The Holiday Gift Dress is a beautifully detailed dress inspired by the elegant gift wrapping style seen in Japan — where even the way a present is wrapped is an art form. The delicate pin tucks running down the front and back bodice, paired with a bow tie at the neckline, create the look of a beautifully wrapped gift. It's a dress that feels as special as it looks. 👉 Get the Holiday Gift Dress Pattern on Etsy What Is the Holiday Gift Dress? The Holiday Gift Dress is a long-sleeve, pull-on dress featuring: Pin tucks on both the front and back bodice, folded toward the side seams A bow tie at the front neckline — like a ribbon on a gift A faced neckline with interfacing for a clean, structured finish Long sleeves with elastic wrist hems Two pocket options — standard serged pocket or French seam pocket Available in sizes US 0 through US 30 — one of the widest size ranges in the naminami collection! Watch the Tutori...
How to Sew the Kite Dress – Complete Guide (with Size Chart!)
The Kite Dress is a charming, relaxed-fit dress with a beautifully gathered skirt, signature front bow ties, and your choice of ruffle or elasticated sleeve hems. It has a handmade, cottagecore feel that's surprisingly wearable — and once you understand the bias binding and sleeve construction, it comes together beautifully.
The Kite Dress is a long-sleeve gathered dress featuring:
Eight bow ties — two on each side seam (one inside, one outside) and two on each side of the front bodice
A gathered A-line skirt with a 50 cm / 20" length (all sizes)
Side pockets with a clean-finished seam
Bias binding at the neckline and outer edges
Two sleeve options — ruffle sleeves or elasticated sleeve hems
Available in sizes US 0 through US 22
Watch the Tutorial First 🎬
Before you dive in, I highly recommend watching the full sewing tutorial on YouTube. The bow tie construction, bias binding, and sleeve steps are much easier to follow along with video!
What You'll Need
Main Fabric
Light to medium-weight, non-stretch, woven fabrics are recommended:
Cotton or linen poplin
Batiste
Required Fabric Yardage
Size
120 cm / 47" wide
140 cm / 55" wide
US 0 – US 12
3.5 yd / 3.2 m
3 yd / 2.8 m
US 14 – US 22
Not recommended ✕
3 yd / 2.8 m
Required Bias Tape
Folded: 0.63–1 cm (1/4"–3/8") wide / Unfolded: 2.5–4 cm (1"–1.6") wide
US 0
US 2
US 4
US 6
US 8
US 10
US 12
US 14
US 16
US 18
US 20
US 22
2.05 m
2.08 m
2.11 m
2.14 m
2.17 m
2.20 m
2.23 m
2.26 m
2.29 m
2.32 m
2.35 m
2.38 m
* Based on a skirt length of 50 cm (20"). If you lengthen the skirt, you will need more bias tape.
Additional Supplies
Fusible interfacing tape (1 cm / 3/8" wide): US 0–10: 0.9 m / US 12–16: 1 m / US 18–22: 1.1 m
Elastic band (1 cm / 3/8" wide): two pieces, each the circumference of your wrist
Matching thread, pins, zipper foot
Sizing Guide
Body Measurements
Size
Bust cm
Bust in
Waist cm
Waist in
Hip cm
Hip in
US 0
79
31.1"
65
25.6"
89
35"
US 2
83
32.7"
69
27.2"
93
36.6"
US 4
87
34.3"
73
28.7"
97
38.2"
US 6
91
35.8"
77
30.3"
101
39.8"
US 8
95
37.4"
81
31.9"
105
41.3"
US 10
99
39"
85
33.5"
109
42.9"
US 12
103
40.6"
89
35"
113
44.5"
US 14
107
42.1"
93
36.6"
117
46.1"
US 16
111
43.7"
97
38.2"
121
47.6"
US 18
115
45.3"
101
39.8"
125
49.2"
US 20
119
46.9"
105
41.4"
129
50.8"
US 22
123
48.4"
109
43"
133
52.4"
Finished Garment Measurements
Size
Bust cm
Bust in
Sleeve cm
Sleeve in
Back Length cm
Back Length in
US 0
84
33.1"
60
23.6"
35.8
14.1"
US 2
88
34.6"
60
23.6"
36.1
14.2"
US 4
92
36.2"
60
23.6"
36.4
14.3"
US 6
96
37.8"
60
23.6"
36.7
14.4"
US 8
100
39.4"
60
23.6"
37
14.6"
US 10
104
40.9"
60.6
23.9"
37.3
14.7"
US 12
108
42.5"
61.2
24.1"
37.6
14.8"
US 14
112
44.1"
61.8
24.3"
37.9
14.9"
US 16
116
45.7"
62.4
24.6"
38.2
15"
US 18
120
47.2"
63
24.8"
38.5
15.2"
US 20
124
48.8"
63.6
25"
38.8
15.3"
US 22
128
50.4"
64.2
25.3"
39.1
15.4"
Skirt length: 50 cm / 20" from waistline (all sizes)
Remember: size up if you are between sizes.
Difficulty Level
Skill Level
Details
⭐⭐⭐ Intermediate
Bow tie construction, bias binding, gathered skirt, set-in sleeves with ruffle or elastic hem option
This pattern is suitable for sewists who are comfortable with basic garment construction. The bias binding and sleeve-setting steps are detailed in the photo instructions and YouTube tutorial.
Key Techniques in This Pattern
1. Making the Bow Ties
There are eight ties in total. Each tie is folded, stitched, and pressed before being attached to the garment. Two ties sit on the inside of the left side seam, two on the outside of the right side seam, and two on each side of the front bodice. When wearing the dress, start tying from the bottom tie on the inside.
2. Assembling the Bodice
Fusible interfacing tape is applied to the neckline of the front bodice pieces before assembly to prevent stretching. The ties are sandwiched into the side seams during construction — two at the first side seam (right sides together), and two more tucked under the pressed seam allowance on the other side.
3. Adding the Pockets
The pockets are placed 2 cm / 3/4" below the top of the skirt on the wrong side of the front skirt pieces. After understitching, the front and back skirts are sewn together with the pockets included in the side seam.
4. Assembling the Bodice and Skirt
The skirt is gathered using two rows of long stitches, then adjusted to match the waistline of the bodice — front to front, back to back. The waist seam is sewn at 1 cm / 3/8", overlocked, and pressed downward.
5. Bias Binding
The remaining front bodice ties are pinned in place before bias binding begins. Binding starts at the hem of the front skirt, travels up and across the neckline of the back bodice, and ends at the hem of the other skirt. The ties are caught in the binding as it's stitched. When stitching the angled part where the bodice and skirt meet, pull the bodice slightly to create a straight line — this part will become slightly rounded.
6. Sleeve Options
You can choose between ruffle sleeves or elasticated sleeve hems. For elastic hems, the sleeve pattern is cut at the marked line and the bottom is folded twice and stitched, leaving a small opening for the elastic. For ruffle sleeves, bias tape is placed 9 cm / 3.5" above the sleeve end, and the elastic is inserted into the channel — creating a gathered ruffle below. Both styles use elastic sized to your wrist circumference.
What's Included in the Pattern
Pattern files for sizes US 0 – US 22
Available in A0, A4 and US Letter formats (print at home)
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