Dressmaker beginner's guide

Updated 30 September 2026Checked against Build 410

Dressmaker runs on one loop: a customer brings a brief, you design, buy fabric, cut, sew and decorate a dress, and you are paid in coin and reputation. This guide follows one commission from start to finish so you know what every station is for.

1. Ring the bell and read the brief

Customers come to the front desk. Since Build 403 you ring the bell to call the next one, so you can take a break between orders.

Each brief combines a story request with measurable requirements. For example, one press screenshot shows a garden-party brief with these requirements:

Quality comes from how well you cut and sew. The other lines are style tags, and they come mostly from the fabrics and accessories you use. Our commissions guide explains how to read every kind of requirement.

2. Design it in the sketchbook

Open the sketchbook and choose a piece for each part of the dress, such as a bodice, collar, sleeves and skirt. The press screenshot shows a Queen Anne bodice, Fae sleeves and a Petal Peplum skirt. Since Build 410, the component names are clearly clickable.

Drag fabric swatches onto the sketch to preview which tags the dress will get before you buy anything. The sketchbook also estimates how much fabric the design needs (about 4.73 m in the screenshot). When you are happy, press Draft Pattern.

3. Buy fabric and accessories

The International Emporium sells fabric by the metre and trims by the piece. Each fabric shows its tags. For example, Blush Pink Velvet carries tags such as Elegant, Formal, Romantic, Warm and Cute. Buy at least the metres the sketchbook estimated, and a little extra if you are still learning to cut efficiently.

Accessories such as silk flowers, bows, buttons, appliqué and lace trims are on the Accessories tab. They matter for tags like Flowers.

4. Cut the pattern

Lay each pattern piece on the fabric and cut it out. The counter at the top shows how much of your fabric length you have used (3.58 m of 6.00 m in the screenshot). The arrows on each piece show the grain line. How you place pieces changes how the fabric looks on the finished dress. The cutting guide covers placement and rotation.

5. Assemble and sew

Put the pieces on the mannequin (since Build 410, hovering a piece in the inventory shows where it goes), then sew each seam at the machine. The on-screen accuracy indicator shows how close you are staying to the line. You can change the thread colour by clicking the spools (Build 410). See the sewing guide for tips on getting a clean seam.

6. Decorate and deliver

Add accessories until the tracker on the right shows every requirement met. When you finish, the Sewing Complete menu offers four choices:

• Complete Commission: hand the dress to the customer.
• Continue Working: keep adding details.
• Sell dress: sell it off the rack instead.
• Gift Dress: give it away.

Completed commissions earn coin and raise the customer’s star rating, and more of their story follows. Meet the regulars on the characters page.

What to do next

• Learn which fabrics give which tags in the fabrics and tags guide.
• Check your progress against all 32 achievements.
• Want more fabrics? Browse Dressmaker mods.