HELPA dress is named after a Slovakian village where the designer Kristína Šipulová visited a pleating manufacturer. The pleats are the signature feature of this minimal dress, creating a beautiful silhouette. HELPA is inspired by folkloric clothing: garments that are passed down from generation to generation. The HELPA slip-on dress is a beginner friendly pattern, especially if you want to learn the art of making French seams.

Kristína Šipulová’s inspiration lies in the rich textile heritage of Slovakia. Weaving, bobbin lace, and handpleating are just some of the techniques she uses in her work, which focuses on the revival of handweaving and delicacy in textile production. During her studies at the Academy of Fine Arts and Design in Bratislava, Slovakia and the Oslo National Academy of the Arts, Norway, Kristína produced custom made, handwoven fabrics for Chanel. Now she’s committed to sharing her knowledge and skills with the craft community through tutorials and designs.

All photos by Laura Oja. Illustrations by Ivona Fodora.

Fit and size:
HELPA is a loose-cut design that comes in three sizes. Choose your size based on your waist circumference. Add a recommended positive ease of approximately 4.5–14.5"/12–37 cm. You can choose a smaller ease for a sng fit or a larger size for an oversized look.

Ajak Majok is 66"/168 cm tall and wears HELPA in size 1–3.

Fabric recommendations:
Choose light to medium weight non-stretch woven fabrics such as linen or viscose. The black sample is made from 100% linen (5.9 oz/200 gsm) and the white sample is made from a light cotton crepe. Both fabrics are from the designer’s stash.

Files:
A4 (home printing) and A0 (copy shop printing) PDF files with sizes nested. Sewing instructions are in a separate PDF file.

Delivery:
After purchasing, you will receive a link to download the PDF files. There are no delivery charges for the digital patterns, as they are delivered automatically via email immediately after purchase. PDF patterns are only eligible for return and refund if the provided download links have not been used. If the download links have been used, the product will not be refunded.