When I went sewing machine shopping, I knew that one of the main feature I wanted was automatic buttonholes. I love that feature!
So let’s make the buttonholes and sew the buttons on our dress today!
The buttonholes/buttons on the pictures are inversed: buttonholes should be on the right side and buttons on the left. I had to make the change because of the way the collar way standing. Please follow the instructions and sorry for the confusion.
BUTTONHOLES
1.Mark the buttonholes on the right side and the buttons on the left side. Mark the buttonhole and button on the under collar as well.
2.Stitch the buttonholes on the right side. Sew the buttons on the left side.
3.Open the buttonholes with your seam ripper. Be careful not the cut the threads!
4.Overlap the buttonhole placket over the button placket and baste the edge. The bodice is now opened only on the left side (where we are going to insert the zipper).
Have a great week end (I’ll be having a great one at a wedding!) and see you on Monday for sewing the skirt up and attaching it to the bodice!
2.Place the pocket over the bodice front left side and pin it matching the pocket bottom to the dart leg. Adjust the height as prefered. Mine is situated just over the bust apex.
1.Take your bodice front piece and make sure you have transfered all the markings (dart, sleeve marking, zipper marking).
2.Fold the dart in the center with right sides together, matching up the dart legs. Pin into place.
3.Stitch the dart: backstitch at the beginning but not at the end. When you arrive at the dart tip, tie off the threads.
4.Press the dart toward the center.
1.Take your bodice back piece and report all markings (darts, waist and collar center, sleeve and zipper markings).
2.Stitch the darts like for the bodice front and press them toward center.
2.I decided to make a turned-and-stitched finish.
3.On the left side, stitch from the armhole to the zipper marking. Depending on how you finish you seam allowances, you might want to finish them before stitching the side seam (serger, zig-zag).
1.Pin the shoulder seams together with right sides together and stitch. Press the seams allowances open and finish them.
1.Take the bodice front. Fold and press the fabric margin (1 cm, 3/8″) along the interfacing, following the markings, like on the picture.
2.Fold again follwing the markings (3 cm, 1,2″) and press.
3.On the right side, stitch very close the fold. Repeat on the other bodice side.
1.If the waist line of the muslin doesn’t hit at your natural waist, you might want to lengthen or shorten the bodice. First, you’ll need to add a lengthen/shorten line. It’s not on the pattern but it can be added at the 3f mark.
3.To shorten the bodice, bring the pieces over each other and paste.
1.Draw the seam allowance line around the armhole (1,5 cm or 5/8″).
2.Draw the other seam allowance line at the shoulder (black). Join the shoulder center to the armhole line: red line.
3.Draw a line from the shoulder angle to the red line.
4.Cut the red lines making sure not to cut the black line. You now have a pivot point.
5.To widen the shoulder, add the desired ease and paste over a piece of paper. To narrow the shoulder, bring the pattern pieces over and paste. Report changes on the back pattern piece.
1.Draw the bust apex about 2 cm (0,8″) above the dart point.
2.Draw 2 lines (in red) from the bust apex: one going to the middle of the dart legs and the other one going to the armhole (I joined mine to the triangle mark).
3.Draw a line (in green) parallel to the lengthen/shorten line if you have made it (if not, parallel to the 2f cutting line).
4.Cut the red line up to the black armhole line.
5.Cut the green line leaving it attached by 1 cm (3/8″) approx.
6.Cut along the lengthen/shorten line to the red line. To make a Full Bust Adjustment, add the desired ease and match the pattern pieces. Paste them on paper and redraw the lines.