Technical Sketch
Knits, Natural Waist Seam, Full Length, Full Circle, Armhole Princess Seams Off-Shoulder Bodice,
No Seam, Above Elbow Cold Shoulder Bishop Sleeve All-in-one Facing, Off Shoulder Straight
Neck, Back Straight Seam with No Back Vent and No Zipper, No Ruffle, Neckline Facing
Sewing Instructions
Sewing Princess Seams on the Front
- With right sides together, pin Side Front sections to side edges of Center Front, matching
notches, then stitch, clipping into curves where necessary so they lie flat. Finish the seam
allowances separately and press open.
Sewing Princess Seams on the Back
- With right sides together, pin Side Back sections to side edges of Center Back, matching
notches, then stitch, clipping into curves where necessary so they lie flat. Finish the seam
allowances separately and press open.
Sewing Center Back Seam
- With right sides together, pin Back sections together and stitch
at the center back seam. Finish the seam allowances separately and press open.
Sewing Side Seams
- With right sides together, pin Front to Back at right side seam, then stitch. Finish the seam
allowances separately and press open.
- Stitch left side seam from armhole down to the zipper notch. Finish the seam allowances
separately and press open.
Setting the Cold Shoulder Bishop Sleeve (with All-in-one Facing)
Apply fusible interfacing to the wrong side of facings, following manufacturer's instructions.
- Gather lower edge of the sleeve: stitch at 1/2" (1.3 cm), using long machine stitches, then stitch
2nd row 1/4" (6mm) away inside seam allowance, leaving long thread tails at the end of each
stitch. Pull thread ends and evenly distribute gathers.
- Apply fusible interfacing to the wrong side of the cuff. Pin one edge of the cuff to the sleeve,
right sides together. The sleeve’s underarm seams and the ends of the cuff should match. Evenly
distribute any gathers to fit the cuff and stitch.
- Press the unsewn lengthwise seam allowance toward the wrong side of the cuff. Press the
seam allowances toward the cuff.
- Match and pin the underarm seam and the cuff seam, right sides together. Stitch. Fold the cuff
along the center foldline, matching wrong side to wrong side and stitchline to stitchline. Pin.
From the right side of the sleeve, topstitch the cuff in place.
- Stitch the underarm seams of the sleeve facing, press open. Finish the outer edge.
- Stitch facing’s Front and Back sections together at sides. Press open. Finish the facing’s outer
edge.
- With right sides together, pin sleeve facing to the sleeve on the top portion only (as shown), then
stitch. Turn the sleeve right side out, press. Understitch facing, then turn facing to inside. Press.
- Baste armhole part of the sleeve with the sleeve facing (wrong sides together).
- Place sleeve and armhole, right sides together, matching notches and seams. Stitch.
- With right sides together, pin facing to the garment, matching notches, centers and seams.
- Stitch around the neckline and armholes. Clip into the curves.
- Turn the garment right side out. Press.
- Understitch facing, then turn facing to inside. Press.
Sewing Skirt Center Back Seam
- Pin skirt Backs together and stitch at the center back, right sides together, matching notches.
Press open.
Sewing Skirt Side Seams
- Pin skirt Front and Back sections together at right side seam, then stitch. Press.
- Stitch left side seam, leaving open above the notch. Press.
Hem
- Turn up the hem along foldline. Zigzag stitch hemline around circumference of the garment
(pic. 1) or sew with a double-needle from the right side of the garment (pic. 2). Press.
Attaching Bottom to Bodice
- With right sides together, pin finished bottom to bodice, matching notches, centers and side
seams, then stitch.
- Stitch again 1/4" (6 mm) away inside seam allowance. Serge seam close to the second stitch
line. Press seam towards bottoms.
Setting Side Seam Invisible Zipper
Note: Use special invisible zipper foot when stitching invisible zipper. Zipper can be trimmed
(remove the excess zipper length from the bottom, secure the new end of the zipper by stitching
over the zipper teeth using a bar tack).
- Pin the remainder of left side seam, then baste between zipper notches. Press open.
- Pin the closed zipper tape face down to seam allowances, placing zipper teeth on seamline,
aligning centers and matching notches. Baste.
- Undo the basting stitch that was keeping front and back side seams together.
- Open the zipper. Position left-hand groove of zipper foot over teeth and stitch close to teeth,
starting at the top of the edge and stitch up to the zipper notch. Backstitch at the beginning and
the end.
- Position right-hand groove of the zipper foot over teeth and stitch the zipper tape to the right
opening edge, starting at the top of the edge and stitch up to the zipper notch. Backstitch at the
beginning and the end.
- Undo the basting stitch. Press.
- Stitch or hand sew each end of zipper tape to seam allowances, keeping the garment free when
stitching.