Sew-Along #13 - Stella Dress - Lesson #3

The Stella Dress View B by Izzy & Ivy Designs

Welcome to the Stella Dress sew-along.  If you have any questions, suggestions, or tips to share; please make sure to post them on our Facebook group.

Hopefully you have already read the Stella Dress instructions all the way through. It's probably a good idea to read through today's lesson once too before you begin.

*All seams for the Stella are ½" unless otherwise stated.

I also want to remind everyone that if you would like to see any of the images posted in this blog larger, just click on them. Let's begin now.


Day 3 - Assembling the Skirt and Bodice.

Hello Everyone!  Welcome to day 3 of the Izzy & Ivy Stella Dress Sew Along. Today we are going to finish assembling the skirt and then assemble the bodice. So, let's get started!

The first step in assembling the skirt is to stitch together the remaining skirt panels.  With right sides together, I placed strip 1 (the widest strip) on top of my ruffle panel and pinned it together.  I pinned here because I wanted to make sure I had my ruffles tucked in flat and to make it easier to keep it all together as I stitched it.

I stitched and serged the seam, then opened it up flat to press and topstitch the seam.  *No serger? Just zigzag stitch the seam's raw edges.

Then I repeated the process; pinning then stitching strip 2 (the narrow strip) to the ruffle panel, on the opposite side.   

After stitching and serging that seam, I opened up, pressed and topstitched.  

Then I repeated the entire process for the other ruffle panel, making two identical panels.  

Once both panels were complete, I stitched them together (right sides together) and serged the seam.  Then I set it aside for attaching to the bodice in the final day of the sew along. 

***Note: We will attach the hem band and gather the skirt in Day 4. 

Then I moved onto the bodice.  

With my bodice front right side up, I matched the arm curve of the sleeve piece (right sides together) to arm curve of the bodice.  I stitched and serged the seam.

Then I added the other sleeve piece to the opposite arm curve of the front bodice piece, right sides together, then stitched and serged the seam.  

Finally, I added the back bodice piece; matching the arm curve and stitching and serging the seam.  At this point, I opened up my dress top flat (because the last bodice/sleeve pieces are not sewn together) and ironed my elastic casings. 

I like to iron my casings before I stitch my pieces because they fold over nicely and I don't have to try to finagle the shaped dress top as I iron.  There are a couple options for finishing the elastic casing.  I serged the raw edge and then ironed it over to make a 3/4" fold.  You could also make a second, smaller fold to tuck the raw edge under and catch it in the casing stitching for a cleaner finish. 

Then I stitched and serged my last remaining arm/bodice seam, unfolding the ironed in casings as I stitched.  

Before sewing the side bodice seams, I also ironed my sleeve casings the same way as I did the neckline. 

Once all of my casings were ironed, I stitched and serged the side seams of the bodice from the edge of the sleeve and down along the side of the bodice (unfolding the sleeve casing as you sew). 

Then I refolded my ironed in casings and stitched a 5/8" seam around the neckline and sleeve casings, leaving a 1" opening for inserting the elastic into the neckline and sleeve casings.  

Using the chart on page 17, I cut my elastic pieces for the neckline and sleeves with 1/4" elastic.  

I have a fancy set of elastic threaders that I can never seem to find, so I usually rely on a big safety pin that always hangs around my sewing table for inserting elastic.  

I pin the safety pin to one end of the elastic and then use the pin to thread and guide the elastic into and through the casing.  

Once the elastic is threaded through the entire casing, I overlapped the edges of the elastic and stitched it together with a few zigzag stitches.  Then I stitched up the 1" opening that I left for inserting the elastic, making sure I was pulling the material and elastic flat before sewing.   

Repeat that process for both sleeves and the neckline. 

And then you are done with day three of the sew along!  For the final day, we just need to attach the hem band, attach the skirt to the bodice and make the sash.

* If you would like to enter the prize drawing, please make sure you submit a picture of your completed lesson to the Facebook Album by 8:00 AM CT, Monday, March 31st. Questions? The Facebook Group is a great place to ask.

Sarah 
My Blog