Traveleer Sew Along Day 2!

Good Morning! Today we will be working on darts and sewing together the shoulders and sides of our dresses.

To start off take your back yoke and two side yokes (if you are making view A or B the back and side pieces will be long but for view C they will only be the short bodice pieces) and sew a stay stitching around the top of the fabric pieces. The stay stitching should be close to the stitching line that will happen in the constrution of the dress later. The seam allowance is 5/8" so make the stay stitching 1/8" on the outer edge from there. (see picture above)

Now onto the darts of the dress. This was my first time sewing darts seeing everything I sew is for the kiddos here but I have to say they were not hard a all, much like pin tucking. Just take it one step at a time!

First fold the right sides of the fabric togehter matching up the dart marks you transferd from the pattern. I found this easier to hold my fabric up to a light to match up these marking better.

Now we will be working on the wrong side of the fabric, pin the dart in place. I placed my pins to the right side of the dart so it will be easier to pull the pins out as I am sewing.

Start sewing the dart at the wider end and contntuie onto the smaller end folling the marks trasferd from the pattern. Do not back stitch at the end though, leave a long tail of thread at the end.

Here is what the end of the dart should look like, if the end would be finished ith back stitching it could make the end of your dart puckered  which wouldn't look good. So we are going to tie ours off by hand to make for a better looking dart.

After I make my two knots I trim off the extra thread. (see below)

Now press your dart to the middle back of your bodice.

See how nice the right side of the dress looks now?!? Now repeat with all remaining darts on the back and side bodice pieces.

Now for the side darts press them towords the center front. If your making the view A or B This is where you'll sew the pockets together and add them to your dress.

Onto sewing the bodice together. Pin the shoulders together and stitch then finish the seam allowaces with a serger or a zig zag stitch along the edge of the fabric with your sewing machine. (do same for veiw B & A) Now pin the sides together and stitch in place, then finish the seam allowaces.

This is where we'll leave off for today. Our darts and bodice (dress if view A or B) is sewn together!

Happing sewing!!

Sharon