1

Sato Watanabe

I Am Cute Dresses

25 Simple

DeSignS

to Sew

2

introduction

1 i Am Jumper for Joy

2 i Am Shift into tunic

3 i Am Cute Contrast

4 i Am Very V-neck

5 i Am pleats & petals

6 i Am mandarin empire

7 i Am Barely Ruffled

8 i Am Baby Bateau

9 i Am Hello Halter

10 i Am Simply Standup

11 i Am Sweetly gored

12 i Am Sassy Sundress

13 i Am twice As nice

14 i Am tiny tucks

15 i Am All the trimmings

16 i Am Raglan to Riches

17 i Am All wrapped Up

18 i Am Dainty Drops

19 i Am Sweet Sweet ties

20 i Am tripled tier

21 i Am Sew Buttoned Down

22 i Am magical insets

23 i Am Kimono Cut

24 i Am Box-pleated wonder

25 i Am Satin Doll

Construction tips

glossary of terms

Fabric layouts and instructions

C o n t e n t s

3

I really love big cargo pockets, especially when combined with simple skirts and dresses. They really make a statement! I made this everyday black jumper with machine-washable 100% nylon—so I know I’ll get a lot of use out of it. For a more elegant look, I made the same dress out of a gray twill fabric.

Just by changing materials, you can change the entire look of the de-sign—that’s the real thrill of sewing for yourself. Pick your favorite design and make two or three dresses with different fabrics to create a variety of different effects. A flower print would work well for this style, too!

* fabric layout and how-to instructions pp. 68–73

1i Am Jumper for Joy

4

i Am Shift into tunic

I received some lovely kimono cloth as a gift and turned it into this charming dress. I loved the combination of bold pattern and beautiful colors in the fabric. A Japanese kimono is a simple garment with straight lines (like all of the designs in this book)—and so is this fantastic knee-length dress, which can also be worn as a tunic top over pants or leggings.

2

5

* fabric layout and how-to instructions pp. 74–79

6

i Am Cute Contrast

This striped linen comes from Italy. No wonder it is vivid. I made the most of this stiff linen by making tucks and creating a cool visual effect with a border hem.

3

7

4 Materials

Fabric: 114¼" x 44" (290 cm x 112 cm) of floral border-print fabric

Fusible interfacing: 19¾" x 8" (50 cm x 20 cm)

Invisible zipper: 28" (71 cm)

Hook and eye: 1 set

Optional Sizing Adjustments

★ a = H / 4 + 13¾" (35 cm)

★ b = H / 4 + 11¾" (30 cm)

★ c = H / 4

★ d = H / 16

H = Hip measurement

Seam Allowances

Unless otherwise noted, seam allowances are ⅜" (1 cm).

i Am Very V-neck(shown on pages 12–13)

• Attaching the Collar • Finishing the Closure

34½"(88 cm)

¼"(0.5cm)

topstitching

¼"(0.5cm)

topstitching

¾"hem

(2cm)

2"(5cm)

⅜"(1cm)

4¾"(12 cm) 2¼"

(6cm)2¼"

(6cm)

34½"(88 cm)

23¼"(59 cm)

⅜" (1 cm)1½" (4 cm)1½" (4 cm)

1½" (4 cm)

11¾"(30 cm)

9½"(24 cm)

4"(10 cm)

4"(10 cm)

4"(10cm)pleats

2¼"(6cm)

2¼"(6cm)

4"(10cm)pleats

54

1

2 49

7

5

6

3

3

8

★a ★b

★c★d

Width 44"(112 cm)

Hem (¾" [2 cm])

Hem (¾" [2 cm])

Collar

Fold

Armhole binding• Positioning and Folding the Pleats

• Fabric Layout

Skirt front

Shoulder seam

Skirt back

Skirt front (1)

Skirt backs (2)

Front(right side)

Right sideof collar

Stitch bottomedge of collar.

Collar(right side)

Back(right side)

Back(wrong side)

Back(wrong

side)

Bodicefront

(wrong side)

Bodiceback

(wrong side)

Bodiceback

(wrong side)

Back view

First,fold tape to wrong

side.

Front(wrong

side)

Inside ofcollar

Zippertape

Selvedge

Bodicefront

Bodiceback

Flo

ral

bo

rder

pat

tern

Skirtcenterback

Fold

18"(46 cm)

9½"(24 cm)

8¾"(22 cm)

114¼"(290 cm)

Fold and baste pleats as shown.

Attach fusible interfacing to wrong side of entire collar. Join collar and front body, right sides together.

Turn collar to wrong side of garment.

Then fold zipper along center back

and blindstitch, folding raw edge

of collar under center-back

seam allowance.

Turn raw edge to wrong side of garment.

8

Start sewing simple and adorable dresses that you’ll love to wear. You don’t need complicated patterns to make these 25 easy, loose, and effortlessly stylish gar-ments. Each of these dresses is designed from basic, simple shapes that require no difficult or advanced tailoring and will be flattering on everyone.

You just need the basic template for each dress. You can adjust the width using an included formula and length by simply raising or dropping the hemline. These easy-to-sew and easy-to-fit cute dresses will quickly become staples in your wardrobe.

SATo WATANAbE loves designing and making clothes. Sato is also the author of several sewing books published in Japan. This is her first book of designs published in the United States.

Paperback7¼ x 10, 120 pagesISBN 978-1-59668-351-8$22.95Available August 2011

25 easy-to-make and wear dresses