Jacob dress

ISSUE 185 - Fabric inspiration for the Jacob dress pattern

THE Q & A SERIES

fabric inspiration for the
jacob dress pattern

Hello!

I’m going to give the Jacob dress pattern a go, but I feel like I need to make sure I use the right type of fabric. Can you please give me some ideas for what types of fabric you recommend?

Rosie

Hi Rosie,

This is a great question, and you’re right - the type of fabric you use to make the Jacob dress will definitely have an impact on the finish.

In all our patterns we provide information on the types of fabric we recommend for each specific design. In the Jacob pattern, this is what we’ve said:

“The Jacob dress is compatible with light to medium weight woven fabrics such as: cotton poplin, chambray, linen, linen blends, cupro, rayon and rayon blends. If you prefer a softer, drapier silhouette, consider fabrics like sateen, silk (crepe de chine or habotai) or viscose (rayon).”

You can see the different finish that you get with different fabrics in the Jacob dress samples we’ve been sharing on Instagram. Leanne’s Jacob is made from a twill fabric from meetMILK. It is quite a drapey fabric in comparison to the linen that Sara used to make her Jacob dress. Side by side, the two dresses have a slightly different look to them, despite being made from the same pattern. 

Before you buy your fabric, or start cutting into something from your fabric stash, I’d definitely recommend considering the silhouette you’d like your Jacob dress to have. If you want the fabric to fall smoothly across your body, opt for a drapey fabric. If you want to really highlight the ruffles of the drawstrings, go for something with a bit more body. Your local fabric store can help you with this if you’re not really sure what type of drape a fabric has. If you’re buying online, some stores share videos of the fabric to show you what it’s like. If not, send them an email and ask the question!

This month we asked Maaike from MaaiDesign and Amaya from Pattern Scissors Frock to send us their fabric recommendations for the Jacob dress, so keep reading for some fabric inspiration from local Aussie fabric stores.

JACOB DRESS FABRIC RECOMMENDATIONS FROM PATTERN SCISSORS FROCK

We had to start with this amazing Lilac Garden Linen Cotton blend from the Miss Moresby range. Amaya describes this substrate as a little softer than linen thanks to the cotton, but with the strength of linen. From the video it looks like it has a finer slub than regular linen fabric. This one could strike a good balance between drape and structure if you’re not sure which way to go!

Merchant and Mills is always a good idea in our opinion, and Amaya has said their hemp/cotton blend could be good for a little more structure. This chalky blue looks beautiful!

Jacob dress fabric recommendations from MaaiDesign

First on Maaike’s list is this range of cupro linen tencel. Described as an alternative to silk, with a similar gloss, but without the silk price tag it sounds pretty good! It’s a beautiful drapey fabric, perfect for a special occasion. Available in a rainbow of colours you are sure to find one you love.

Next up is a linen viscose which is described as divinely soft, with a matte finish, lots of drape and extremely comfortable to wear. Available in a range of colours. Another perfect option for Jacob!

For a final bit of fun we wanted to share this lovely Jessica Nielsen print in cotton viscose twill. The fabric is described as having fluidity and softness, making it ideal for flowing dresses and skirts. Maaike has a range of other artist prints in cotton viscose which you can view here.

I hope this helps you in your fabric finding endeavours!

Happy Jacob dress sewing!

Emily

RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS ISSUE

  • The Jacob dress pattern is currently only available in our Curated by ITF subscription. It will be released as a standalone resource later in 2025. More information about our Curated by ITF subscription can be found here.

For more issues of the Q & A series, you can check out the archive here.

WHAT YOU’VE BEEN MAKING

MORE POSTS IN THE SERIES

Q & A series
fabric-recommendations-jacob-dress-pattern.png
Q&A blog header-1.png
how-to-choose-lining-fabric-for-garments.png

ISSUE 184 - Fabric inspiration for the jacob dress pattern

THE Q & A SERIES

How to sew a flat neckline with vilene shields

Hi Emily,

I am making the top out of very slippery material. I successfully cut it out using tissue paper but am really struggling to get the curve of the neck to lie flat. I pressed it ok but when I sew, especially along the neckline it puckers out of shape. Any tips?!

Anne
Altrincham, United Kingdom

Hi Anne,

What is probably happening is that the neckline is stretching, which makes it almost impossible to get it to lie flat. When working with slippery or delicate fabrics, as well as staystitching the neckline, it can be a good idea to use Vilene tearaway shields to help your neckline remain flat

WHAT IS A VILENE SHIELD?

Vilene shield on the Jacob dress neckline.
Vilene shields used to sew the Jacob dress shoulders in slippery fabric.

Tear-away Vilene shields are a sewing aid used to prevent stretching in areas like necklines and armholes, during garment construction.

WHEN TO USE VILENE SHIELDS

In a lot of cases, staystitching provides enough stabilisation to prevent a curve from stretching, but if you are using a fabric that is prone to stretching, is particularly delicate, or have seams cut on the bias or close to the bias, your fabric may need extra stability. That's when Vilene shields come in handy. It also provides an opportunity to check that your fabric hasn't stretched - and if it has, you can use the Vilene shield to guide you when steaming the seam back to its original shape.

HOW TO CREATE VILENE SHIELDS

Some patterns will include the shield pattern ready for you to use. At other times you may feel the need for one and it hasn't been provided. Or, if you’ve hacked the pattern the original shield pattern may no longer work.

It's safe to say that when working with fabrics prone to stretching, curved areas like necklines will require Vilene shields. You can draft these at the cutting stage. But you might also find the need for one once you start sewing the project and notice particular areas stretching. You can always go back to the pattern, draft the shield and then steam the fabric back into shape.

You can draft the pattern on pattern paper so you have it to use in the future or can draft directly onto the Vilene and cut.

HOW TO DRAFT A VILENE SHIELD PATTERN

Step 1

Drafting a vilene shield pattern - step 1.

Place a piece of paper onto the neckline. If you would like to make a full piece (as opposed to a piece that will be cut on the fold), leave enough space to create the full piece. Use pattern weights or pins to hold the paper in place. Trace the neckline CUT LINE. Use a French curve if you have one.

Step 2

Drafting a vilene shield pattern.

Draw straight lines from the neckline down the shoulder STITCH LINE and CENTRE FRONT line the width you would like the shield to be. We suggest making it 2.5cm - 4cm (1in - 1½in) wide.

Step 3

Step 3 of drafting a vilene shield pattern.

Measuring from the neckline, mark the shield width in regular intervals between the two lines marked in STEP 2.

Step 4

Step 4 of drafting a vilene shield.

Join the broken line with a smooth curve. Fold in half and transfer the lines to the other side or pin through the paper and cut it out.

Step 5

Label the pattern piece for the vilene shield.

Label the pattern piece - FRONT VILENE SHIELD CUT 1 TEARAWAY / VILENE ONLY. Mark at CENTRE

FRONT neckline. Repeat this process for the BACK to create the back neck shield.

Step 6

Consider order of construction when creating a vilene shield.

When making shields for other seams, consider the order of construction when creating the shield.

For example, for the shoulder on the Jacob dress, the hems are sewn before the shoulder seams are joined (due to the drawstrings) so the shield needs to stop at the armhole STITCH LINE.

HOW TO SEW WITH VILENE SHIELDS

Step 1

Step 1 of how to sew vilene shields onto a neckline.

Staystitch the neckline on the FRONT 6mm (¼in) from the edge. Start at the shoulder on each side and stitch towards the CENTRE FRONT.

Repeat on the BACK neckline.

Step 2

Step 2 of how to sew vilene shields onto the Jacob dress.

Follow instructions to join shoulders and any other elements required before finishing the neckline.

Step 3

Step 3 of how to sew vilene shields onto a garment.

Turn the bodice inside out. Pin FRONT NECK VILENE SHIELD to the inside of the neckline, lining up

the CENTRE FRONT notch and the edges with the shoulder seams.

Repeat on the back with the BACK NECK VILENE SHIELD.

Step 4

Step 4 of how to sew vilene shields onto a garment.

Attach binding / facing using the method given in the instructions. We have a tutorial about how to bind a neckline here.

Step 5

Carefully remove the Vilene shields before you trim, clip and grade the seam allowance. 


I hope that’s helpful, Anne! 

You may also like to have a look at these blog posts about cutting tricky fabrics - Issue 7 - Cutting linen (and other tricky fabrics) and Issue 87 - Tips for working with delicate fabrics.

Happy sewing!

Emily

RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS ISSUE

  • The Jacob dress pattern is currently only available in our Curated by ITF subscription. It will be released as a standalone resource later in 2025. More information about our Curated by ITF subscription can be found here.

  • Cutting linen (and other tricky fabrics) - blog post here.

  • Tips for working with delicate fabrics - blog post here.

  • How to bind a neckline - blog post here.

For more issues of the Q & A series, you can check out the archive here.

WHAT YOU’VE BEEN MAKING

MORE POSTS IN THE SERIES

Q & A series
things-to-check-if-rtw-copies-too-big.png
Q&A blog header-1.png
Q&A blog header-2 (1).png