The dress is fitted on the top, with a very generous voluminous skirt, which blooms out with each tier of the design. It has strap-ties which can be tied in knots or bows at the shoulder, to your desired length. The dress fastens with a concealed zip at the centre back. Please see garment measurements listed to help you choose the right size.

The Relaxed or Super-Relaxed Expansion KiT adds either a little or a lot of extra room at the waist by replacing two pattern pieces (pieces 4B and 5B) and enables you to transform the silhouette and fit of the original bow patchwork dress

The idea behind this dress is quite simple - to assemble the patchwork in 11 rows, and simply join the rows together. The straps and facing are attached after assembling the first 2 rows and the zip is inserted after assembling the first 6 rows. The remaining 5 rows are then added and the hem finished. Unlike our Flower patchwork series, there are no raw edges on the right side of the design. The dress is not lined.

The bow patchwork dress is an exploration of the hybridisation of pattern cutting and textile design, which is at the core of what ROBERTS | WOOD does.

The pattern has been specifically developed to make use of smaller remnants and offcuts of fabric which you might have left over from other sewing projects, or possibly from other unused textiles or clothes.

The dress features a repeating ‘bow’ shaped patchwork pattern, split over layers of patchwork. The seaming of the patchwork cleverly creates the shape of the garment - a fitted top, which transitions to a very generous, voluminous skirt, which blooms outwards with each tier of the design. It has strap-ties which can be tied in knots or bows at the shoulder. The dress fastens with a concealed zip at the centre back.

The design will work best with medium to lightweight fabrics. Different textured fabrics can be especially effective to contrast the different patches and bring out the repeating bow design. The pattern is designed to be cut from either 3 or 5 different fabrics to create the bow patchwork effect. For the version shown we have used 5 different textures and weights from our old cutting-table offcuts - a monochromatic colour palette using cotton mousse, textured voile, broderie cotton , linen and a flower-embroidered cotton.

For the slightly simplified 3-fabric version where each bow is cut in the same fabric, simply treat ‘fabric 1’ and ‘fabric 2’ as one single fabric and ‘fabric 3’ and ‘fabric 4’ as a second single fabric, and ‘fabric 5’ as the third fabric. By doing this, you will still get the effect of the contrasting bow-shapes in your patchwork. (Simply add together the fabric requirement usages for the fabrics described above to achieve the 3-fabric version.)

The pattern has been designed to be cut from remnants / offcuts, however if you wish to cut from regular lengths of fabric, the approximate fabric usage is listed below.

This ROBERTS | WOOD KiT project is provided as a PDF pattern with sewing instructions. It includes an A4 printable PDF pattern, which can be printed and assembled at home using any standard home printer. An A0 format pattern is also included should you wish to print it at a printers/print shop

Materials required: 3 or 5 different fabrics for patchwork and fabric for facing (see size listing for usage), threads, 35cm concealed zip.

Equipment required: Scissors, sellotape (if printing A4 pattern), sewing machine, Iron for pressing, hand sewing needle, measuring tape, pins

As with many ROBERTS | WOOD designs, this pattern is not a “traditional style” sewing pattern.

Although this pattern is aimed at Intermediate level sewist and assumes basic knowledge of sewing techniques and terminology, it could also be a fun practice project for a patient beginner who wants to learn new textile and sewing skills. A perfect project to undertake using fabric offcuts that are otherwise going to waste.

We would recommend completing this project over several days as it is intended to be something you can take your time with and enjoy the making process, following our principals of ‘slow fashion’. It is quite an intricate patchwork which is not complicated but requires time and patience to assemble - a little labour of love.

The Relaxed and Super-Relaxed Expansion KiT pattern pieces are now included with your purchase.

However if you purchased this pattern before May 2023, You can download the free Relaxed and Super-Relaxed Expansion KiT for the Bow Patchwork Dress with shoulder ties here