making know how making know how Sweet summer style Pair a floaty summer dress with a chic and simple scarf. By Jeanne Spaziani one front bodice, one back bodice, one front skirt and one back skirt. Shoulder seams 2. Sew the front to the back bodice at the shoulder seams. I used French seaming on this dress but you can use a different seaming method if you prefer. BACKDROP FABRIC: Great Dahlia on oyster linen, Bennison Fabrics, 020 7730 8076, bennisonfabrics.com Neckline and armholes 36 www.craftsinstitute.com 3. Stay stitch the neckline and both armholes 5mm in from the edge. Be sure not to stretch the curves as you do this. They can then be finished with either a fine pin-hem, which is what I did and is the lightest, most delicate method for thin fabrics, or by using a narrow purchased cotton bias binding. See the (below/above) link to a video showing how to do pin-hems. Practice on some scraps of fabric first. Because these are curved areas you really do need to stay stitch both the armhole and entire neck before either method or the curves may stretch out very badly. After pinhemming (or binding) lay the bodice out on your ironing board and carefully press the curves so they lay nice and flat. Summer dress You will need 2m of 148cm wide lightweight fluid woven fabric such as poly or silk georgette, cotton lawn, crêpe de chine, rayon challis etc Scissors Sewing machine Matching thread Hand sewing needle Safety pin 20mm wide elastic – enough to go around your waist 2m of 15mm/16mm bias binding to finish neck and armholes (optional) Cutting out Darts and side seams 4. Next sew the front bust darts. Join the bodice side seams together, matching the Tips 1. You could sew a second elastic casing 3cm above the first, and even a third one above that to completely gather in the entire midriff of your dress. 2. If a fishtail hem isn’t for you, lengthen the pattern so it measures the desired length from the waist seam all the way around. Remember to add hem allowance. 3. For a level hem style you can have a wider hem turning if you prefer. Do lay your pattern pieces out on a table or floor to work out just how much fabric you’ll need if you are changing the skirt length! 1. Cut the five dress pieces on page 84 from your fabric: one elastic casing strip, www.craftsinstitute.com 37 making know how finished armhole edges very accurately. Sew the skirt front and back together by the seaming method you prefer. Attach bodice to skirt 5. With right sides together, matching the side seams and the centre notches, join the skirt to the bodice with a 1cm seam allowance. For dress pattern templates see page 84 or for full size templates visit www.crafts institute.com Elastic casing 6. Take the waist elastic-casing strip and press 1cm to the wrong side of it along one long edge. Press the seam allowances at the short ends to the wrong side too. Starting at a side seam and with the unpressed right side of the casing strip against the wrong side of the skirt, pin and sew the casing to the waistline seam allowances close to the waist stitching line. Press the casing and the now enclosed seam allowances up towards the bodice (the seam allowances can be trimmed a little smaller if you think they need it). Pin and topstitch the casing onto the bodice along the pre-pressed edge. Elastic 7. A good rule of thumb for an elastic Scarf measurement is your waist measurement minus 7cm. Safety pin the elastic closed and try it on your waist to see if this feels snug You will need enough. If not, adjust as needed. With the 50cm of 148cm–160cm wide safety pin pinned to one end of the elastic fabric (soft fabrics work best) thread it through the casing, making sure it Scissors doesn’t twist along the way. When the back Ruler end gets close to the casing opening anchor Pins it with a pin so it doesn’t disappear into Sewing machine the casing! If it does disappear just Hand needle 1. For different effects your carry on threading the front end Matching thread scarf can be pieced together from through until you can pull it out and different fabrics. For example try start over again. When the elastic a pattern and a solid or using two is finally in place overlap the two 1. Press your fabric contrasting colours. extended ends and securely hand and make sure the 2. In step 4 before the ends are sew them together. Give the waist edges are straight. joined, one end can be given a half a few stretches in and out to help With wrong sides twist before pinning together which distribute the gathers along the out fold it in half forms a mobius strip which adds elastic. Close up the casing opening lengthways and sew another element to your with a few hand stitches. a seam 1cm in from the scarf. en.wikipedia.org/ long raw edges. Leave a wiki/Möbius_strip 10cm gap in the stitching as Hem Tips 8. Try on your dress, adjust the hem length as needed and finish with a fine pin hem. shown in the diagram below. Scarf diagram Resources Mustique chiffon fabric in orange: www.croftmill.co.uk YouTube pin-hemming tutorial: http://bit.ly/175xzmr Bias binding tutorials: http://bit.ly/17IJlon Printed at 50%. Reproduce at 200% for actual size. 3. Turn the whole tube right side out and tuck the raw ends into the turned back edge, lining up the seam. 4. Reach your fingers through the 10cm gap and grab the edges. Pull them out through the gap and pin together. Stitch all the way around. 5. Pull all right side out and press the join seam flat. Press the long edge seam so it is right on the edge of your scarf and press the fold along the opposite edge. 6. Pin the gap and slip stitch it closed. Resources Cotton Hummingbird fabric: www.dittofabrics.co.uk 10cm gap width of fabric 148-160cm FOLD 38 2. Turn back 1cm seam allowance in the end nearest the gap and lightly press in place. fabric wrong side out www.craftsinstitute.com