Dila has some fun sewing techniques in store for you. There is the back slit with button closure, the bust gathers and of course the sleeve pleats which are a real eye-catcher. Sewing pleasure guaranteed with this pattern!

Dila can be made into a dress or a blouse. Here are some of her main features: 

• Choose between a long lantern sleeve with decorative pleats, a short sleeve with one pleat or a sleeveless version. 
• 3 different neckline options: round, square and v-neck. 
• Back slit with button closure. 
• 3 length options: a blouse, a short dress or a long dress. 
• Bust gathers with decorative trim. 

You can see all 27 variants in the 'variants' tab below.

Psst ... Did you know Dila has a little sister called Didi? Sew a kids version and an adult version an you can go twinning! 

Fabric choice

Choose light to medium-weight fabrics that can gather well. Thick fabrics are not suitable for this pattern. Easy to sew fabrics such as poplin cotton, linen or a thin woolen fabric are good choices, especially since they will hold the structure of the sleeve. Supple fabrics like viscose are also ideal for a more draped effect, especially for the short-sleeve and sleeveless versions. The long lantern sleeve will flow a little more with a supple fabric.

WE RECOMMEND WASHING YOUR FABRIC BEFORE CUTTING.

Think about the environment and choose deadstock fabrics if you can. That way you give these leftover fabrics from fashion brands a second life and they don’t end up in landfills. We source our quality deadstock designer fabrics at The Fabric Sales.

Variants

This pattern gives you the opportunity to make not 1, but several garments. Here is an overview of all the variants you can make with this set of pattern parts.

Long dress with long sleeves

Long dress with short sleeve

Long sleeveless dress 

Short dress with long sleeves

Short dress with short sleeves 

Short sleeveless dress

Long sleeve blouse

Short sleeve blouse

Sleeveless blouse

Level

This pattern is rated between 2 and 3 dots in terms of difficulty.

A 2 dot variant would be a good project for less experienced sewists, who enjoy learning and trying out different techniques. With this pattern you will learn how to make gathers, apply bias tape, make a back slit with button closure and set in a sleeve. 
If you already have a little more experience, then you will definitely enjoy stitching the pleats and shape of the lantern sleeve. 

Fit

Dila strategically alternates between roomy and accomodating. There is plenty of ease at the bust, waist and hips, while at the same time we ensured a sophisticated silhouette by leaving the shoulder points in the right place and using a lantern sleeve to bring the wide long sleeves down to an elegant wrist cuff. The long sleeves are meant to fall on the wrist. BE sure to measure the pattern if (like our model) you have long arms. 

The short sleeve has a wide sleeve hem with a decorative pleat. 
On the sleeveless version, the armhole is sufficiently roomy.

PDF files

Please note that when you buy this product you are purchasing a set of digital files. Nothing will be 

physically sent to your doorstep. If you are new to PDF sewing patterns, check out this guide.

After your purchase has been completed, you will find a download link on the confirmation page. You will also receive a download link via the email you used at checkout. And your files will be immediately available in your online account if you have registered. By clicking any of the download buttons you can save the files to your computer for future use. Be sure to do so before printing them. 

Save on paper and ink with our printer-friendly files. All the files listed below are included with your purchase. 

• Extensive illustrated step-by-step tutorial. 
  This instruction booklet is an interactive PDF made easy for screen with large lettering, clickable navigation and links to video tutorials if available. If you do rather print the tutorial, there’s a ‘save ink’ layer available. 
• Cheat sheet.
  You can print this one page containing some key information and your notes to store with your paper pattern parts. 
• A4/letter pattern to print at home.
  This file contains all the pattern parts you need to make every single variant. When you print this, you will need to tape or glue the pages together before you can cut out the entire pattern pieces. Learn here how you can tape the pieces together in a fast and easy way.
  
• A0 pattern to print at a copy shop.
  Would you rather not tape pieces together? We got you covered with this large pattern format. If you don't own a plotter you can print out this file in a copy shop or at a fabric store that provides a print on demand service.

• Both A4/letter and A0 pattern files come in a file where the seam allowance is included AND a seperate file where the seam allowance is not included (which is easier to work with if you want to do a lot of adjustments). All files have a layer per size so that you don’t have to trace your size onto a different sheet of paper and add seam allowance yourself. You can easily uncheck all the layers you don’t need and print only your size with seam allowance included. That way you can directly cut out what you have printed. Don’t forget to tell your copy shop to select the right layers!
• Projector file. Want to skip printing all together? You can! With this file you can project the pattern pieces straight onto your fabric using a projector/beamer. 

Example of A4/US Letter PDF with selected layers

Example of A0/Large format, seam allowance included, no layers selected

Example of the optimized projector file with selected layers.

Example page from the e-book with sewing instructions

Notions

Fabric requirements 

The fabric requirements chart shows how much fabric you will need for all variants, calculated on a standard fabric width of 140 cm - 56". If your fabric is narrower, you will need more fabric length. For wider or narrower fabrics you can calculate how much fabric you will need by laying out the pattern pieces on the table according to your fabric width and measuring how much fabric length you will need accordingly.

Finished measurements

Dila has 12 cm (4 3/4") ease at the bust and 64 cm (25 1/4") at the hips compared to the size chart.

For the round and v-neckline the finished back length is taken from the back of the neckline to the hem. The square neckline is 2 cm lower at the back.