Valentine's Day Dress
SEW ALONG
Day 5 - final day!
Today is the day we finish this dress! I know some of you have been waiting for today to come so you could try that dress on your little girl and it's finally here! We are going to attach the skirt to the dress, hem the dress, hem the sleeves and add a ribbon tie and then we are DONE!
Please email me or comment below if you enjoyed this sew-along! It was a lot of work and I want to know if you'd ever like to do another one. I hope you had fun and learned something!
Happy, happy sewing!
When you finish your dress please be sure to add a picture of it on our Facebook page, email it to me or add a link to your blog post about it in the comment section below below. You can even do all three just to show it off!
If you're just getting started, you can find the previous days here:
Monday - Day 1 - CLICK
HERE - print the pattern
/ cut out your fabric
Tuesday - Day 2 - CLICK HERE
- assemble and line the
bodice / add the collarWednesday
- Day 3 - CLICK HERE attach the sleeves / finish the
bodiceThursday - Day 4 - CLICK HERE - Buttons and buttonholes (with
videos)
Friday - Day 5 - Attach the skirt and tie and DONE!
Friday - Day 5 - Attach the skirt and tie and DONE!
Yesterday I filmed some short videos that hopefully helped you learn to sew on a button and sew your buttonholes for the dress we are making. If you missed them, they can be found here:
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
1. Time to baste stitch the bodice's waist. Place a pin parallel to the bottom edge of the bodice, to hold the left and right bodice layers together (under the bottom button).
2. Baste stitch all the way around our bodice, sewing through both layers of fabric, until you get back to your starting point. This helps hold your fabric together evenly as you pin it to the skirt.
(I hem my skirt now, before I go to step 3. But you can do it now or hem it as your final step. )
3. Lay your skirt fabric right sides together with short edges touching. Pin down the short edge. Sew along the pinned edge using a 3/8 inch seam allowance. Serge or zig-zag stitch the raw edges. Trim threads. Press seam to the side with an iron.
***You can either sew a basting stitch around the top of your skirt and pull the bobbin thread to gather it to fit evenly to the width of the bodice, pin to the bodice with right sides together and then skip to step 7 OR follow steps 4-6 to gather it without using a basting stitch. ******
4. Turn your skirt inside out and upside down. Slide the bodice into the skirt fabric. Center the skirt seam to the center back of the bodice. Pin. Repeat for the front center.
5. You are going to find the center between your two pins on the left side of the skirt fabric and pin it to the left side seam of your bodice. Repeat for the right side and match it to the right side seam.
6. Continue finding the center of the skirt fabric between any two pins and pinning it to the midpoint between those two pins. This helps you evenly space your skirt fabric. Continue until the skirt is evenly gathered.
7. Sew around your pinned edge using a 5/8 inch seam allowance. Serge or zig-zag stitch the raw edges. Trim threads.
8. Flip skirt down and press with an iron. Make sure you press the seam up towards the top of the dress. Topstitch to hold the seam in place.
9. Time to hem the dress. Fold up a 1/2 inch hem, press with an iron and then fold up another 1/2 inch hem, press with an iron and pin in place. Sew the hem.
10. Time to hem the sleeves. Fold up a 1/2 inch hem, press with an iron and then fold up another 1/2 inch hem. Press with an iron and pin in place. Repeat for other sleeve. Sew each sleeve's hem.
11. Cut a piece of 1 inch wide grosgrain ribbon to 22-30 inches long (your preference). Fray check either cut edge of the ribbon OR hem the cut edges of the ribbon by folding over the ribbon 1/4 an inch and then another 1/4 an inch. Sew to secure. Repeat for the other raw edge.
12. Center your ribbon at the waist. Sew on with a few stitches. Backstitch. Trim threads.
You DID IT!!!
Are you proud of yourself? I hope so!! I'd love to hear from you!!
Please email me your finihsed dress picture or post it on facebook! You can also add a link in the comments below if you want to show off your dress on your blog!
*My little 3 year-old sat on my lap and helped me sew the hem and sew on the purple ribbon. She was a doll! When she tried it on she hugged me and said, "Mom, I couldn't have done it without you!" Ahhh! My heart just about burst with joy! What a beautiful moment of sweetness from that cutie's mouth!
Below: My little girl in her new dress! It was hard getting her to smile - she just wanted to go play with her markers! :)
Happy Sewing!
Jenny
I stayed up extra late to finish the dress. I am happy to have it done but wish my little model was awake. I can't wait to try it on her in the morning. I had so much fun and I really hope you do another sew along! I appreciate the time and effort you must have out into this!
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ReplyDeleteDitto what ^tammi^ said, thanks for all the time and effort you put into this. It was fun. The late post Wednesday really threw me off for the rest of the week, I just finished it today. Also, I made a size 3 so I'm sure this is too big for my little but I'm gonna put it on her anyways. =) It is super duper cute, I love the style. Thanks again, looking forward to more!
ReplyDeleteThank you for this awesome and fun sew along. I got delayed a little with the last two steps, but finished and my dear daughter wore her cutie pie dress to church today!
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