Christening Gown and Sewing Tips Part 3 - Sewing

Here are some pictures of the Christening dress. The wide lace is sewn on the lower hem of the dress. Three layers of it! The lace and the narrow ribbon on the yoke and sleeves were sewn over the seam whilst simultaneously sewing the yoke lining to the inside of the dress. I actually used a vintage Singer edgestitcher foot for this purpose, so I could attach all three things with the one stitching line. It makes the inside of the garment look so much neater and saves 2 extra rows of sewing!

MY SEWING TIPS PART 3- SEWING
These tips apply to all sewing projects

* Work out when you need to apply embellishments such as ribbon or lace. Sometimes these need to be inserted within a seam or they may be stitched in place once the garment is completed.

* Use sharp needles in your sewing machine appropriate to the fabric you are using. It is well worth the extra cost and will make your sewing easier.

* Ensure your sewing machine is working and oiled before you start any big project. Consult your user manual for where to oil your machine. Make sure you remove any excess residue or spills of oil to prevent marking your garment as you sew.

* Keep several scraps of the fabric you are using close by. They come in handy when checking that you have the right tension and stitch settings before you sew on your actual garment.

* Get to know your sewing machine feet and practice using them. They can save you so much time and frustration if used correctly.

* If finances allow, an overlocker is a fabulous addition to have in any sewing room. They finish seams professionally and one with rolled hem capabilities creates pretty hems on fine fabrics.

* Use the correct seam allowance specified on the pattern, otherwise you could end up with uneven or mismatching seams. This could make the difference between a smooth or puckered seam when sewing a sleeve in place for example.

* Press, press, press! This helps so much. I usually press every seam as I go. It also means less final pressing once the garment is completely finished. Use a pressing cloth and keep a scrap of fabric handy to test on, just in case your iron is set to hot! It would be very frustrating to have to start from scratch!

I will add the links to my other sewing tips here once they are published.

SEWING TIPS PART 1 - PREPARATION
SEWING TIPS PART 2- CUTTING OUT
SEWING TIPS PART 4- FINISHING

I hope you find these tips useful. If you have any handy sewing tips you would like to share, please feel free to share them here by adding a comment below.