Take It or Sleeve It With This Fun Peppermint Bowen Dress Sleeve Hack!

Words by Peppermint

21 March 2022

Sewing & DIY

Are you totally obsessed with the Peppermint Bowen dress yet? We know we are. It’s simple, it’s comfortable, it’s elegant, it’s swooshy, what more can you ask for? Well… it’s also adaptable.

Hackable even. We love the Bowen Dress’s ruffley rah-rah sleeves but maybe you want to play things a little closer to the wrist. By lengthening the sleeves and adding an elastic channel at the bottom, you can add an additional two sleeve looks to your Bowen arsenal!

What you will need

Everything you need to make the Bowen Dress

Plus…

Elastic

Iron

Ruler

Safety Pins

Let’s get making!

STEP ONE // Before you start, download a copy of the free pattern (if you haven’t already). When cutting out your sleeve ruffle rectangles, use the width measurement of your chosen size but add an additional 20cm to your length measurement, going from 27cm to 47cm.

DOWNLOAD THE PATTERN NOW!

STEP TWO // Follow the instructions as written until you get to step 13. At this point, fold the bottom edge of the sleeve over 1cm towards the wrong side of the fabric and press.

STEP THREE // Fold edge over again, this time by 3cm (or approximate width of your elastic plus 1cm) and press.

STEP FOUR // Topstitch down around folded edge, leaving a gap in the stitching of approximately 5cm.

STEP FIVE// Measure out enough elastic to sit comfortably around your bicep and cut.

STEP SIX // Attach a safety pin to one end of the elastic and use it to feed the elastic though the sleeve casing. Pin the other end of the elastic to the sleeve so it doesn’t get sucked into the casing and lost. Make sure the elastic doesn’t get twisted during this process.

STEP SEVEN // Stitch both ends of the elastic together securely.

STEP EIGHT // Pull the elastic back inside the casing and stitch up the gap left open in step four here.

STEP NINE // You are done with the sleeves! Continue following the original instructions until you’ve completed your beautiful Bowen Dress! Push the sleeves up to wear as delightful mushroom puffs or wear down for a more autumnal peasant look!