Smocked Tunic Hack: How to Sew a Designer Dress Using the Smocked Tunic Pattern

Y’all know I’m here for a good hack. So why not hack my own pattern? When I ran across this dress on social media, I knew I could make it myself….with my pattern! I would just have to figure out a few tweaks. The overall concept is exactly the same, the neckline and “inset” (or placket) are different. Easy hack right?

Step one was to cut it out. To do that I used the Smocked Tunic Front, the Smocked Tunic Sleeve and the Smocked Tunic Back. I cut out everything as written in the pattern except for the Smocked Tunic Front. I added two inches of width to each Smocked Tunic Front to compensate width I would lose by not using the inset. See images below.

Once the pieces were cut out I completed the bottom ends of the sleeves as written in the pattern. I then put the pattern together as written in the pattern. Once pieces were sewn together, I made a tiny hem along the entire top of the garment. Exactly how I had made a hem at the bottom of the sleeve. Once that was in, it was time to pleat.

Once pleated, It was time for the fun part, smocking!

When the smocking was completed it was time tricky part. “Finishing” the neckline. This was the most challenging mind game for me. I researched by looking through Facebook groups, trying to stalk the Donolo website and sneak-a-peak of the inside of the dress, I spoke to several amazing sewists and reached out to a friend who had the ready-to-wear dress. By the end of my research I had quite a few good ideas. The first of them was to back smock the inside of the dress at the neckline using two rows of outline sitches stacked one on top of the other. This approach seemed pretty sound but I was a little nervous about this stretching out over time. In my Facebook group research this approach has worked for some so I may try it in the future.

Another idea was to give up using the smocking pleats as the ruffles at the neckline, finish the top of the dress with the bias band already in the pattern at the neckline and attach a gathered ruffle on the top of the bias, finishing the bias with hand or top stitches on the inside. I still think this is a great idea and will likely try it in the future, it just wasn’t exactly what I wanted for this version. The look is just a bit different in that the pleats do not form the ruffle. A ruffle forms the ruffle. See the image below.

Another option was to smock a ribbon or lace insertion on the inside of the dress, again using backsmocking to create a “casing” around the ribbon, I tried this option but was unhappy with the way the pleats laid around my neck, so I moved on to my final option.

My final option was to use a bias band, hand sewn to the inside of the dress to hold the pleats in place. In the pattern, there is an existing chart with suggested bias band lengths. The original pattern has a fairly high neckline, I was hoping for a lower neckline for this dress, so I added an inch to the suggested bias band length. My bias band was 18.5 inches long to start with, then 18 inches long one I folded the ends down. I came up with this length by measuring the neckline of a shirt that I had that fell in the correct place on my neck.

Once I created the bias band, I blocked my dress on a lace shaping board. I got all the pleats in exactly the right place by pinning them to the board, then steaming the pleats with my iron and letting them dry. I then sewed the bias in place along the neckline, whip stitching it in place by hand.

Next, I needed to create a clean finished placket on the front of the dress with small loop button holes. I did this by nixing the inset part of the pattern and instead inserting a placket on the front, exactly the same way a placket is placed on the back of a bishop-the only difference was that I didn’t fold back either side like you would in a bishop. I let it stay open and just made a small “v” stitch at the bottom of it. See the image below. I created bias bound tubing and inserted it between the placket and the front of the dress. The button hole loops were made with a bias tubing. I made this myself but you can purchase it as well. I then hand sewed shank buttons to the other side.

The one part of the dress that I’m not completely happy with is the place at which the placket “v” meets the front center seam. Its just not as clean as I usually prefer it be. In my tunic pattern, I have you line the inset so that its very clean at that juncture, there has to be a way to make a similar adjustment on this version. I’ll be thinking that one through and getting back to you!

And here’s what I created! What do y’all think? I’m pretty pleased with my Dondolo Dupe. Hopefully my instructions are clear, if they are not and you have a question, feel free to comment below, send me a message on the “contact me” section of the website, or reaching out to me on social media! Happy Sewing y’all 🙂