DIY Baladi Dress with mandarin collar & placket – part 2: Sew them all together!

In my last post, we measured and cut out all panels we need to sew this DIY baladi dress with a mandarin collar and placket.

I love when all the panels are cut and waiting for me to sew them together. 😀 Let’s get started!

Click here to make your own Dina Bra! 😀

DIY Baladi Dress with mandarin collar & placket

First, place the front and back panels right sides together, and sew the shoulder lines together with a zigzag stitch or your preferred stretch stitch.

Then take one of the sleeves, place it on the front and back panel right sides together and match up the mid point notch with the shoulder seam. Pin it in place.

Then match up one of the corners of the sleeve panel with the corresponding end of the armhole. Match up the middle, then the rest and place pins.

Do a zigzag stitch with a 1/2in (1cm) seam allowance. If you sew sleeves for the first time, place lots of pins before you sew and stitch slowly. Don’t worry, it’s not that hard. 😉

Repeat for the other sleeve.

Then place everything right sides together, and sew from the end of the sleeve all the way to the top of the slit on both sides. Use a zigzag stitch at a 1/2in (1cm) seam allowance.

Next, take the 2 collar pieces, and place them right sides together. Sew from an end to end, and leave the bottom part open. Trim the seam allowance down to about 1/8in (2mm), turn it inside out and put it aside.

On the right side of the front panel, mark the centre point all the way down to 14in (35.5cm) from the neckline.

Right sides together, line up the centre lines of the front panel and the placket panel and pin the 2 layers together. And do a straight stitch along the 1/2in lines from the centre line.

This placket was inspired by the placket sewing method shown on Melly Sews. An awesome resource! 😀

Take scissors and cut along the centre line and at the bottom corners, towards the stitches along the lines you drew.

Now turn to the wrong side of the front panel, and flip the left side of the placket panel over. Fold 1/4in (5mm) from the edge, and fold again so that the fold just covers the stitches. Pin it in place.

At the bottom, fold it up 1/2in (1cm) from the edge, and also sandwich the triangle and small rectangle pieces in the layers.

Place pins, and from the right side of the front panel, stitch in the ditch, meaning along the seam. These stitches will catch the fold of the placket panel on the inside, but the stitches won’t show on the outside. At the bottom, simply do a straight stitch along the fold with a 1/8in (2mm) seam allowance.

Next, on the right side of the front panel, fold the placket panel 1/4in (5mm), and fold again so it covers the raw edge of the centre line and the stitches on the wrong side. Again, stitch in the ditch and do a straight stitch with a 1/8in (2mm) seam allowance at the bottom.

Line up the placket, and do a straight stitch to create a 1/2in (1cm) tall rectangle to secure the flap in place.

Finally, take the mandarin collar piece, and mark the centre with a notch. Mark the centre of the neckline on the back panel, and align the centre notches of the collar and the back panel, right sides together. Match up the ends, and the rest, just like how we did for the sleeves, and do a straight stitch with a 1/2in (1cm) seam allowance.

Then fold the other end of the collar 1/2in (1cm) from the edge towards the wrong side, and match up the fold with the stitches. Pin it in place, and stitch in the ditch from the front.

Lastly, fold all the raw edges 1/2in (1cm) towards the wrong side at the slits and ends of the sleeves, the slits of the dress and the hem, and do a straight stitch to create a clean finish.

That’s it! Now you have a very professional looking, modern style baladi dress with a beautiful mandarin collar with an opening. If you want to adjust the length of the opening depending on the performance, you can add snap buttons to do so. You can show your matching bra top, which is a cute, playful look.

If you want to make a hip scarf with sequins that I’m wearing, I have a tutorial here 🙂

And if you want to make this Dina style bra that I’m wearing inside of the baladi dress, I have a brand new course called “Dina Bra from Scratch“ where you’ll learn to create a Dina style bra that fits you with ordinary materials. Check it out here!

Click on the image to check out Dina Bra from Scratch!

Hope you liked this baladi dress tutorial, and if you did, please share with your dancer or costumer friends!

Thanks for reading, and keep sparkling! 😀

P.S. Want to try other classic baladi dress designs with a modern flare like these?

If so, check out the Aziza Baladi Dress! ↓↓

Make your own Aziza Baladi Dress here! 

P.P.S. Here’s an image for a future reminder!