Women’s Peasant Dress Pattern

Free printable peasant dress pattern for adult females.

(The word for grown up girls is “women”. I dislike the euphemisms of “women = fat” and “misses = thin”. Unmarried women come in all sizes, and neither maturity nor marital status doom one to be overweight. Big fat opinion.)

Simple pattern in PDF format for 8.5 x 11 letter size paper.

NOTE – CUT THE SKIRT LONGER – the pattern piece is quite short, for cutting longer (why tape a bunch more sheets of paper together?) or adding a ruffle. Okay carry on.

None of the others were quite right, so I made up my own, with a smaller, more modest neckline instead of a huge gaping one, with plenty of fabric and a generous skirt.

For reference, I’m 5’8″ and 38-30-44, which may as well be designated Medium. I’m a Medium on top and the skirt is large enough 🙂

Requires at least 6 yards of 44″ fabric if you cut the skirt panels in opposite directions (some up the grain and some down), but it’s nicer to cut the skirt front on a fold so there’s no front seam, and patch in the corners.

Here’s the original pattern.

Download the pattern in pdf for size Medium (38) and here’s the original round yoke pattern if you want it.

Here’s the same pattern for size XL Extra Large / Bust 42

There it is with the round yoke.

Here’s my spiral dress which was made out of this one.

NEW version in size S – M – L – XL

After some thought, I wanted the armholes a bit deeper, the back neckline a bit higher, and less gathering at the shoulder tops, also a little less fabric overall so the gathers aren’t quite as thick.

On something this simple it’s easy to check how big it will be. Print the pieces and use a ruler. Side to side at armpit level the size M pattern piece is 12.35″ wide. If you take away half inch for seam allowance that’s 11.85, times 4 (two pieces cut on fold makes four seam allowances), so the finished garment measurement would be 47.4 ish.

Assuming bustline measurements:
Small 34-36″
Medium 37-39″
Large 40-42″
XL 43-45″

So for size M that’s 8″ of finished garment ease. Plenty if you ask me. The waist is tapered a bit and you can adjust the elastic. The skirt should be flared enough for just about anyone.

Finished garment bust width:
Small 44.4
Med 47.4
Large 50.4
XL 53.4

(What’s up with all the point-fours? Kinda strange. The pattern pieces are 11.6, 12.35, 13.1 and 13.85 across, multiply by four and they all come out point four. I had to stare at that for a while. It’s just how it worked out.)

I don’t like the yoke any more so this uses a bias strip for a casing for elastic. (“Fold over twice to form a casing” on a curved edge doesn’t work in anybody’s universe although the commercial patterns don’t seem to have noticed yet.)

This hasn’t been tested on other sizes. I’m not a social critter so I have only the one size to test with, i.e. myself. Why not give it a try. Use a ruler to make sure it’s going to be plenty big enough before you cut. It’s easy to make it smaller. If you send me a photo and notes about your test that would be much appreciated.

Peasant dress in size S – M – L – XL now with a short skirt pattern piece, because why tape so many pieces of paper together. You can either cut it longer or add a ruffle.

And here’s how the new version comes out. It’s not much different, but I like it better with a bit less fabric. This is a size I like to call “medium” for my 38 – 30 – 44

Yes, that was made out of a flannel sheet. I’ve been making warm base layers for under jumpers. I’ll need quite a few of them until we get our own water for washing.

Our home now is camping. The electricity comes from a solar panel with a handle on it, and my phone gets a little internet on some days if I stand in just the right spot at the top of the hill. Not enough to make voice calls, but I can see my texts and emails.

And I’m happier than I’ve been for a long time!

Layout of the pieces on sheets of American letter paper, since someone asked: