Phwoar, you’ll be batting off compliments left, right and centre when you slip on this pattern designed by Amanda Walker. With its sultry front split and dramatic keyhole back, this midi offers up a modest high neck, long shapely sleeves and a figure-hugging waist panel.
1 Download the pattern from sewmag.co.uk, then print and follow the cutting guide. Stitch the darts into the front bodice piece, from the side edge of the darts to the points marked on the pattern. Press the darts down towards the waistline. Neaten the side edges of the front and back bodice, across the shoulders of both the front and back bodice, and the centre-back edges of the back bodice.
2 Position the front and back bodice pieces together, right sides facing, then match, pin and stitch the shoulder seams together. Press the seams allowances open. Match and sew the centre-back seam, from the base of the bodice to the notch marked on the pattern. Press the seam allowance open and continue to press in the seam allowance, above the end of the stitching, up into the neckline.
3 Fold and press in 1cm on either side of all the bias strips or use a bias binding folder to complete this process. Open one side of the neck binding bias strip and position it around the neckline on the wrong side. On the right side of the centre-back opening, position the binding in line with the neatened centre-back edge and on the left-hand side, leave the pressed folded seam allowance in place; there should be excess binding extending past the end of the neckline. Pin in place and stitch along the fold line pressed into the bias strip.
4 Fold the bias strip over onto the right side of the neckline and position the remaining folded edge over the stitching line, pin and edgestitch in place sandwiching the raw edge of the neckline inside the bias binding. As you approach the left-hand edge, carry on sewing the binding in half; this excess strip will become a loop to fasten the top of the keyhole opening.
5 Form the excess binding into a loop and tuck the raw end of the binding under the folded seam allowance. Pin in place and stitch over the end of the loop to secure it in place, then down and up the opposite side of the opening. Match, pin and sew the back and front bodice side edges together. On the left-hand side of the bodice only, stitch the top part of the seam as far as the notch; this opening will accommodate the zip. Press the seam allowance open.
6 Neaten the side edges of both sleeves. Adjust the stitch length to number five and sew two rows of gathering stitches within the seam allowance, aro
