How do you make those dresses?

     I'm still sewing for Abby. I had planned another dress for her, but she had different ideas. She liked the teddy bears with flowers, and she liked the 'widdle birds', but she loved the owls and butterflies and flowers. She kept bringing the owl fabric to me to talk about. She showed her brother, and cousin, and her papaw. She wore the owl outfit home today. It was Simplicity 2684.

Dress Tutorial

This is an easy dress to make. However, basic sewing skills are necessary.
 I start my dresses with a pattern. I have little interest in drafting a pattern. So I buy them. Abby is wearing a 1/2 or a size 1 in Simplicity patterns. My current go to pattern is Simplicity 2574.

make sure to match sewing line

2574 has separate yoke pieces for the front and back of the dress. Most of Abby's dresses have a solid back. I simply pin the yoke pattern piece to the dress skirt pattern piece.

I've used the patterns so much, that I needed to make a butcher paper copy. I traced around the pattern pieces and cut them out. With the front made into a single piece, a longer yoke can be made.

I cut a bodice piece from a solid yellow to compliment my focus fabric. I turned the bottom edge of the front to clean finish the edge. I also cut bottom bands to finish the bottom of the skirt.

Pin the yoke to the front of the dress. Pin only aroud the neckline and the armscye. Seam each armscye and the neckline. DON"T SEW THE TOP OF THE SHOULDERS.

Clip the curves very close to the seamline. Pull the seam line straight to make sure the clips are adequate for the garment to lie correctly.

 

Turn the front of the dress right side out. Press, making sure the seams are pulled out as far as possible.

 

After a little practice, sewing in a zipper will take less than 10 minutes. No, that's not a typo, TEN minutes. I always make a single lap zipper opening. It seems to cover the zipper best.

Mark the length of the zipper for the back of the dress on the seam allowance. Baste the back dress opening closed. Cut the thread at the end of the basting. Stitch the rest of the back opening closed using the normal stitch length. Backstitch at each end of this stitching. Press the opening open.

With the bottom of the dress away from you, and the wrong side up, put the closed zipper face down on the right seam allowance. (Make sure the dress is not under the seam allowance.) Baste the zipper to the seam allowance. Stop sewing as you approach the zipper pull and open the zipper. I find it best to leave the needle down in the fabric while I ease the zipper open past the presser foot. This will allow you to make a straight seam. Finish basting the zipper. Turn the zipper face up, forming a fold in the seam allowance. Stitch along the fold close to the zipper teeth. Press the zipper and seam allowance flat (like it will be in the finished dress). From the right side of the dress back, beginning in the 'ditch' of the seam at the crimp of the zipper, sew the zipper in using a normal stitch length. Stop sewing as you get to the zipper pull again. This time you will need to rip the basting stitching out to be able to unzip the zipper past the machine's presser foot. I find it best to leave the needle down in the fabric while I ease my seamripper an inch or two past the presser foot. Finish sewing the zipper. You are done with the zipper!

Turn up 1/4" hem on the bottom edge of the facing. Stitch into place.
Pin the facings to the dress backs. Fold the center back seam allowances over the zipper at the neck edge. This will make the neck edge finish cleanly. Stitch the facings as you did the front facings. DO NOT STITCH THE SHOULDER SEAMS. Clip seam allowances.



Press the facings away from the zipper. Press the back of the dress as you did the front.

 

At this point in the process, you have a dress front, and a dress back that is completely finished except for the shoulder seams. I sewed three buttons on the dress front. Topstitch the dress front edge.

Glue the trim over the line of topstitching. Glue basting really helps keep the trim straight. Much better results than pinning.

Now my sewing techniques take a turn from the traditional. Now, to work on the dress shoulder seams. Turn the back of the dress wrong side out. Slide the dress front into the dress back, between the dress fabric and the facing.

Make sure the right side of the dress front is next to the right side of the dress back.

 

Work the front shoulder seam allowance into the back. Meet the edges. Stitch the seams. Clip the corners.

 Pull the dress front out. Press the seams.




Stitch the side seams, fold the back facing over the front of the dress to make the underarm seam finish cleanly.

Stitch the seams of the bottom band. Baste 1/4'" from the top edge of the band to make a folding line for the hem. Pin the right side of the band to the wrong side of the dress. Stitch the band to the dress bottom. Press the band's top edge along the basting stitches. Pin into place, topstitch. Glue baste the band's trim into place. Topstitch.