Hello! This tutorial will go over sewing the cuffs into the sleeves, and then get into the pockets and skirt of the dress. It starts at the end of video 2 and goes about half way into the third video, so here’s the 2nd video to get you started:
Now to the cuffs. I’m trimming them down 3/4” so they’re a little more fitted and the cross-over isn’t as large. I’m also going to use snaps instead of buttons and loops.
Mark out 1/2” on the lining side of the cuff, which will be the part that’s folded up. For me it’s the part that I didn’t put interfacing on. Press that and then trim it down to 3/8”.
Mark 1/2” at the top of the outer fabric (where the sleeve will sew in), and fold the cuff in half, face to face, up to the mark.
Be sure to add loops if you’re doing loop and button closure!
Then sew the ends at 1/2” (or 5/8″ if you’re going off the original pattern).
Trim away the corner, and grade the seam allowances, or stagger them. Then use a point presser to press the edges open, then toward the lining.
Then press the cuffs flat, with the edges rolled slightly toward the inside of the cuff.
Turn the sleeves right-side out and pin the front of the opening to the side of the cuff with no extension. Pin the back of the opening at the notch on the other side of the cuff. Then pull your gathering stitch thread and pin the sleeve onto the cuff, evening out the gathers as you go. Be sure not to pin through the lining side of the cuff.
Adjust the pins and gathers until you’re happy, then sew it at 1/2”.
Press the seam allowance flat and run it through a serger or stitch near the edge to control the gathers.
Then fold the seam allowance into the cuff, pin, and hand sew closed. Or you can use your sewing machine to stitch close to the edge. Then give it one more good press.
I’m using little black enamel snaps for the cuff closure. I have a kick press from Gold Star Tool, so I used that to apply my snaps.
If you do use a snap press, please for the love of all things sewing, use SPRING SNAPS. Do. Not. EVER. Use. Ring. Snaps. They are garbage and you will hate them and they will almost definitely rip out of your clothes (they’re meant to go in webbing and more industrial, heavy duty applications like tents and backpacks). You always want to use spring snaps – that’s what sew-in snaps are – because they’re delicate and lovely and clothing-friendly.
There. Now the sleeves can go into the bodice. With the bodice inside-out, pin the sleeve into the armscye, matching the notches. Then pull the gathering threads from earlier and gather the fullness of the sleeve cap. It should only be gathered within the yoke area.
Even out the gathers and pin them in place. Then sew at 1/2”. Be sure to keep the yoke seam allowances folded up as you sew on the sleeve.
Press the gathers in the seam allowance, remove the gathering stitch, and then serge the edge.
I used the edge of my ironing board to drape the sleeve cap and press the seam allowance, but you could also use a ham or rolled up towel.
The bodice is looking good, so now let’s move on to the skirt. This is where the third video picks up, so if you want to watch ahead here’s the thing:
First I’ll stay-stitch the pocket opening on the skirt, so I’m just sewing at about 3/8” from the waist to the hip.
Now I can pin this to the pocket bag lining and sew them together at 1/2″.
After they’re sewn, go ahead and understitch at the lining. Your pocket will thank you.
Trim the lining seam allowance down to about 3/8” and snip into the curves of both seam allowances.
Then flip them right-side out and press with the skirt fabric rolled over just a little bit to hide the seam.
Put the pocket bag facing on top and pin the edges of the pocket bags together. Sew them at 1/4”. Then serge the edge to finish it.
Lay the skirt panels back out and pin the side seams and waist through the pocket bags and then sew them in place at 3/8”.
On the waist, only sew about 1/2” at the opening to secure it, don’t sew the rest of the bag to the waist yet.
Grab the back skirt panels and pin them together at center back.
Sew at 1/2” from the hem to the waist, then press the seam open.
Then pin the back skirt and front skirts together at the side seam. Sew at 1/2” from the hem to the waist.
The pocket won’t want to be pressed open, so instead of fighting with it I’m going to press the seam toward the back.
To prepare the front waist closure there’s a little bit of fiddly work to be done. I cut interfacing for the front flaps that extends 1/2” past center front.
I’ll fuse that to both sides because I cut them the same. The pattern says to cut one side shorter, but I wasn’t sure which line was the cut line so I cut both sides at the longer mark.
So the right side, which has the loops, needs to be trimmed back 1.5”.
Then fold back a half-inch and press.
Sew that down near the edge.
Fold again at center front and sew just the top edge down so the folded edge hangs free.
The left side needs a little more work because I want this to be clean finished where there’s lining. Fold the edge back 1/2” and press.
Sew it down at the edge. Then fold the skirt back at this fold line.
It should be 1.5” from the center front mark.
With the fabric face-to-face, sew the top at 1/2” just up to the center front notch.
Snip the seam allowance up to the stitch line so you can turn it right-side out.
Now it has a clean edge to butt up next to the bodice extension piece later.
Sew the gathering stitches on the skirt from center front to the pocket edge. I increased the size of my back skirt pieces so I’m going to have a gathering stitch in the back too.
Pin the skirt to the bodice, matching side seams. The right front skirt edge is already finished, so it should be pinned right at the center front line of the bodice, which is 1/2” from the edge. Pull the bobbin thread of the gathering stitch to form the skirt gathers. Spread them evenly and pin to the bodice.
Pin the pocket bags over the gathers once they’re looking good. When you’re ready, sew at 1/2”.
Be precise at the edge with the extensions to get them lined up.
This is what you want to see, the skirt extension and bodice extensions are aligned so they can sew together smoothly later:
Press the seam allowance, and then remove the gathering stitch. Run it through a serger to to clean the edge.
Now line up the front of the skirts and pin. Mark out the sew line at the corner.
Sew from the bottom up and around one corner just to the edge.
Press the seam open.
At the corner, snip into just the left seam allowance so that the extension part can fold under the right side like this.
Press the center front flat at the extension, and make sure the waistband pieces line up.
Back up at the bodice I’m pinning the collar on, matching notches, shoulder seams, and center back. There’s some ease in the collar, so try to distribute it evenly.
Sew at a half inch, then snip the curves of the bodice neck and press open.
I decided to add in the little ties at the neck, so I have a little black ribbon and I’m using a metallic ribbon to finish the ends so they don’t fray. I had matching metallic thread and hand sewed the gold ribbon pieces onto the bottom of the black ribbon (I used ribbon for the tips because the long edges are finished, so there’s no fraying).
Then I turned the short edges in and hand sewed them down.
Then folded it in half and hand sewed along the remaining edges to finish them.
I pinned them right under the collar and shortened my stitch length to about 1.5mm to sew them in place.
This is a good place to stop for today. We’ll be able to finish it up in the next tutorial!
