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This elegant tea dress, featured in The Great British Sewing Bee: Sew Your Own Wardrobe by Tessa Evelegh features a floaty bias cut skirt and flirty little sleeves. Use your own body measurements to adjust the bodice pattern to fit your shape and make the same adjustments when you have sewn the bodice shell together and before you stitch on the skirt. The skirt is cut on the bias, which means that it fits neatly into the waistline without any bunchy gathers, yet provides plenty of fullness at the hemline.
Sew a tea dress
1 Download the pattern, print, and piece together. Cut out all the pieces following the cutting guide and transfer markings. Transfer the dart markings from the back bodice pattern piece to both layers of fabric. Pin, tack and stitch the two darts, then press them towards the centre.
2 With right sides together and matching the notches, pin the left front side bodice to the left side of the centre front bodice, then stitch. Repeat with the right front and side bodice. Clip into the seam allowance at the curves, taking care not to cut any stitches. Press the seams open.
3 With right sides together, match the front and back bodice pieces at the shoulder seams and side seams. Pin and stitch. Try on the bodice and make any adjustments. Press the seams open and finish off the raw edges.
4 With right sides together, match and pin the back skirt seam from the hemline up to the position of the bottom end of the zip. Stitch, then press the seam open. With right sides together, match the side seams of the skirt and pin. Sew the seams and press them open. Try on the skirt and make any adjustments.
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