First, I sew it to one layer of the fabric. I can sew a line at exactly the right place. This gives me a nice line to follow when sewing the two pieces together. It also eliminates the movement of the lace when it’s sandwiched between the fabrics.Sandwiching the fabrics together.
Before turning, I gave the seams a quick pressing to help the stitches sink into the fabric. I also notched the neckline. A tip for you: alternate the notches on the two layers of the seam. Doing this will eliminate any notches from showing through to the right side…ironing can make the notches make an imprint in the right side of the fabric. When you alternate the notches with the two layers, you won’t get such an “empty” place to make a imprint. Did that make sense?
Yay! We’ve got a nice trimmed apron!
Bow pieces are cut, sewn, and turned!
• The Dress •
The dress has the same sheer overlay as the apron. It’s adds a wonderful embellishment to the classic Alice look!
Again, be sure to play with your fabric to achieve the perfect layout.Pinned and ready for basting!
Marking the darts…a new favorite technique. I trace the edge of the dart with a running stitch (the is my sew line, I prefer to cut off my seam allowances on my patterns.) I also do a running stitch straight up the center of the dart. Last thing, do a tailors tack at the point!
I just love the look of a marked dart!
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For this large back dart, I slashed the dart so I could achieve a nice balanced dart.I stopped cutting about 1″ away from the point.
Using a seam roll, I pressed the dart open. The seam roll just entered my sewing studio and I absolutely love it! No more worrying that I’ll press the wrong part of the fabric. I purchased mine here:As you can see in this picture, the 1″ at the point is still pressed “open” but without cutting it.One last pressing, this time on the right side. Remember you pressing cloth! I just made mine with some white silk organza I had it stock! I like the fact that it’s sheer and I can see exactly what I’m doing.The finished back darts.
Now onto the sleeves!
Catch-stitching the seams down. A favorite stitch of mine!
I added some ribbon to the inside of the sleeve to give the puff some support.
Now for the collar!
Again, be sure to alternate your notches. I actually had three layers of fabric for this collar so I alternated two of the layers and for the third one, I pinked the edge to a 1/4″.A detail shot of the three layers and how I alternated them.
For this Alice dress petticoat, I did all circle skirts. In my last post, I shared my tips and tricks for circle skirt hems. Give it a read!
Hem time! For the blue base layer, I did a 2′ hem. Since it’s a circle skirt, I placed small darts along the turned under fabric. This eliminated the extra fullness of the turned under fabric. As for the sheer outer layer, I pinked the edge to prevent fraying.And now, I’ll attach the trim I found in LA!I just placed the trim on the edge and did some hand stitching.Next to last step; attaching the zipper.
Zipper is in…Yay!Of course, I’ve got to show the inside before it get’s covered up with the lining! I just LOVE a neat inside!
• It’s Finished! •
Oh, yes! I made these cute bloomer to go with the costume!
Thanks for looking and learning with me! ~ Bella Mae
Psst..If you happen to like the product links I shared and decide to purchase them, I’ll make a small earnings. Just FYI!
It looks great! I love seeing all the progress photos, you work so cleanly!
Thanks! <3
This is positively exquisite!
How can I purchase one?
Unfortunately, I’m not currently accepting custom orders.