Butterick sew along part 6

Let's finish this bad boy up!  I don't think there's anyone who's caught up (or even started lol!) but just in case you were making a Christmas dress, you could finish in time.

Last time we finished sewing the skirt and the lining but now we need to assemble.

We first need to sew the skirt to the bodice fabric.  They should line up  perfectly (I love not having to do pleats or gathers!).  If you played with the seam allowances you might need to unpick a side skirt seam and adjust.

If not, pin and stitch, keeping the bodice lining free.  5/8" seam allowance.  You can of course change it if you need to shorten or lengthen your bodice, just remember your seam allowance amount so you can duplicate it for your lining.

Now do the same for your bodice lining and skirt lining.

It should look like this.

Now let's get to the finishing details.

Zipper

I like to start with the left side.  Unzip the zipper.  Take the left side and put it right side down on the bodice fabric, lining up the edges.

The teeth of the zipper should not be on the edge.

Using a zipper foot (most machines come with them, it's super helpful for zippers or doing piping.  If you don't have one, that's ok!  Use your regular foot), stitch down the zipper to both your dress fabric and the lining.  I just pinned both skirt layers together but if you want to baste them (only to the end of the zipper!!  Not to the hem) you can.

Now zip up the zipper.  We need to pin the other sides together.

With right sides together, matching the waist seam, pin the zipper tape just like before.  I like to start with the waist to make sure it's lined up (and sometimes it still isn't or slips or something!).

Right sides of the zipper and dress together, btw.

In the picture above you can see how I'm moving towards lining up.  The far side of that zipper tape is to be lined up with the far side bodice in the bottom of the photo - the piece with the lining side up.

Match centers.  Pin right at the center point.

Now flip it around and pin the rest with the zipper tape on top and transfer your first pin, being careful not to move your waist seams.

This time, starting at the bottom of the zipper , stitch.  Remember to stitch right at the bottom of your tape.  Don't stop where the zipper stops.  I used to do that.

I didn't touch on this with the first zipper side, but I will now.  I never remember being taught or reading how to get around the actual zipper.  I remember many wonky zipper installations when I first started because when the presser foot hit the zipper pull it lunged to the side.

When you get below or above the zipper pull and need to move it out of your way, hand rotate your needle down into your fabric (my machine automatically stops in the up position).  Lift your presser foot and keeping your needle down, rotate your fabric sideways.

Now grab the zipper tape from underneath or through the arm hole and pull it down carefully.  By rotating, you should have just enough room to pull it down.  Keeping your needle down makes sure you don't lose your place.

Here's what you're left with at the bottom of the zipper.

Finishing this.  Did you serge or hem the end pieces?  If you did, you're good to go.  If not, do that now.  At this point, I wouldn't serge zig zag, I would do a small hem.  Remember to figure out which side of your lining is the right side - check with your bodice.  It's so smart, it has all the right answers.  Roll twice.

Lining first.  With the right sides together, pin the lining sections together right where the little metal stop is at the end of the zipper.  Stitch to the end.

Isn't my lining pretty!  I don't know where or what this is from, it was in a huge fabric stash my mom cleared out.

Now do the dress fabric.

Now separate the two layers of skirt.  Right sides together, pin them together at starting at the metal zipper stop.  Backstitch quite a few times at the start, just to reinforce.  Then stitch to the end.

Now let's top stitch your zipper.  Starting at the top, where your neckline stitching is go in the opposite direction, down the side of the zipper.  With your zipper foot. Stop at the end of the zipper (not zipper tape).  Use the rotating method if you need to.  Do the other side.

Hem time.  Presumably you cut your lining shorter than your skirt fabric - I'm pretty sure that was notated on the pattern pieces.  If you didn't, that's ok!!  You can trim them now or just give them an extra hem.

Start with the dress fabric so you have a reference point.  You want the lining to be a smidge shorter.

 

I like to do a very small hem.  I have less issues that way.  When I used to do the hem called for in patterns (5/8" usually), they looked so so wonky.  I don't know how anyone can do one successfully.  There's a skill I need to master.  The Emily & Fin dresses are so cute with their wide hems.  Once you go all the way around, go again.  This locks in your edges so your dress doesn't unravel.  I've done only one hem before.  It was fine at the time but two years later I had to majorly shorten a dress to get rid of all the fraying and hem again.

Now hem your lining making sure you pay attention to which side is the right side.  You want the part that touches your body to be pretty, even at the bottom.

We're almost done!

I don't know if you want to lay it on the floor for this step, hang it on a hanger or just hold it like I did.  We need to stitch the bodices together.

You can hand tack them which would be the neatest way.  Or you can be lazy like me and machine stitch them.  No guarantees that it'll look nice on the inside. 

I started at front center and held the top neckline with my left hand and pulled down on the waist so they were taught then pinned.  I did this all the way around.  Pin on the outside.  The outside is what counts.

Now stitch in the ditch, or just above the ditch on the bodice.  Your call.  I did the ditch.  That sounds like some sort of drinking challenge that I've earned a t-shirt for.

My inside did not look nice.  Clearly my method for lining them up wasn't the best. 

You're done!  

Unless you want to do the bow like me.  But even so, and even though you may not know it at the onset, you're still done.

You might want to just stop here.  Or use a ribbon.  I promise I'm right.  Here's what I did.  

Sew the bow piece together following the directions.  Should look like this.

Leave the opening, turn it.  Pin the opening closed.  Top stitch all the way around.  I don't hand sew often.  Now comes the most helpful part of the directions.  I was wondering if I missed a piece, or mistakenly cut it too short.  The bow creation.  

"Tie a bow."

Helpful.

Good one, Butterick.  It's so freaking short!!  How can anyone tie that into a nice bow?!

My dress is bow-less.

I tried to just do some creative twisting but it still looked like crap.

So, no bow.  But I still love my dress.  It's so nice having a fully lined dress and I'm like a 5 year old with the full, twirly circle skirt!

I sure wish I had moved the laundry out of the shot, made my bed and closed my husbands dresser and closet doors!  Old house, people didn't need a his and hers dresser I guess.  So his is in one of the closets.  Obviously I've gotten off track.  Trying to avoid justifying my modcloth sale purchase that just arrived the day before Christmas to an angry husband.  Wish me luck!!

I can't wait to see everyone's dresses!!!

Butterick sew along part 5

Skirt time!  

****** if you don't have a serger and want to finish your skirt seams you have two choices, one will need to be done before you sew your skirt pieces together.  Please scroll to the bottom for instructions.

First we'll start with the pockets.  My last few dresses I've forgotten the pockets until I had already sewed up my side seams and of course I'm much too lazy to rip a seam and resew it.  Actually, in the last two I was too tired and in a major time crunch.  My Dr Seuess dress was the night before we were leaving for Florida at 1AM and I still had to sew a skirt for Em.  I remembered in time to put in one pocket!  My thanksgiving dress was a similar, night before, making the girls dresses too.  No pockets made it into that dress.

So I've never put pockets into a dress where I had a lined skirt.  I've only ever done a lined skirt once - the first time I made this pattern.  Dresses with pockets weren't really on my radar yet.  So I was thinking that I needed to have them go through the lining fabric.  How was I going to do that and have nice finished edges and have the lining facing the right way.

I spent far too long trying to figure it out.  Then I had the brilliant idea to look at one of my Emily & Fin dresses.  They're the only dresses I have that are completely lined.  How is it that other brands charge so much for an unlined cotton dress?  Anyway.  Their pockets go between the lining and dress fabric.  I've never had an issue when wearing one of their dresses so they're my model.  

Lay your front skirt piece on the floor and lay a pocket piece on top, where you'd like it.  I just kinda winged it, held the skirt up and put my hand where I'd like to have a pocket - no special, magical measurement there.

Right sides together!  Line up the straight edge.  Pin.

Now put another pocket on the other side.  You can measure or you can follow my "measuring tape is all the way up on my sewing table and I'm sitting on the floor" technique.  I placed the corresponding pocket on top of the first pocket.  Then I flipped the left side of the skirt on top of the right (where I already had the pinned pocket), right sides together, like a sandwich.  Then I snuck a finger between the two pocket layers and pinched the top, unpinned pocket and added a pin at the top.  Then I unfolded the skirt and pinned the rest of the pocket.

Now lay the matching skirt back sections next to the corresponding skirt front pieces.

Add your matching pocket section on the skirt back piece, again, right sides together.  Pin.

You can totally measure, or you can just visually line everything up if you're lazy like me.

Also, don't be jealous of my pink carpet.  

Do the same for the other side.

Now let's sew.  Start at the top of the pocket.  I generally don't do it right at the 5/8" seam allowance, I make mine a little smaller.  Also, my stitch settings are wrong in this photo.  I'm normally set at 2.5 and 2 but my machine automatically puts them at 3.5 and 2.2.  I have to adjust every time I turn on my machine.  I forgot this time and had go back and stitch it again.

Stitch all 4 pocket edges.

Now we're going to sew the skirt pieces together.  Before we do this.  Just double check that you haven't sewn a pocket to the triple triangle side.  Just humor me and check.  It's quicker to pull out a few stitches on a pocket than the whole skirt side.  Good?  Ok.

Pin the skirt front to the matching skirt back section, pockets out.  Like this.

Did you adjust any waist measurements?  I did and almost forgot!  Because this isn't a gathered or pleated skirt, you can't really just make small adjustments.  So you need to sew with the same seam allowance at the top of the skirt as you did at the waist of the bodice.  I was at 3/8".  I started there and then moved out to 5/8".  When you get 1/2" below the top of the pocket, stop, backstitch a few times then rotate to sew around the pocket.  When you get back to the skirt, backstitch a few times again, rotate and continue sewing down the side seam.  Finish like usual.  Do this on the other side.

The pocket is on the top of this photo, you can kinda see the corners where I did the backstitching.

So let's talk about finishing seams.

Do you have a serger?  I didn't until my amazingly awesome Aunt Gail gave me hers that she bought when her Joanns went out of business but never used.

For awhile I did nothing to finish seams.  Then I zig zagged the edges.  It takes forever but works.  I've also done small hems on the skirt sides first.  That's much quicker.

I would recommend doing something because your fabric will start fraying after a few washings.  

HEMMED

After you sew on the pockets, sew a very very small hem.  I'm talking the smallest hem you can.  Measure how big it is though and make note.  Now do it again.  You should hem each edge twice.  Taking note of the amount of fabric you've hemmed.  You can't be lazy here.  You have to measure.  You're rolling onto the unfinished side.  Do it on all four edges. 

Then when you sew the skirt sides together, subtract the hemmed amount from the seam allowance.  

ZIGZAG

On scrap fabric, try out a few zig zags.  Make sure you try them on the edge.  Then pull at the fabric a little to see how much it frays.  I generally like a stitch that has the zig zag but also a straight edge that locks the fabric in a bit better. 

With the zig zag, you can do it after you've sewed the skirt front and back sections together.  Rotate and continue at the pockets.

SERGER

 If you have a serger, serge the edges, including the pockets.  Leave the end threads long, pull one thread from the bunch and tie it off by hand.  Trim thread.  

CENTER BACK SEAM

Finish each of these in your desired manner.  You want to do this before you sew these edges together and add the zipper.  It's impossible to finish it once the zipper is added.

Now do the same for the lining (except the pockets of course.  Just sew the skirt pieces together and finish the edges.  

That's it for today!

Butterick sew along part 4

HBodice assembly time!

So assuming you've fitted your lining, you have now taken out the side seams.  You should have a lining and a bodice with the front and back sewn together at the shoulder seams only.

***if you'd like to add any trim to the bodice/neckline, this is the time.  You want the ends of it to be encased in the back seam so it doesn't show and/or fray.  

I did a double row of rickrac on my thanksgiving version of this.  

If you're going to add something, first, do a basting stitch at 5/8" around the entire neckline.  I usually set my stitch length to 4 for a basting stitch.  This is just so you know where your placement is.  You'd hate to sew it too high and have it not show or have to rip it out.

Place and pin your trim then stitch it on.  Then remove your basting stitch.   

Now it's time to assemble.  With the right sides together, pin the bodice and lining neckline to each other.  I start at the center and work my way around, making sure shoulder seams line up.  I also stitch the center back together (the side with the 3 notches).  You don't have to do that step.  I do it because I don't like having an unfinished edge under my zipper.

It's kinda hard to see because I don't have a big enough work space to lay it out completely.  It's times like this that I miss sewing on the dining room table.  I don't miss having to clear off the table every night or make the family eat in the living room for a month straight :/.

Start stitching at one of the center back sides but with the smallest possible seam allowance you can get.  Then turn at the neckline when you're 5/8" away.

 Stitch all the way around.  If you're doing the "V" in front, stop stitching (and backstitch a time or two) at the first dot, then rotate and stitch down to the bottom of the V, backstitch again, then rotate and sew back to the next dot.  Backstitch again and then continue on around the neck.  I would recommend backstitching by hand here - turning the wheel on your machine by hand.  You don't have a lot of space to work with and it's easy to go too far.  It's also hard to see.  You don't have to backstitch in all those places, I do it because I'm paranoid!  

When you get to the other center back piece, go to the smallest seam allowance you can again.

I didn't do a great job on my V.  I think I need to sew it a little deeper.  I didn't mark it, it was a last minute decision to add it.

Now slash into the V being careful not to cut into or too close to your stitching line.

Next it's time to sew the arm holes.  Most patterns I've found have you use some sort of binding on sleeveless dresses.  I find it super irritating and annoying and time consuming to do.  I didn't even look to see if that's what we're supposed to do here.  My first version of this has piping so that might be what the directions tell you to do.  Sorry!  I like it my way better.

Just pin and sew at 5/8" all the way around the arm holes.

Now trim and clip your curves.  I didn't take pictures here because holding something and taking photos with an iPad requires one more hand than I had.  I do have pictures of another dress though :)

Trimming the seam.

Curve clipping.  Clipping the curve is just cutting straight lines on all curved sections, closeish to the seam but not too close and not through it!  It helps the bodice to lie flat.

Now turn your bodice right side out.  This is why we didn't sew up our side seams yet.  Open the bodice front sections and feed the back ones through.

Now you need to attach the sides.  Hopefully you remember how your fitting went and how big you want your seam allowance.  I'm thankful I'm doing the sew along because I had it written down to check back on.

Sandwich together the bodice fabric front and corresponding side piece and the lining.  

See how the lining pieces on the inside line up?  Unfold the bodice fabric sections so the whole thing is matched, right sides together.  The lining sections should be kissing and the bodice fabric should be kissing.

Start pinning at the middle seam to make sure it lines up and pin out from there.  My bodice front pieces were too long because of my darts not lining up because I played with cutting between sizes.  Yours should line up if you didn't mess around like me!  Even if they don't line up perfectly, don't worry!  It's not a huge deal!  We'll take care of it when we attach the skirt.  

Stitch.  Make sure when you get to the center seam that you rotate a little because of the angle of the bodice.  It's not a straight line.

This might be a better photo - also from a previous project.

Do the other side and you're done!  Your bodice is assembled!

The next thing I like to do is top stitch.  I'll admit that it's the first step to go though if I'm in a time crunch.  You can also just press your seams if you prefer.  I'm too lazy to get out an ironing board, so top stitching it is.  

Start at the center back seam, I usually do smaller than a 3/8" allowance.  You can do whatever you like the look of, just be consistent.  Make sure your seam has been turned all the way.  Sometimes I have to get a needle to pull my fabric out of the crease.  This is especially true at the corners.  Make sure you also think about your thread color.  A lot of times I sew all my seams in white and then curse myself at top stitching time because I don't have the right color thread.  You can also do a fun contrasting thread here if you like.  

Stitch all around the outside, starting at the center back (where your zipper will be), up and around your neckline and down the other center back side.  Then go around your arms.  I recommend starting on the back bodice section right below your underarm seam.  It's the most inconspicuous place in the event you run into trouble.  It's difficult to start right over the seam, which would be the least noticeable.

And that's it!  Next time we're moving on to the skirt.  Get ready :)

Butterick 5748 part 3 - Darts

We're going to start sewing tonight but we're keeping it simple.  Darts and fitting.

I'm starting with my main bodice fabric so it's easier to show you the correct side to mark and sew.  You should probably start with your lining because you will have to rip a few seams if you're going to make adjustments.

You marked your darts already (make sure your pins are on the wrong side of your fabric) when you cut so this will be a quick step.  Start with your bodice back sections.  With right sides together, line up your marks, making your pins kiss and having your single mark, the point of the triangle right on the crease.

It's not the greatest picture, sorry! 

Sew along the line. Back stitch at the start.  When you get close to the end point, sew the last few stitches along the crease.  DO NOT BACKSTITCH.  Leave the threads long so you can hand tie them, either now or after you've sewn all the darts.  Do the other back piece.

Now do the front pieces.  The bottom dart is simple, slightly bigger but the same as the back piece.

The top dart gave me a smidge of trouble because I cut two different sizes.  So my dart points didn't line up perfectly.  I made sure my middle darts and end point did and then let first ones fall where they wanted.

You can see the white pin and black pin on the end - how far apart they are :)

To get my starting point since my official one was so wrong, I made a straight line that intersected the other two points.

Normally a dart doesn't end up looking like this.  If you only cut a single size you won't have to worry about this!  Darn my boobs being so small.

 Now, do the other side.  If you haven't already, tie off all of your darts.  I tend to double knot them just to be safe.  Trim threads.

Now we're going to fit it.  Make sure you use basting stitches.  I set my length at 4.  I back stitched to make sure my seams didn't fall apart while I was fitting it.

Start with the shoulder seams with a 5/8" seam allowance.  Backstitch at the start and finish from here on out.

Then line up the front and back pieces.  Pin and baste the side seams.  Again, my side seams don't look normal :).

Now, try it on, see how it feels.  Mine felt perfect at the bust (thank goodness!) but too small at the waist.  I'm going to try it again with a 3/8" seam on the waist graduating up to the 5/8" at the bust.  Now, rip your side seams.  Leave the shoulders if the shoulder drop felt fine.  Stitch over them at the regular stitch length.

Now do the darts for your bodice fabric and stitch the shoulders.  You're done with this step!  Next time we'll assemble the bodice.

5748 part 2 - cutting

Let's cut!  Btw, that last piece of pie last night was amazing.

So I looked at the cutting layout in the pattern instructions and it just didn't work for me.  If your fabric has stripes, plaids, geometric patterns, etc., you may want to follow their directions to better help you match them.  Mine doesn't.

I wanted to do the biggest piece first, to make sure I had enough (I've made this mistake before!). That meant the skirt front piece that needs to be cut on the fold.  It's too big to go on the fold that the fabric comes on.  I opened the fabric and folded the end of it in the opposite direction.  

 The center of the fabric is the natural fold line.  There's enough room on the side there to fit the back bodice piece in. Let's do that.  If yours doesn't fit, there will be enough left at the end!

Notice those little triangles?  They're to help you line up pieces.  I've gotten to a point where I feel comfortable not using them for the most part but I used to ALWAYS use them.  I did cut them on the skirt back pieces because it can be hard to figure out which goes where without the fold like on the front skirt piece.  

Once you cut out the bodice piece, you need to mark your darts.  You can do this with chalk, disappearing ink marker thing or pins.  I like pins.  I just fold up the pattern half way through the mark and pin all the way through both layers of fabric.  

Then I transfer my pins to the wrong side of the fabric on both pieces.  I use the pin holes from the first marking as a guide.

Back to cutting (or do the cutting all first and come back to this section to pin after you cut both bodice sections - if you need to indulge in that juvenile act of defiance).

Keep folding the fabric in the same direction so you have just enough to cut another skirt section.

If you're doing the bow, you have room on the side to put that in.

Cut them out, I'd recommend cutting the three triangles on the back piece.  That's not a threat or anything.

Then fold your fabric back the way it came.  Put your front bodice section on it, pin and cut.

Then do your markings.

 

First step with just one set of pins in.

After transferring to the wrong side.

Here's what I was left with - it's enough to do a dress for one of my girls with some supplemental fabric.

I also had a decent sized scrap pile.  Perfect!  I need pockets!  For my Dr. Seuss dress, I didn't remember to pockets in until I had already sewed one of my side seams.  Of course I couldn't be bothered to pull the seam apart!  So that dress has one pocket.  My thanksgiving dress from the last post has no pockets because I forgot.  I'm not forgetting this time, hooray!

So grab some scraps, you'll need 4 pocket pieces.  I don't have a pattern piece, I just kinda wing it based on other pocket patterns.  Most importantly, I always use my hand as a guide, nothing is more annoying than too small pockets (like one of my favorite dress designers!  I seriously can't get a whole hand in.)

Something kinda that sized.  Make sure you do a decent drop on the bottom.  I've done a too shallow pocket before and then it's useless.

Now use that as a template and make two more.

Done!  Now go back to the top and start again with your lining fabric lol!

I'll be back tomorrow to start sewing that bodice.