BILLIE JEAN SEW-ALONG # 6 - ATTACH THE LINING - BOTH DRESSES.....

Today's sew-along post we will be attaching our linings to our Billie Jean dresses. This process of attaching the lining applies to BOTH of the Billie Jean dresses i.e Dress 1 is fully lined and Dress 2 only the bodice is lined.


First up here are the last sew-along posts:

#1 - Getting started
#2 -  Full Bust Adjustment
#3 - Assemble the bodice
#4 - Assemble the skirts
#5 - Dress 1 - Attach the bodice to the  skirt 

So here we go, lets attach out linings:

Step - Attaching the lining

 I decided to use the below image, instead of taking photos of this step in the process, as it is a lot clearer to understand the actual  process of attaching the bodice lining to the bodice shell.

With right sides together, lay the bodice lining on top of the bodice shell, this applies to both of the Billie Jean dresses.
 Align all the neckline and armhole edges and pin in place at the neckline and armholes.
Stitch the lining to the bodice shell at the armholes. Then stitch the bodice lining and bodice shell together at the neckline, starting and stopping at least 1/2'' - 1'' away from the bodice back edge to allow for the zipper to be inserted.

Trim the seams at the armholes and neckline.

Turn the entire dress right side out, by pulling the lining through the at the shoulders. This turned out to be incredibly  hard step to photograph, without confusing the process even more! So i do apologise that i don't have an actual photo of this, but the below image shows you the point in the shoulder to pull through the lining. It is a bit of a squeeze, especially when pulling through the whole Dress 1 lining at the shoulders, but it does work, just pull it through slowly!

Once you have the dress and lining right out, you will need to press the neckline and armhole, to get a nice finish. If you like you can top stitch the neckline for a little bit extra fanciness!

That's all folks! Next up is  Dress 2  we will be stitching up the  bodice side seams, and attaching the bodice to your awesome full gathered skirt... its gonna look like a real dress, pretty soon!

Sew-along recap:

Dress 1 - You  should now  have  the dress lining attached at the neckline and armholes, and completely pulled through at the bodice shoulders, and nicely pressed. You will also still  have your side seams left un-stitched and also the centre back skirt seam.

Dress 2 - You should now have your bodice lining attached at the neckline and armholes, and completely pulled through at the bodice shoulders, and nicely pressed. You will have your  bodice shell and lining side seams still  un-stitched.


Check in with your fellow sew-alongers on Twitter using hash tag #billiejeansewalong , Facebook or over on the Flickr group...... I am already starting to see some pretty amazing Billie Jean's being sewn up out in the wild!


Happy sewing!

Abby
x

BILLIE JEAN SEW-ALONG # 5 JOIN BODICE TO SKIRT - DRESS 1...

Calling all Dress 1-  wiggle dress sew-alongers! This blog post is dedicated to you! Dress 2 Peeps you can sit this one out! Unless you are making both Billie Jean dresses at the same time!

Today's post we will be joining the bodice to the skirt at the waistline for Dress 1 - the wiggle dress AND stitch up the shoulder seams. It is  very exciting because your dress will start to look like an actually dress! Woo!

Listed below are all the previous sew-along posts, in case you need to catch up or just a refresher:


#1 - Getting started
#2 -  Full Bust Adjustment
#3 - Assemble the bodice
#4 - Assemble the skirts


Oakey Dokey  lets get started:


Right sides together, pin the bodice front to the skirt front at the waist, make sure to match the notches, princess seams etc.
 Repeat this step with the back bodice and  back skirt pieces.

Start with the front bodice and front skirt and stitch them together at the waistline.
 Repeat for the back bodice and each of the back skirts.




Finish off the seams and press the seam up towards the bodice. I have finished the waistline seams with my over -locker, but you can finish them anyway you like, as along you don't add any extra bulk to the waistline seam.
 * Repeat these steps for the dress lining.

DRESS 1 - SHOULDER SEAMS


 Now you have your Wiggle dress bodice and skirts attached at the waistline, you  can now stitch the bodices together at the shoulder seams.

So right sides together, pin  the bodice front to the bodice back at the shoulder seams.

Now stitch together  the bodice front to the bodice back at the shoulder seams.
Finish seams and press open.
 * Repeat for the dress lining.

A short sew-along post today, coming up next  we will be attaching the  linings, and officially starting to head towards the finish line!

Happy sewing :)

Abby
x

BILLIE JEAN SEW-ALONG #4 - SKIRT ASSEMBLY - BOTH DRESSES..

Good Morning sew-alongers! Hope you had a great weekend, and hopefully squeezed in some sewing of your Billie Jean dress?!

Today's sew-along post we are tackling the skirts for both dresses and creating the darts, in-seam pockets and the skirt gathers. After this post you will be well and truly on the way to having your Billie Jean dresses taking shape!

Below are all of the previous sew-along blog posts, if you need to catch up:

#1 - Getting started 
#2 - Full bust adjustment aka FBA 
#3 - Assemble the bodices 

So lets get started:


DRESS 1 - Create the darts 

To create the darts on the skirt front (6) and back skirt (5) fold along the marked dart lines, right sides together meeting these lines together. On the inside of the skirt, pin the darts in place at right angles to the folded dart lines.
Stitch each dart from the wide end (waist line) to the end point of the dart. Repeat for all darts on front and back skirts.
Press the darts towards the centre of the skirt.
*Repeat this process for the skirt lining.

DRESS 2 - Pockets, side seams & centre back seam

SKIRT POCKETS - Woohoo  we are up to assembling the in seam pockets for Dress 2 - I love
 in-seam pockets, they are truly one of  my most favorite things in the world!
And they are really easy to create and before you know it  you'll  have some awesome pockets to hide your treasures in! And the best part is is they are so easily adapted to any skirt or dress design.

So here we go....

I recommend snipping the skirt side seam & pocket piece ( 9) in the seam allowance, just to make it easier to match up the skirt and pockets - Remember don't snip too far into the side of the skirt!

Starting with the front skirt, right side together, pin your  pocket pieces (9) to the left and right sides of the skirt, matching up the  seam allowance snips, you just created.
* Repeat for the 2 back skirt pieces.

Stitch from the top to the bottom of the pockets, starting roughly about 1 cm above where the pockets are pinned, and again 1 cm past the edge of the pocket, to secure in place.

Finish this stitched pocket raw edge.

Fold each pocket into the inside of the each skirt piece, and press.

With right sides of the skirt  together, match the pocket pieces together and pin the pockets and the skirt side seams in place.

Stitch the skirt side seams together, stitching in a continuous line around the pockets and down to the hem.

Finish the seam edges and press.

TA DA! Your finished in-seam pockets!

Dress #2 Creating the skirt gathers 


To create the skirt gathers along the waistline, use a long basting stitch and create 2 stitched rows.
The first  baste stitch row, will be t 1.5 cm away from the waistline edge, and will start from the back skirt edge ( where you zipper will be inserted).
As you stitch along the waistline edge, stop and start your basting at each skirt side seam i.e where your in-seam pockets are, leaving long thread tails as you go at each of these points.

Stitch the second basting stitch a 1 cm distance away from the first basting stitch row, again starting from the back skirt edge and stopping and starting your stitching at each skirt side seam, making sure to leave long thread tails as you go.

On each skirt piece gently pull  the 2 long thread tails together you have left at each skirt side seam to create the skirt gathers.
Distribute the gathers evenly across the waistline.

Change your stitch back to your normal stitch length and stitch across all the gathers on the waistline to secure them in place. Be careful not to catch any part of the skirt or gathers while stitching.Once done trim all the long thread tails.

SKIRT BACK SEAM

Lastly, right sides stitch the centre skirt back seam up , leaving an opening for the zipper. Finish seam and press.

There you have it, the skirts are way on their way to being completed!

Sew-along recap:

Dress 1 - You so far will  have your bodice and bodice lining sitting aside, with princess seams stitched, but  not the shoulder or side seams. Your wiggle skirt you should  have your front and back darts done, on both the main skirt and skirt lining.

Dress 2 - You have your main bodice and bodice lining stitched up including the  shoulder seams, but not the side seams. For the full gathered skirt you have stitched in your in-seam pockets, created the skirt gathers, stitched up the skirt side seams and centre back seam  and left the opening for the zipper to be inserted.

I hope your enjoying the sew -along, remember to post on the Flickr group your sewing  progress, ask any questions you have or just follow along on Twitter using the hashtag # billiejeansewalong or post on Facebook page.

Enjoy!


Abby
x

BILLIE JEAN SEW-ALONG # 3 - ASSEMBLE THE BODICE - BOTH DRESSES...

Howdy! Today's sew along blog post we will be assembling  the dress bodices and also the bodice linings. These steps apply to both dress bodices. My theory behind posting so soon again, because its nearly the weekend! And what does that mean?... SEWING AND LOTS OF IT! So if you are joining in on the Billie Jean sew-along so far you will have a lot to work with.

If you are just joining the sew-along you can check out  what we have done so far and what we are up to, in the previous sew-along blog posts, here and here.



OK lets get started on our bodices.....



Step 1 - Stay Stitching


Stay stitch the front and back bodice neckline's 0.5' away from the neckline edge.

* Apologies i totally forgot to get a photo of the stay stitching! But you probably get the main idea...



Step 2 -  Assemble the Front bodice

Right sides together, pin the side front panel (4) to the centre  front bodice panel (3). You may have to ease the side front panel piece into the curve of the centre front bust area.
Repeat this process on both sides of the centre front bodice.

Stitch in place  each bodice side front panel (4) to the centre front bodice (3), taking care and stitching slowly around the bust curve.

Clip the seam curves on each side of the front bodice and press them open.


Step 3 -Assemble the bodice back 

Right sides together pin in place the side back panel (2) piece to the centre back bodice piece (1). 
Repeat on both sides of the back bodice.

Stitch both side back panels in place to the centre back bodice, taking care when stitching around the bust curve.
Clip curves on back bodice seams and press seams open.

* REPEAT ALL OF THESE STEPS FOR YOUR LINING BODICE, ON BOTH DRESS VERSIONS.




DRESS - 2 ONLY 

Ok folks these steps below are for those of you who are sewing up the dress 2 version of the Billie Jean sewing pattern, the full gathered skirt dress. Dress 1 peeps, you can sit these steps out!

Step 1 -  SHOULDERS SEAMS



Right sides together pin the front and back bodice together at shoulder seams

Stitch shoulder seams together, finish seams and press open.

* REPEAT THESE STEPS FOR YOUR  DRESS 2  BODICE  LINING


That's all for this sew - along post folks!

Just to recap on what you will have sewn up after this  post:

Dress 1 - If you are sewing up a wiggle dress, you will so far have your main bodice & bodice lining front and back  assembled, but not yet stitched up at the shoulder seams or side seams.

Dress 2 - If you are sewing up the full gathered skirt dress, you will so far  have your main  bodice & bodice lining front and back assembled and stitched at the shoulder seams, but not the side seams.


Happy sewing and have a lovely weekend sew-alongers!

Abby
xxx

BILLIE JEAN SEW-ALONG # 2 - FULL BUST ADJUSTMENT aka (FBA) - PRINCESS SEAM BODICE..

OK sew -alongers, this blog post we are getting into the nitty gritty of the Billie Jean pattern, the serious side of business, just kidding don't panic!  
I will be showing you how to do a Full Bust Adjustment aka (FBA) on a princess seam bodice for the bodacious of bust! 
It may seem a little bit mysterious and you may be slightly panic stricken at the thought of doing an FBA, but i assure you it is easy! And i am going to walk you through the process step by step, so read on!

So  how do you know if you need to do an FBA on your pattern?

Simple! When you check the size chart on the back of the pattern envelope, and you  have noticed that your bust measurements fall into the larger size column, compared to the rest of your body measurements - this means, then you most likely will need to do one. But if this isn't giving you any clues or your still not sure,  here are  a few other ways to know if you need to do an FBA: 

* When you are trying to close the bodice of the dress and you can't!  And while doing so the girls are getting squashed flat!
* The waistline is sitting higher at the front then the back of the bodice.
*The dart apex is hitting you too high.
* Your fabric is  pulling around your arm syce and basically  all over the place.
* Just an  all round feeling of un-comfort whilst  wearing the bodice.

How do I calculate my FBA?

Basically all you need to do to calculate your FBA, is just figure out what size you would be if you used your bust measurement. Then  compare this  it to what size you would be if you used your other  measurements ( waist, hip) to determine your size. You will then need to measure this distance between those two sizes on your bodice front pattern piece. The total distance measured  is how big your FBA will be.

Tools you need to complete an FBA:

• your side front & centre front  bodice paper pattern pieces
• Pattern paper/ tracing paper 
• a pencil 
• a ruler 
• Sticky tape 
• scissors

OK,  let's begin shall we...

Draw your slash lines:

We will start with the bodice side front pattern piece, and draw our 4 slash lines needed to make the adjustments:

Draw the first slash line vertically from the waistline and up to the where the bust is at its fullest. Mark this line - LINE 1.

The second slash line you will continue to draw line 1 diagonally up from the bust point towards the armhole, roughly about 1/3 of the way up the armhole. 
Mark this line - LINE 2

The third slash line is drawn diagonally from the full bust point and out towards the side seam.
 Mark this line - LINE 3.

The final slash line is drawn 1'' up from the waistline and out into the  princess seam. 
Mark the line - LINE 4.



Cut and spread

Now that we have our slash lines drawn we can cut and spread them 

Starting with line 1, cut it starting from the waist,  and continue cutting up to  line 2, stopping just before the edge of the pattern piece at the armhole.


Starting from the side seam, cut line 3, stopping just before the full bust point. In cutting line 3, we have created another pivot point on the pattern piece. 
Sticky tape down the front  princess seam section onto your pattern paper.

This is where your FBA calculations come into play and are used to create the FBA adjustments! 

 Increase the opening at line 1 using your FBA calculation.For this example i will use 1'' to demonstrate. It is important to increase this gap evenly ( 1'') all the way down line 1.
Sticky tape it  down to secure the gap as you go.


Cut line 4  horizontally  and bring it down to match the bodice waistline. Remember to keep the spacing the same ( 1'') as you just did all down line 1, and tape it down.


Now draw a line extending line 3 all the way to both edges of the princess seam.



Stick this side front pattern piece onto another a new  piece of pattern paper and cut it out.


Starting at the side seam, cut line 3 ( through the new paper)  and stop at the full bust point. 


Cut into the extension of line 3 at the front of the bodice, at the princess seam, again stopping just before the full bust point. This creates another pivot point on the pattern piece.



Sticky tape  close the  line 3(dart) matching up the side seams, this will then open up at the front pivot point we just created at the front of the pattern piece.


Tape it down again onto another new piece of pattern paper, this will fill in the curve and small front opening.


The final step for us to do on the side front panel is to reduce the waistline back to what it originally is meant to be.
So you simply bring the seam allowance line at the side seam in by the amount you increased your bust by. Draw a brand new cutting line 5/8'', from the new seam line. 


Last time for the side front bodice pattern piece, sticky tape it down and cut it out on some new pattern paper!


Ok sew-alongers we are on the home stretch!
 All we have left to do now, is alter the centre front bodice piece to match the new Side Front panel. And this is super easy....

So measure 1″ up from the waistline and draw a horizontal line – this matches up with your  line 4 on your side front panel. Do the same for your line 3.


You can  measure  the seam allowance to find the same point on both pattern pieces.
Go ahead and cut out your new lines, 3 and 4 on your centre front piece and spread  them out so that they equal the same measurements that they were increased by on the side front bodice. 



Tape it all down onto some new pattern paper, and cut it out your new FBA'D centre front bodice pattern pieces!!!


All done folks and not really that scary at all, is it? 

That's all for this sew-along post my friends, but if you have any questions head on over to Facebook page , or  Tweet using #billiejeansewalong or post up your progress photos on Flickr.

Next up  we will be getting into the fun stuff of the sew-along!  ''Assembling the bodice"

Abby
xx