Sew a Patchwork dress with the Katia Fabrics poplin panel🧵👗
23 May, 2025
Patchwork dresses are on trend, and today we bring you an incredible project thanks to Famke (@mipithelabel), who shows you how to make your own from scratch. For this, she has used the Poplin panel with 9 coordinating prints by Katia Fabrics, perfect for creating a unique design full of personality. Follow this step-by-step tutorial and learn how to make a patchwork dress with puffed sleeves perfect for this season. 🪡💕
Materials needed
- Poplin fabric panel with 9 coordinating prints: ⬇️ ideal to combine different designs without worrying about finding fabrics that go together.
- Cotton poplin fabric in the color cream.
- Cotton poplin fabric in the color white.
- Viscose and linen fabric in the color ecru: for the base of the dress.
- Elastic measuring 1 cm wide.
- Sewing notions: threads, pins, paper and fabric scissors, ruler, tape measure, pattern paper, safety pin, bodkin, sewing machine, and iron.
Step 1️⃣: Cutting and preparing the patchwork skirt
Cutting the skirt pieces
- Cut squares measuring 19 x 19 cm
- 2 in each printed fabric (18 squares in total).
- 18 in the cream poplin fabric.
- Cut each square into 4 triangles. You should have the same number of solid and printed triangles.
- Sew each printed triangle with a solid triangle, with right sides facing and a 1-cm seam allowance.
Assembling the skirt layers
- Use 2 triangles of the same type to form squares consisting of 4 triangles (2 solid, 2 printed). Press the seams open.
- Join the squares in pairs: sew along the short edges with a 1-cm seam allowance and press the seams open. You’ll end up with several rectangles.
- Cut rectangles of the same size out of the viscose and linen fabric in the color ecru, and join them along the long edges, alternating the prints, until they form a circle that will be the circumference of the skirt.
- Repeat until you have 3 identical layers of skirt, which you should join together one under the other, sewing along the long sides.
Lining the skirt
- Cut the lining fabric (white cotton poplin) the same length as the patchwork skirt, adding 2 cm to the width, and sew along the side.
- Sew the skirt and lining: place the lining around the skirt, with the right sides facing each other. Join both pieces with a 1-cm seam along the waist. Press the seam allowance toward the lining. Turn the piece right side out. Then, run a straight stitch 1 cm from the top edge.
Step 2️⃣: Making the bodice of the dress
Tracing, cutting, and assembling the top
- Use a fitted T-shirt to trace the contour onto pattern paper. First, draw the back section folded over. Lower the armhole for greater comfort. For the front, add 1 cm in the center for the bow tie closure and curve the neckline to the desired depth.
- Cut 2 back pieces and 4 front pieces out of the viscose and linen fabric. Join the front pieces to the back pieces along the shoulders.
- Make the ties by cutting 4 pieces of fabric on the bias (2.5 cm x 55 cm). Fold them lengthwise and sew leaving a 0.5-cm seam allowance.
- Turn the ties right side out with a bodkin and pin them between the layers of the top (with right sides facing). Sew around the neckline and the front. Close the sides of the top.
Step 3️⃣: Ensamblaje del vestido
Joining the skirt to the bodice
- Gather the skirt: sew a long stitch around the waist (without backstitching) and pull the thread so that the skirt has the same circumference as the top.
- Sew the skirt and bodice of the dress together with a 1-cm seam allowance and zigzag stitch the edge. 1.5 cm from this first seam, make a second seam to form a channel to run the elastic through.
- Finish off the waist: from the right side of the dress, sew down the seam allowance around the waist. Pass the cord through the front opening.
Step 4️⃣: Making the puffed sleeves
Pattern-making and cutting the sleeves
- To make the sleeve pattern, measure the armhole circumference. On some pattern paper, draw a vertical line with the desired sleeve length. Calculate the width by multiplying the armhole circumference times 1.3 and trace a rectangle with these measurements.
- From the top left-hand corner of the rectangle, measure 14 cm down along the vertical line. From this point, draw a soft curve until you reach the top right-hand corner of the rectangle, forming the armhole. Copy this pattern for the front, lowering the curve a bit more.
- Use fabric scraps from the poplin panel to form rectangles which, sewn together, will form the sleeve. Join with a 1-cm seam allowance.
Assembling the sleeves
- Sew the sides of each sleeve. Fold the bottom edge by 1 cm twice and sew the hem, leaving a 3-cm opening to run the elastic through. Sew the ends of the elastic together and close the opening.
- Gather the top of the sleeve with a long stitch and fit it to the armhole. Pin and sew.
🧵Adding patchwork details to the dress bodice
- Cut hexagons out of the printed scraps and gather them together in clusters of 3: sew two hexagons together, open the seam and then join the third.
- Fold the edges 1 cm inwards and press. Place the hexagons on the top and sew them along the edge using a straight stitch.
✨ Do you dare to try this design?
This patchwork dress isn’t just a uniquely creative garment, it’s also the perfect way to play with prints and textures. You can make it fit your style by choosing different color and fabric combinations. If you like to experiment, you can also try quilting the pieces with thin padding to add more structure and volume. The possibilities are endless!
❤️ We’d love to see your version of this Patchwork dress designed by @mipithelabel.
📸 Share your creations with us on social media using the #KatiaFabrics hashtag and tag us so that we can see them.
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