Dressmaker Walkthrough: From Order to Finished Dress

1. Read the commission card

When a client describes what she wants, the game turns it into a card. It lists a Quality target, one or more style targets (for example Flowers 60, Cute 30, Romantic 45) and often a budget. Some cards add caps such as Cute 20 max, colour rules like avoid black, fabric shares like at least 60% cotton, or accessory counts like one brooch. Every named client's cards are on the commissions list.

2. Measure and set the mannequin

Record the client's bust, waist and hip, then turn the dress form's three dials until each shows a full match. The pattern pieces are sized from the mannequin, so a poor fit follows you all the way to the final score. Reference values are on the measurements page.

3. Design in the sketchbook

Choose a bodice, collar, sleeves, skirt — the screenshot above pairs a Queen Anne bodice with an upright frill collar and a petal peplum skirt. Each part shifts the dress's tags. Swapping parts is free, so keep iterating until the card's style targets are met before spending a coin. Colouring the sketch shows how much of each fabric you'll need.

4. Buy fabric at the Emporium

Every fabric at The International Emporium lists its tags — Blush Pink Velvet, for example, carries Elegant, Eveningwear, Formal, Glamour, Romantic, Warm and Cute among others. Filter by the tags your card asks for and buy slightly more than the estimate, in case you need to recut.

5. Pick accessories

Accessories carry tags too, and some cards require specific ones: Edith wants a brooch, Dorothy a jewel and a brooch, Vivian five tassels, Prudence five bows. Silk flowers are the easiest way to raise a Flowers target.

6. Lay out and cut the pattern

Each pattern piece shows an arrow for its grain line. Line it up and the piece turns green; leave it misaligned and your quality is capped no matter how well you sew. The counter at the top shows how much of the length you've used, so pack pieces close together to stretch your fabric.

7. Sew the seams

Guide the fabric so the needle stays on the stitch line. Straight seams can be taken quickly; curves are where speed turns into wobbles, so ease off before each bend.

8. Decorate and choose what's next

Add buttons, bows, brooches, jewels, feathers and more to finish the look. When the dress is done, the Sewing Complete menu gives four choices: complete the commission, continue working, sell the dress, or gift it.

9. Check, then deliver

Hand the dress over and the client reacts. The result is final: a failed card still pays its budget and the story moves on, but you get far less friendship. So before you press Complete Commission, compare the dress with the card and use Keep working to fix anything that falls short.

How scoring works

The result depends on quality (fit, cutting and sewing), each style target, and any caps and rules. The budget is what the client pays, not part of the score. Matching the card beats spending more: an expensive dress that misses a tag or breaks a colour rule still gets rejected. Good results raise your reputation and unlock new patterns and stock. For more ways to squeeze out extra stars, see our Dressmaker tips.

All 53 story commissions in order

The front desk hands out the main story one card at a time, always in the same order, and only offers the next card once the current one is handed in, pass or fail. The story takes roughly 35 hours. Each client's cards, with requirements, are on her character page, and the events they belong to are in the town events guide.

1. 1.Librarian Workwear · Rose
2. 2.Flamboyant Funeral · Prudence
3. 3.Fierce Funeral · Priya
4. 4.Respectful Funeral · Marie
5. 5.Biographer's Interview · Edith
6. 6.Vegetable Empire · Fiona
7. 7.Studious Motivation · Alice
8. 8.Chilly Overtime · Rose
9. 9.Nocturnal Glamour · Vivian
10. 10.Pigeon Adoption · Dorothy
11. 11.Undercover Servant · Prudence
12. 12.Sporting Chance · Adora
13. 13.Spirited Exercise · Alice
14. 14.Phoenix Costume · Edith
15. 15.Exhibition Opening · Priya
16. 16.Secret Art Critic · Adora
17. 17.Art Appreciator · Vivian
18. 18.Goat Mediation · Marie
19. 19.Walking Billboard · Fiona
20. 20.Carrot Promotion · Edith
21. 21.Love Labyrinth · Alice
22. 22.Hedge Camouflage · Dorothy
23. 23.A-maze-ingly Lost · Fiona
24. 24.Floral Romance · Prudence
25. 25.Spring Fete · Marie

Every card's full requirements, with a pass checker, are in the commission finder.

When the 24 optional cards unlock

Optional cards slot in between story cards once a particular story card has been handed in. The ones marked “pigeon” arrive by Berty's pigeon mail, and finishing all eight earns an achievement.