Our newest pattern is here, and I’m so excited to introduce Emerson! This woven dress is designed to be classic, feminine, flattering, and completely customizable. With its square neckline, pieced bodice with princess seams, and a comfortable elastic or shirred back, Emerson blends beautiful details with an easy, wearable fit.

Choose from four elastic shoulder sleeve options—mini flutter, mini puff, flutter, or puff—and pair them with a gathered A-line skirt in five lengths: mini/vintage, dress, maxi, ruffle dress, or ruffle maxi. Whether you’re keeping it simple or adding your own touches like trims, lace, or patchwork, Emerson is full of opportunities to make it your own.

Perfect for everyday wear, family photos, vacations, or special events, Emerson is a dress you’ll reach for again and again.

And of course, we’ve got you covered with both Youth and Adult sizing, plus a Bundle option if you’re planning matching looks

Getting Started

Before you purchase your patterns, there is a ton of helpful beginner information here on the blog, in case you are new to knits or new to PDF patterns in general:

• New to PDF patterns? Check out our helpful tips here
• New to sewing with knits? Brittany has some great info here
• Not quite sure how to measure yourself accurately? Don’t worry; check out the post here!
• Having issues printing? Most issues can be resolved by using our FAQs/troubleshooting tips
• Join our Facebook group here.
• We also have a new Height Adjustment 101 post for you! Check it out here.

Choosing Your Options

We have lots of tester photos in our FB group and on the site if you want to see a variety of photos of each option before you decide! Here is a quick snapshot of the different options:

Persephone Mash

If you prefer a strap instead of a sleeve, you can easily swap in the Persephone straps (youth & adult)—they pair perfectly with Emerson!

Cut your Emerson pieces as directed in the pattern, omitting the sleeves.

Next, cut your Persephone straps. I used the plain strap, but the ruffle strap works beautifully as well. Sew the straps following the Persephone tutorial instructions.

Begin constructing the bodice using the Emerson tutorial. When you reach Step 5 (attaching the sleeves), you’ll attach the straps instead. With right sides together, pin each strap to the front bodice at the notch and to the back bodice at the strap marking. Baste the straps in place.

Continue sewing the rest of the dress following the Emerson tutorial as written. And ta-da! Now you have an adorable strap version of Emerson instead of sleeves.

If you want the 1/2 circle from the Persphone pattern, you can also switch it out for the Emerson skirt!

Looking at the Options

Sleeve Options

Mini Flutter

Mini Puff

Flutter

Puff

A-line skirt options

Mini/Vintage

Dress

Dress with ruffle

Maxi

Maxi with ruffle

Back view

Adults can wear the sleeves on or off the shoulders

Add trim, lace, bows, patchwork & more!

Fabric + Notions

Emerson is drafted for woven apparel fabrics with drape. If you use fabric with less drape such as 100% cotton, it will fit more boxy and stiff, giving a more vintage look. I find this adorable for the youth sizes. Rayon challis, voile, lawn, batiste, silk crepe, rayon crepe, chiffon, chambray, linen, air woven, etc. I find quilting cotton adorable for youth sizes, not so much on myself, but it’s personal preference.

Below are different fabrics on my niece. The two on the left are an apparel woven vs a quilting cotton on the right. You can notice a difference in how the skirt and sleeves drape vs stick out on the quilting cotton. Note- the quilting cotton was a very early pretest, which is why the neckline is different.

From left to right- lightweight shirting, air woven, and quilting cotton.

Examples of youth in an apparel woven (air woven) vs quilting cotton in sizes 3 and 10 below. Again, you can really notice the difference in the drape of the skirt, ruffle, and sleeves, but for youth, I think this is too cute!

You will also need:

• 3/8″ elastic for the shoulders on the sleeve and for the back elastic panel
• Note- if you prefer, you can shirr your back panel instead of using elastic.
• OPTIONAL: Lightweight fusible interfacing (may be helpful if using a very lightweight fabric)

 

We hope you love the Emerson pattern, no matter who you sew for! We can’t wait to see how you style yours.

#emersonpattern #madeformermaidspatterns