February Sew-Along Update III

Last week I left off on step 11 with having sewn the front and back pieces together. Here are the next few steps.

12. The first step of the day was to pin the back facing to the front facing. In the pattern is recommended using lining, but because of the fabric I used I thought it would be better to face it with the same fabric.  I pinned to back facings to the front at the shoulders and then sewed them together. 

13. Next I surged around all the edges. Then I folded the outside edge down 1/4" and zig zag stitched it down. 

14. Once the facing was ready to go I pinned it to the dress at the neck, matching the shoulder seams and centre front. I sewed it together and clipped the curved edge. Then I pressed up the seam allowance and under-stitched it.  It is kind of hard to see, but the upper row of stitching is where I attached the seam to the facing. This will ensure that the facing doesn't roll out and makes it so you can't see it from the outside. 

15. This next step is a little fussy, but I always find working with facings to be frustrating. I turned the facing to the inside of the dress. Then I lined it up to cover the seams on the inside. I pinned it in place from the outside, making sure it wasn't pulling or puckering. Once I was satisfied with its placement I sewed it down from the outside, stitching in between the seams. This is called "stitching in the ditch."

16. This step is pretty simple, I pinned the two back pieces together from the hem to the marked notch (where the double pins are). I went to the machine and sewed it together.  

17. Now it is time to put in the zipper. This one is a  little different than a regular zipper because the left side folds over the right. It is called a lap zipper. The pictures run in order of the steps, so if you need to follow along you can go back up to the top of this section. First I folded and ironed the back right side under by 1/2". Then I folded and ironed the left side under 5/8". I took my zipper and pinned it to the right side. I made sure it was in place then sewed it on the machine. This next part was a bit tricky so go slowly with it. I took the left side and placed it over the right, overlapping it by 1/8" (just covering the stitches from securing the zipper). I pinned it in place and then basted the left half of the zipper. *Tip* when basting use a contrasting colour that is easy to see. I double checked that it was in place, sewed it on the machine and then unpicked my basting stitches. Last but not least I sewed a hook and bar in at the top so that it will stay in place when I am wearing it. 

That's where I am going to leave it for today. All that's left to finish up are the sleeves and hem  Come back next Thursday for the exciting conclusion to the February project!