DIY Little Black and Leather Brocade Dress

Lately I’ve been obsessed with brocade and embellishments. Something about brocade is very classic and elegant, maybe a bit too classic for me so a little leather was necessary which gives this beautiful fabric a bit of an edge. This medium weight Italian brocade from moodfabrics.com will make any piece look a bit more special, so special I had to order more for a coat I envision.

The dress was made with the bodice of McCalls M5927 with the following alterations:

-Added 1″ to the front and back of the neck -Cut the front bodice piece 6″ from the top to create an additional pattern piece and seam line-Faced the back and front bodice pieces-Reduced the diameter of the arm opening to create a slimmer sleeve-Cut the sleeve at 11″ from the top to create a short sleeve
-Cut the sleeve 4.5″ from the bottom to create a seam line

The skirt of the dress was made by:
-Cutting two pieces of fabric 55″ wide x 28″ long.
-Cut one piece of that fabric in half lengthwise, sew a 5/8″ seam basting 4″ down from the top
-Install side seam pockets
-Sew the side seams of the skirt
-Line the side and back seams of the skirt up with the bodice seams, using the fabric between the seams to create the pleats.
-Sew the bodice to the skirt
-Attach a 19″ exposed zipper