Thank you for purchasing the Pink Elephant Dress! I hope your little girl really loves it. Here you will find more in-depth directions and pictures. If you have any further questions or if something is just really confusing, please email me at: info@mammamadedesigns.com, twitter me at Rachel_MM, or leave a comment below!
DOWNLOAD BLACK AND WHITE PDF DIRECTIONS FOR PRINTING
Materials needed to purchase:
- (1) 9” zipper
- (1) spool of matching thread
- (1) hook and eye (optional)
***ALL SEAM ALLOWANCES ARE 1/2” UNLESS NOTED OTHERWISE!***
Unfold fabric and cut out all of your pieces. I prefer to sew the fabric before I wash and dry it. The shrinkage is minimal and after you wash it it becomes softer and a bit more difficult to work with.
SASH:
1. Take your (2) pieces of red sashing and press them flat. Press under the 2 long sides and 1 short side of each sash strip 1/2”
2. Fold sash piece in half wrong sides together and press. Repeat with second sash piece.
3. Top-stitch around sash in the same color as sash (or you could use a contrasting thread color if you like).
4. Press sash pieces.
5. Take a small tuck at the raw edge of each sash piece and line the edge of the sash with the design lines on the front bodice. The right side of the sash should lay against the right side of the front bodice. Baste the sash to the side front bodice and repeat on opposite side.
6. Pin the (2) back pieces to the front bodice at side seams with right sides together. The sash will be sandwiched in the middle of these pieces laying in the center. Make sure the lines on the bodice match up when sewing. Sew shoulder seams and side seams.
7. Press shoulder seams open and press the side seams towards the center front.
SKIRT:
8. Pin the (2) back panels to front panel at side seams keeping right sides together.
9. Sew together.
10. Serge seams and press towards back (OR) use pinking shears and press seams open.
ATTACHING BODICE & SKIRT:
11. Attach bodice to the skirt at waist seam right sides together matching side seams.
**Carefully work the pieces together without puckering. Work the seams together with your fingers.**
12. Stitch bodice to skirt.
13. Serge waist seam (or) pink with pinking shears. Press seam up away from skirt.
14. Serge back edges of dress in preparation for the zipper. If you don’t have a serger, don’t do anything.
ZIPPER:
15. Pin Center Back seams right sides together matching the design lines on the waist.
16. Take your 7-9” zipper and lightly press the sides (not the teeth!) to straighten it out.
17. Line your zipper up against your center back seam and place a pin right below the zipper stop. This is just a mark when sewing your center back seam.
18. Baste Center Back seam until you hit your pin mark, then sew the rest of the seam with a regular stitch.
19. Press Center Back seam open.
20. Carefully pin zipper to your Center Back seam. The teeth should line up under the center of your back seam. Place your pins on the outside of your garment.
***GO SLOWLY AND MAKE SURE YOU DON’T CATCH THE FRONT OF YOUR DRESS IN YOUR STITCHING! YOU WILL NEED TO MOVE YOUR DRESS OUT OF THE WAY AS YOU SEW!****
21. Put your zipper foot on your machine and stitch down one side of the zipper. As you stitch, take your pins out as you go and if your fabric is moving, don’t fight it. Just stitch smoothly down one side and you can re-adjust later. Stop at the zipper stop. DO NOT GO AROUND THE ENTIRE ZIPPER!
22. Take your dress out of the machine and make sure the fabric is still laying flat. If it isn’t, simply re-pin it. Adjust your zipper foot and sew down the second side of the zipper.
23. When you get to the end of the zipper stop, now you can turn your foot and stitch across to enclose it.
24. Take out the basting stitches in front of your zipper. And voila! A zipper! Good job!
BODICE LINING:
25. Sew bodice lining pieces together at side seams and shoulder seams keeping right sides together. Press seams open.
26. Pin bodice lining to main bodice around neckline keeping right sides together. Be careful to match up shoulder seams. At the zipper, fold lining back so that the fabrics are even. Sew around neckline.
27. Under-stitch neckline. (View picture below) Open up bodice and bodice lining, push neck seam towards lining side, and stitch around the lining neckline as close to the seam as you can.
28. Trim neckline seam.
29. Serge (or) finish (turn in 1/8” twice and topstitch) lower edge of bodice lining.
30. Flip the lining over and press neckline thoroughly.
***TAKE YOUR TIME***
31. Pin the lining to the bodice. Pin armscyes (arm holes) very carefully making sure the bodice lays smoothly. The lining WILL stick out at the top of the shoulder seam. This is okay, you can trim it off after you are completely pinned. If in doubt, hold up the garment to see if it is laying flat.
32. At the zipper, turn under the lining and pin to zipper.
33. Baste around the armscye on each side connecting the lining and the bodice. Trim off excess lining at top of shoulder.
34. Move your pins from inside the waistline to outside still keeping everything smooth. Topstitch along the waistband (OR) stitch-in-the ditch (sew inside the seam between the bodice and the skirt). This will keep your bodice lining in place.
(Inside lining is stitched down now)
35. To finish the lining and the zipper you can choose to hand-stitch the opening closed (OR) get out your zipper foot and stitch it closed. If you stitch it closed, re-pin the seam from the outside of the garment making sure your lining is caught in the pins and top-stitch. You may be able to stitch right over your previous zipper stitching, but you might end up with 2 lines of stitching. Either is fine.
36. Before we sew the sleeves, try the dress on your little girl and mark the hem.
37. Serge the bottom edge and sew a blind hem (OR) turn up 1/8” twice and top-stitch.
(PICTURED: BLIND HEM)
SLEEVES:
38. Sew basting stitches between front and back notches at 1/2” and 1/4” in from the edge.
39. Fold sleeve right sides together and stitch matching design lines on sleeves.
40. Serge seams and press towards back (II notch) (OR) pink seams and press open.
41. Turn up hem at brown stripe. Turn fabric under and topstitch around edge of each sleeve.
Now we are ready to sew the sleeves into our dress.
42. Pin the side seam of the sleeve to the side seam of the bodice Right Sides Together! Before you pin, make sure that you are pinning the right sleeve to the right armscye by looking at the notches.
43. Turn the sleeve to the inside of the bodice. Now we are working with the wrong sides out. (Top sleeve notch to top armscye notch pictured)
44. Gather the cap of the sleeve onto the armscye of the bodice matching notches. Pin into place.
45. Sew carefully around armscye attaching sleeve to bodice.
46. Serge (or) pink armscye seam.
This is what your sleeve should look like!
47. Repeat for second sleeve and you are FINISHED!
Washing Directions:
This fabric is 100% Cotton so of course you can wash and dry it. However, I find that the best way to keep the integrity of the garment and eliminate ironing after washing is to wash the garment in cold water in the delicate cycle, shake it out, and hang to dry.
I would LOVE to see pictures of your finished Mamma Made garment. Send your finished garment pictures to me at:
info@mammamadedesigns.com (or) put them on the Mamma Made Patterns flickr pool at: http://www.flickr.com/groups/1565505@N23/.
Love,
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