Mainstreet Sew along day 3

Mainstreet Tee/Dress Sew Along

Day 3

So today we're sewing the neckline together. Start by taking your ruffles that you hemmed and gathered yesterday and place them on top of each other, right sides facing up. Fit the ruffles to the front neckline and baste in place. Try not to stretch out the neckline. 

Now take your smaller binding piece and place it with the right side facing the wrong side of the shirt, and stitch in place with a stretch stitch. You will be sewing the flat part of the binding, not the folded edge.

Then fold the binding over to the right side and tuck the seam allowance into the folded edge. Pin it in place covering any stitching. And then, using a stretch stitch, sew it in place. 

Now we'll be adding the binding to the back neckline. It's kind of a weird shaped piece, I find the easiest thing while sewing is to pin the binding in place first, and really stretch it when sewing around the sharp curve. It really helps it hug that curve when you fold it over. So, go ahead and stitch the larger binding piece to the back neckline, right side facing the wrong side of the bodice. 

Then fold the binding over to the right side and tuck the seam allowance into the folded edge. Pin the binding in place covering any stitching. And then sew in place. Any puckering can be fixed with a hot iron. 

Now here comes the tricky part. Place the front bodice wrong sides together at the shoulder seam with the back bodice. The front bodice piece should be 1/8" from the edge. Stitch in place. If you go really slow you should be able to stitch directly on top of your previous stitching. I did not... Lol. 

Lay the shirt open and the back binding should fold over onto the front bodice. Before I stitch it flat, I like to trim away any bulkiness there might be from the seam allowance. Sew it along the edge. Now repeat with the other side. 

And we're done for today! Tomorrow we'll tackle those sleeves!