 = 59 inch wide x 8.9 inch high (cut 3)
• Tier 2 = 57 inch wide x 8.9 inch high (cut 4)
• Tier 3 = 55 inch wide x 8.9 inch high (cut 5)

NOTE – In order to give more coverage, the ladies tunic length pattern pieces are slightly longer for the larger sizes. However, the maxi length is still worked out on an average height of 5 foot 6 inches, so this means the tiers are slightly shorter on the larger sizes than on the smaller ones.

NOTE – To cut fabric on the fold, fold your fabric over parallel to the selvage edges. Align the pattern piece so it is on the fold of the fabric. Cut around the edges, leaving the fold. If you have folded your fabric correctly the fold will be parallel to the two edges of the fabric that are finished. The raw edges (e.g. the ones you could pick at and threads would come off) will be at a right angle to your fold.

½ inch seam allowance included – Top stitching ⅛ inch – Basting ¼ inch

Preparation – 

1. PATTERN MARKINGS – Transfer all the markings from the pattern pieces onto your fabric with a washable fabric marker or chalk.  
2. ROULEAU BUTTON LOOP – For the button closure option, create Rouleau Button Loops by folding the loop piece in half, right sides together. Sew the long side with a ½ inch seam allowance. Turn right side out and cut in half to create two loops.
3. INTERFACING – Apply interfacing to your Collar Lining.  

Sewing –

1. BACK – Sew the Back from bottom hem to notch. Press seam open, including the seam allowance to the top of the Back piece. Topstitch around the opening. If you are lining your garment, repeat with Lining pieces.  
2. ARMHOLES & SIDE SEAMS (NO LINING) – If you are not lining your garment, sew the sides seams, right sides together from bottom to armhole. Press seam open, including seam allowance to the top of the garment. Topstitch ⅛ inch on both sides of the seam allowance to top of garment.  
3. ARMHOLES & SIDE SEAMS (WITH LINING) – If you are lining your garment, sew and press side seams as above, repeat for Lining, stopping stitches ¾ inch below armhole. On both fabrics, topstitch ⅛ inch on both sides of seam allowance up to the armhole only.  With Lining inside garment, both right sides out, slip the Lining seam allowance under the garment seam allowance. Top stitch around armhole.  
4. COLLAR – Sew gathering stitches on the top of the Front and Back pieces. Mark center front.  Choose and mark your Collar gaps. Right sides together, match Collar piece with edges of back and top as well as center front of garment. Gather garment to fit Collar. Stitch each section. Remove gathering stitches and press seam allowance up. For button option, center loops and line up with raw edges.  Baste with a ¼ inch seam allowance. For all options, press bottom of Collar Lining under ½ inch.  Pin and stitch right sides together, Collar Lining to Collar along long and short sides. Trim corners and turn.  From the right side, pin and stitch the bottom of the Collar, continuing to topstitch all around the Collar.  
5. FASTENINGS – Complete your choice of fastenings, button, hook and eye, or small snaps.  
6. OPTIONAL SASH – If you have separate pieces, sew them together now, both outer and Lining fabrics.  Press seams open.  Pin Lining to main fabric, right sides together.  Sew around Sash, leaving 2-3 inches open. Trim every corner. Turn and topstitch ⅛ inch all the way around, closing the gap.  
7. OPTIONAL TIERS – Stitch individual pieces right sides together along short ends to create a circle.  Add gathering stitches to the top of the ruffle. Pin ruffle to top, right sides together and gather ruffle.  Stitch and finish seams. Press seam up. Repeat for additional tiers.  
8. HEM – For all lengths, either serge bottom edge, press ½ inch and topstitch or press ¼ inch twice, to enclose bottom edge and topstitch. 

Congratulations, your Emma is done. Enjoy! 

We would love to hear how you got on and see photos of your finished project!

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