Seamingly Smitten: Sew Along Day 4 - Valentine's Dress

Valentine's Day Dress

SEW ALONG

DAY 4

VIDEOS are below that teach you how to sew a buttonhole and how to sew a button.

This week's Sew Along will show you how to sew this dress:

Are you enjoying this sew along? I love hearing from you and cannot wait to see the dresses you all are making! I told my husband the other night that this SEW ALONG makes me so happy! I love knowing we are all doing this together and I hope that some of you have been inspired to try something new or even start a new project. Some of you told me you have never done sleeves, some of you have never done buttonholes and buttons before, but you all are crafty ladies that are not going to let that stop you! Thank you for being here for this Sew Along!

Today I actually have 3 VIDEOS for you that I made about today's part of the sew along. (NOTE: These are my FIRST VIDEOS EVER! I usually only take videos of my silly kids doing funny things so to put myself in front of a video camera was so different! I know I sound squeaky like Minnie Mouse on the video, but if you can look past that, you will learn about buttonholes! Haha!) I really hope they help you and I hope you can learn something new!

The videos show you how to use your sewing machine and your buttonhole foot to sew your buttonholes and another video shows you how to use your sewing machine to attach the buttons. So much to share today, so let's get started!!

VIDEO 1 - How to sew a buttonhole PART 1 - CLICK HERE

VIDEO 2 - How to sew a buttonhole - PART 2 - CLICK HERE

VIDEO 3 - How to sew on a button with your sewing machine - CLICK HERE

Above: using a buttonhole foot

Above: Using a button foot and a zig-zag stitch

If you're just joining us, here's the line-up for the daily posts so you can see what we will work on each day:
Monday - Day 1 - CLICK HERE - print the pattern / cut out your fabric Tuesday - Day 2 - CLICK HERE - assemble and line the bodice / add the collar
Wednesday - Day 3 - CLICK HERE attach the sleeves / finish the bodice
Thursday - Day 4 - Buttons and buttonholes (with videos)
Friday - Day 5 - Attach the skirt and tie and DONE!

So far you should have this:

1. Time to make the buttonholes for the dress. You can use three or four buttons for your dress, it's your preference. Lay your buttons evenly spaced down the front of your dress. You want the top button 1/2 inch to 1 inch below the neckline and you want the bottom button 1 and 1/2 inches away from the bottom of the dress bodice. This will allow you to have enough room to add the skirt tomorrow.

2. Place your buttons 5/8 inch away from the left front bodice's middle edge (when you're looking at it, it's the left side of the bodice). You will make a mark onto your dress fabric at the bottom of each button. I just used a Sharpie (Did that freak you out? Some people cringe when I say that! Just use whatever you want..chalk, disappearing ink marker...etc.)

Now you will have four marks which mark the bottom of each buttonhole.

3. Take out your buttonhole foot for your sewing machine.

4. Place the button you are using in the button plate guide at the back of the buttonhole foot. This tells your sewing machine what length to make the buttonhole.

5. Attach the buttonhole foot and pull down the buttonhole lever. Place it behind the plastic stopper.

Select the buttonhole stitch you will use. I am using stitch 26 which is a secured buttonhole.

6. Position your fabric so the mark you made lines up between the red marks on your buttonhole foot. That is where the bottom edge of your buttonhole will be when it sews the buttonhole. Press your foot pedal down and let the machine do the work. Do not lift your foot until the entire buttonhole is sewn and the machine comes to a stop. Trim threads.

7. Repeat for all of your buttonholes.

8. To cut open your buttonholes, take a pin and poke it through the buttonhole from the top to the bottom edges. This helps weaken the fabric so the buttonhole will cut and open easier.

9. Place a pin underneath and parallel to the top stitches of the buttonhole. Your pin will be slightly inside the buttonhole. This will allow you to cut only the fabric in the buttonhole and not accidentally cut up through the stitches and ruin the buttonhole altogether.

10. Use your seam ripper, poke it into the fabric at the bottom of your buttonhole, right above the stitches. Push upward with your seam ripper all the way until it hits the pin you placed. Now it's open!

11. Repeat for the other buttonholes.

12. Overlap your buttonholes one inch over the right side of the dress bodice. You will mark where each button should go. I do this by poking a pin through the MIDDLE of the length of a buttonhole, lift up my left side of the bodice and mark where the pin is touching on the right bodice.

13. Repeat for the rest of the buttonholes to mark your button placement.

14. Sew on each button by hand or machine. I use my button foot and attach it to my sewing machine.

15. Turn off your feed dogs so the fabric won't move as your machine sews on the button. You want your fabric still and stable.

16. Place the button centered on your mark. Switch to a zig-zag stitch and slowly turn your handwheel so towards you so the needle goes through one hole. Keep turning so the needle comes back up and then down again so the needle zig-zags and goes through the next hole.

If it hits the button itself, widen your stitch width or make it more narrow as needed until the needle can easily pass from one hole to another. Once it does, press your foot pedal to secure the button. Backstitch. Trim threads.