Reader's Pick Sew Along #5 - Attaching Skirt and Bodice; Inserting Elastic

In today's step, I will focus on inserting the elastic. Before you do this, be sure to attach the bodice to the skirt pieces, matching side seams and other markings. Use the waistline marking as your seam allowance. Then sew a second seam line 1/4 or so from the edge of the fabric, leaving an opening for you to insert the elastic. You've now created the elastic casing!

When first looking at this pattern, I didn't realize it had an elastic waistline. It actually made me happy because then any size adjustments can be altered with the elastic!

I had someone ask me in a previous step what elastic to use. There are a variety of different elastics out there, but two of the most common are woven and knit. Woven elastic is sturdy and knit elastic is softer. I used a woven elastic because that is what I had in my stash. (I keep a variety of different elastics on hand.) But if I had the option, I would probably pick a knit elastic because the knit I made the dress with is a lightweight knit. So I would say it is personal preference. When you start using wider elastics, you will notice a big difference between knit and woven. Then I would say that you should select one over the other depending on your project.

If you're new to sewing, maybe you've never inserted elastic into a garment. I use a safety pin to fish it through the casing. I have the safety pin "stitched" through the elastic so that the elastic does not bunch up on the pin as you fish it through. As I was fishing the elastic through, I couldn't get it through the pocket area very easily. Because of all the thicknesses of fabric, it was hard to pick the right slot. (It's hard to explain it until it happens, so I'm sure you will find this problem when you do it too!) I had to keep moving the safety pin backwards a few inches and then trying to guide it into another opening until finally the safety pin went through. So just watch for that as you go.

Once you have the elastic inserted, attach the safety pin to the other end of your elastic and try the dress on. Adjust to your liking. I sew the elastic ends together by machine. This ensures that it's not going to come apart in wearing!

Now that you have the bodice and skirt sewn together and the elastic inserted, press the casing toward the bodice and top-stitch the casing to the bodice section. If you have a hard time doing this, no worries, you can cover it up with a belt!

That's it for today, pretty easy right? Next time we will work on the sleeves.

I know some of you have asked how long the sew-along will be and when the finished garment will be due to be entered to win a $50 gift certificate. I'm thinking we will wrap up with the sew-along late next week. Then I will be giving everyone two weeks from the last post date to finish the dress and submit it to be entered to win a gift certificate!

Made By A Fabricista: A Tipsy Martini Transitional Three Piece Look

Hello Sewing Friends! It’s Sharon with Sharon Sews with my latest Fabricista make – a three-piece set I can wear as the weather transitions to fall here in Texas. It may look like a summer outfit but there will days filled with sunshine and high temps well into November. At first glance it looks like a nice, lightweight jacket, top and pants. But look closer – it’s sewn from the designer Tipsy Martini cotton sateen that was originally used by the designer for a pajama set. Now I could have sewn myself a pair of pajamas using the Closet Core Carolyn Pajama pattern (available at Fabric Mart) and replicated the designer pajamas. But if I had gone that route the only ones who would have seen this adorable kitschy fabric would be my family. This print is much too cute to hide out at home. This Tipsy Martini cotton sateen fabric was lovely to sew. I used black thread, an 80/12 universal needle, and Palmer/Pletsch Perfect Fuse Medium interfacing (link here). Note that this is a rayon fu

Made By A Fabricista: Hooray for Cozy Fall Sews!

Greetings, all! I am in such high spirits with the best-of-all-seasons just beginning and change is finally in the air. I always rejoice when the sweatiest time of the year passes and we can all take a deep breath and gear up for cozier times. Neighborhood Patterns is a new-to-me designer, and I came across them on Instagram in late summer and fell in love with the Plain Jane Skirt. This is such a simple A-line skirt, but with nice details like large inseam pockets and an optional drawstring, and though I’m sure I could draft this style myself, the appeal of having it all done for me was too tempting to pass up. A sew such as this is a lovely palate-cleanser and this was the first project I sewed after returning from a cross-country trip. Perfect! The gorgeous plaid flannel is exactly what I want to be wearing in the fall. The fabric is SO soft and a pleasure to snuggle up in. Because flannel does not have much body and is prone to stretching or shifting with all its mechanical give,

Made By A Fabricista: Quilted Jacket Chronicle

What do you get when mixing the best things about apparel sewing and machine quilting? A quilted jacket! It's funny that I elected to sew myself a quilted jacket for this Fabricista blog because I don't consider myself much of a quilter. I can count on my hands the number of quilted projects I've made over the last few years. While I fully appreciate the end product of quilting, I don't normally gravitate toward starting quilting projects. That's why making a quilted jacket is a new and exciting project for me! It gives me the fun of making a quilt on a much smaller scale. If you are an avid apparel sewist and are new to quilting, this is the perfect project to take for a quilting test drive! For my quilted jacket, I used the Seamwork Easton Jacket pattern. I decided to stick with a solid-colored fabric for the jacket's exterior and ordered 4 yards of Dark Umber Brown Lycra Stretch Canvas Suiting from the Fabric Mart website. I wanted a contrasting color for the

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