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Today we will be sewing the shoulders and the neck lines, I sewn mine with View A but I will also give a run down on View B as well. So let's get started on today's lesson!
Collar, Shoulders, Facings
1. For View B - If you have not done so already, fuse the interfacing to the wrong side of one set of collar pieces. Sew your collar pieces together with right sides facing only on the curved edge. Trim seam allowance, then turn, and press.
Place the collar pieces onto the right side of the front dress with the dot of the collar matching the dot you transferred from the pattern onto the dress front. (Let's pretend mine is not the pattern here and is a collar piece.) The collar piece will only go as far as the shoulder seam and not onto the back. The side raw edges of the collar will be sewn into the shoulder seam.
2. For all views, pin shoulders together on main dress only and sew together.
3. I trimmed my seam allowance here and then pressed my seams open.
4. For View B Only - Now we are going to do some more pretending here for a minute. My yellow chalk lines are where your View B dress lining is cut at. (Mine is cut for the lining of View A) Take your back facing piece and pin the bottom of the facing to the top of the center back with right sides together.
Pin the outer edge of the facing to the top edge of the shoulder. Now, working slowly, pin the rest of the facing to the dress lining, cutting notches into the dress lining as needed. (Be careful not to trim into the seam line itself.
Stitch with a 1/2" seam allowance. Trim your seam and press seam towards facing.
5. For View A Only - Take your front and back facing pieces and pin together with right sides facing, stitching together at shoulder. Trim should seams and finish this raw edge. (I used my serger for this one).
6. Serge or zig zag stitch the bottom raw edge all the way around. Set a side.
7. Sew the lining of the dress front and back together at shoulder seams, right sides together on both views. Press shoulder seams open.
Zipper
Now onto sewing the zipper in. If you have not sewed with an invisible zipper yet, don't worry, it really is not as hard as you think. My first invisible zipper I ever sewn was with and Oliver and S pattern. It came out great with the directions given by Liesl!
1. With the zipper closed and facing wrong side up, mark the zipper tape where the top of the zipper sits.
2. Now, with a lower setting on your iron (as not to melt the zipper teeth) you will unroll the zipper coil and press it flat with the zipper wrong side facing up. Do this to both zipper sides. The flat zipper will be easier to sew in correctly.
3. With the right side of the back of the dress facing up, working on the wear's left side, place the zipper with the wrong side of the zipper facing up and matching the line of the top of the zipper to the dot you transferred from the pattern onto the dress. To help get the zipper placed on right I always lay my zipper onto the dress as if it were sewn in and finished, then I flip the zipper over the pin in place. This way I do not get my zipper all turned around and twisted. I have done this a few times on my second side and taking seams out on a zipper is not any fun, trust me.
4. Now, line the zipper teeth edge up with the seam allowance line you made and pin in place. The pattern recommends that you baste the zipper in place before sewing. I will not lie, if you do this, it sews in much easier, but instead I pin mine a lot, then sew the zipper in place.
On the bottom of the zipper transfer that bottom dot. This will be your sewing stopping point. The top one is your stitching starting point.
Sew the zipper in place as close to the teeth of the zipper, but with out sewing over them. **Note, if you have an invisible zipper presser foot be sure to use it here. If you do not, use a regular zipper foot. I used just a regular zipper foot to sew mine.**
5. After sewing on one side of the zipper, zip the zipper closed and mark on the un-sewn side of the zipper where you stopped sewing on the sewn side.
6. Now, unzip the zipper again. Pin the zipper on the opposite side of the dress with the right side of the zipper and dress facing. Be careful not to twist the zipper.
Match up the top mark on the zipper to the top dot on the dress, pin place. Next, pin the bottom of the zipper where you just marked onto the bottom dot on the dress. Pin the rest of the zipper in place.
Before you baste and sew the zipper in place, recheck to make sure that the zipper facing the correct way, not twisted, and will zip closed. I have made this mistake way too many times...... all on one dress, always check first. LOL
7. Stitch the zipper in place as close to the teeth of the zipper, without sewing over them. Zip your zipper up to check to see if you have sewn close enough to the teeth. If you see a spot or two that you have not, now is the time to resew those places.
8. Take the top of the zipper and fold it over the raw edge a bit Stitch in place.
9. To finish the side seam of the dress, pin the dress sides together above and below the zipper with right sides together. Using your zipper foot still, sew the top of the dress to the zipper with an 1/2" seam, stopping at the dot on the dress. Sew the bottom part of the dress, again using your zipper foot, starting at the bottom dot. Sew down 2", stop, change your presser foot back, then continue stitching down the side seam to the bottom of the dress.
10. Press your seams open. Flip your dress and admire your invisible zipper and seam!! Yep, that zipper really is hardly seen.
11. If your zipper is too long like mine was, sew the zipper about 2" below where the bottom of the zipper is sewn onto the dress. Cut off the extra part of the zipper below this. Then, sew the bottom part of the zipper that is hanging down (the two inches that is left) onto the seam.
12. Take and pin the wear's right side together and stitch. Press seam open.
13. On the lining of the dress, on the wear's left side, pin the lining together with right sides facing, but not pining the area between the dots. These dots were used for the zipper on the main part of the dress. Sew the seam starting at the bottom of the dress and stopping at the first dot, then starting up again at the next dot and sewing up to the top.
Press this side seam open and press the un-sewn area between the dots with a 1/2" seam as well. This will be where the lining sews onto the main dress zipper area. Next, sew the second side of the lining in same manner as main dress second side. Press seam open as well.
14. For View B Only - Place the dress lining over the main dress with right sides together, pinning all the way around the neck line. Sew with a 1/2" seam, trim the seam, turn and press well.
15. For View A Only - *** This is a modification I made to the dress to fully line this version. This step in not in the pattern. *** With dress right side out, slip the dress lining inside the dress. The dress lining's wrong side must be facing the main dress's wrong side. Pin around neck line, then baste in place using a 3/8" seam.
16. Take you neck facing and pin it to the dress at the neck line with right sides facing. Stitch around the neck facing using a 1/2" seam allowance and also following the stitching guild for the V notch.
17. Carefully trim the neck line and V notch to 1/8".
18. Press the seam, as close to the V notch as you can, towards the facing.
19. Top stitch the seam allowance to the neck facing all the way around and as close to the V notch as you can.
20. Fold the neck facing to the inside of the dress and press well.
This is where we will leave off for today. Come back tomorrow so we can finish up our dresses!!
Sharon
* If you would like to earn entries into the prize drawing, please make sure to submit a photo of your completed Lesson Three to this Facebook Album by 12:00 noon CST, Monday, November 16th. If you have any questions the Facebook Group is a great place to ask.
Danielle Storm
www.whimsicalfabric.com
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