Sew Along Part 3 - Bodice

Lets get sewing.  Follow the pattern directions and start by staystiching the necklines of your pieces.  About a half inch from the edge (smaller than your seam allowance so you won't see it on your finished garment - it's just to help stabilize your fabric), stitch.  Every other seam should be sewn with a 5/8" seam allowance.  You can change it in certain areas to make it bigger or smaller as needed.

Do this for your regular fabric and your lining.  Now get working on your darts.  

****My suggestion is this.  Do the lining first, front and back and sew (baste - long stitches) it together at the shoulders and sides.  Try it on, see how it fits.  Make any necessary adjustments, take a dart in further, give yourself more room in your side seam.  Write it down somewhere so you don't forget so that you can sew the bodice fabric the same.

First, transfer your pins so they're on the back/wrong side of your fabric.  See how mine looks when I first start?  

After

You want to fold the right sides together so your bottom mark/pins (on the outside of the fold) are lined up.  You're making a triangle with the top mark/pin as the top point.  

Start at the bottom and sew through your point, sewing on a diagonal, getting closer to the edge as you go.  When you near your end point, do a few stitches right on the very edge of your fabric.  DO NOT BACKSTITCH!!!  Leave the thread long and tie it (now or when you've finished all your darts).  

Sew them all, 4 bodice front and 4 lining, one on each bodice and lining back piece.  This is what the front should look like.

If you've done your fitting with the lining, rip out the side seams, keep the shoulder seams.  Sew the front and back outside fabric together at the shoulder seams.

Now, with right sides together, stitch the bodice and lining together at the neck.  Now do the same with the open arms (if you're sewing the sleeveless view C).  If you're not, follow the pattern directions.  If you have a question, don't hesitate to ask!!

You can see my neck edge stitched already and my arm holes pinned.

IWhen you're done, trim the seam and clip the curves.  Clipping the curves just lets the garment lay flat and move better.

The next step is to fold over your lining.  Fold it under to hem it, towards the bodice.  Basically you want a nice clean lining edge inside your bodice.  

See?  Fold it to the inside where your darts are.

Now turn your garment right size out.

Now you want to sew your side seams together.  Match up your bodice side seams and open up your lining too and see them all together at once.

Done!!

Now if you've been careless like me, you can start panicking when you notice, after finishing the bodice, that at some point you cut the front center of it!!!!

So here were my trim options to cover.

I almost went with this next one until I pinned it and tried it on.  The line sits in the middle of my boob.  Not exactly flattering.  

I ended up picking the black.  I loved the ric rack and yellow buttons but I really wanted a staple dress that was neutral.  The black trim was leftover from a Victorian skirt that I never trimmed out.  To get it attached I had to rip a 3" section of the center neckline to slide them in so they'd be hidden.  Wouldn't want them folded over onto the inside lining.

So you're bodice is done and hopefully you don't have to try to trim out your dress to hide a hole!