We're so excited to share the final garment release in our summer collection! Along with our previous two releases - the Rowan Skirt and Paloma Top - the Isabel Dress explores playful gathering and pretty tie details. Sew straight from the expertly drafted sewing pattern, or with the guidance and support of our easy-to-follow Step-by-Step Guide.

The Inspiration Behind The Isabel Dress

This design emerged from a desire for a real statement dress in the collection. More elegant than the Sienna Dress and smarter than the Celia Dress, the Isabel has a real sense of poise that makes it a delight to wear.  This is our most elevated pattern summer dress pattern, with a romantic A-line silhouette, a tied collar and adjustable waist gathering with ties, which allows you to style the Isabel how best suits you.

The Isabel Dress Pattern Details

The Isabel Dress brings together some of elements you'll see in both the Paloma Top and Rowan Skirt, but is far easier to sew than it might look! Hetty really enjoyed working on the samples here in the studio, thanks to some very satisfying techniques: turn and turn stitching, hemming and top stitch open seams. We also love how adjustable the Isabel is, with ties at the neck and waist, so you can style it in different ways (we can't wait to be inspired by your versions in a future Inspiration Board!). A lovely feminine detail you might have missed is the V cut on the back, which can also be hidden by the tie, depending how you wear your Isabel.

Who is the Isabel Dress Sewing Pattern For?

The Isabel Dress sewing pattern is ideal for intermediate sewists, or for ambitious beginners who have sewn at least 1-2 items before. If you’ve already taken The Art of Shirt Making or The Art of Dress Making Online Workshops, this is ideal for building on your existing sewing skills.

New Step by Step Guide

If you're an ambitious beginner or tentative intermediate, we'd recommend upgrading from the pattern alone to the accompanying Step-by-Step Guide. The Guide shows you how to sew your Isabel Dress from start to finish, helping you learn high end techniques that will benefit your future sewing, too. Not only does it walk you through all the materials you'll need, it includes a detailed fitting guide and an in-depth photo guides covering each step of the instructions, including:

• Fusing and ties

• Back seam facing

• Side and shoulder seams

• Binding

• Collar and collar ties

• Attaching the pockets

• Hemming and attaching the skirt

• Attaching the waist tie channel

• Inserting ties

Isabel Dress Pattern Sizing

As with all The Modern Sewing Co. patterns, the Isabel Dress is available in a range of sizes: UK 4-28 / US 2-26 / EU 32-56. If you're unsure, you can double check against our standard sizing under the 'Body Measurements' dropdown on the Isabel Dress page here.

Fabric Recommendations

The Isabel Dress works beautifully in lightweight woven fabrics that balance structure and movement. As we intend the Isabel to become a real statement piece in your wardrobe, we wanted the design to be light and breezy enough for summer day occasions, but also be really elevated and luxurious in different fabrics.

Hetty wore this blue and white striped linen version to waft around in Greece recently, but she thinks a silk taffeta or dupion would look stunning for an evening do and hold its shape really well.

This black and white seersucker, as seen worn by Ana, was kindly gifted to us by Cloth House. It's the Japanese seersucker cotton in Chalk Stripe, which is perfect for summer.

Want more?

• Shop the Isabel Dress sewing pattern and step-by-step photo guide here.

• Explore gathering as a sewing technique. Deep dive into Rowan Skirt sewing pattern here.

• New to The Modern Sewing Co.? Start with The Art of Shirt Making online workshop and build your skills at home.