The dress version of Sudley is my absolute favourite! And today we’re going to go ahead and just about finish it up by attaching the skirt to the bodice. Bonus: if you’re making a lined dress, I’ll also show you how to attach the lining skirt as well.
Just going to keep this short and sweet so we can get right to it! Let’s go…
Place the two skirt pieces right sides together.
Sew along the side seams 5/8″ from the raw edges.
Set your machine to the longest stitch length, and sew a line of basting stitches along the top edge, from side seam to side seam, 5/8″ from the raw edge. Repeat on the other side, side seam to side seam.
For more controlled gathers, you can also sew a second row of basting stitches on each side 3/8″ from the raw edge, as shown above.
Do not backstitch, and leave the threads long and loose at the ends.
If you have lined your bodice, make sure the lining is pushed up out of the way. We will only be attaching the skirt to the main fabric of the bodice, and you don’t want to catch the lining in there.
Make sure to mark the centre front and centre back of both the bodice and the skirt.
With your bodice right side out and your skirt wrong side out, slip your bodice inside the skirt until the raw edge of the skirt with the basting stitches meets up with the bottom raw edge of the bodice.
Line up the side seams and centre front and centre back, and pin in place at these 4 points. This creates 4 equal sections to work with.
To gather the skirt, I like to work in quarter sections. Gently pull on the loose threads starting at one side seam. Use your fingers to move the gathers as you pull to even them out, reaching the centre mark.
Once it’s gathered enough where the section lines up with the raw edge of the bodice, pin in place.
Repeat with the other four sections, until the entire skirt is gathered and pinned to the bodice.
Sew together at the waist seam 5/8″ from the raw edge. Finish the raw edge with your preferred method, and press the seam upwards.
Now for the skirt lining (optional) – repeat the same steps. Place the two lining skirts together with right sides together and sew 5/8″ along the side seams. And then sew your basting stitches along the top edge, side seam to side seam.
Lay your dress in front of you inside out.
Even though your dress is inside out, the right side of the bodice lining will actually be facing up.
With the skirt wrong side out, slide the dress inside the skirt lining until the edge of the skirt meets the edge of the bodice lining.
Repeat the same process, as told above, to gather the skirt lining and pin it to the bodice lining. The right sides of the lining fabric should be facing each other.
Sew the skirt lining and bodice lining together at the waist seam 5/8″ from the raw edge. Make sure not to catch the main fabric in your stitching.
Finish the raw edge with your preferred method.
Flip the skirt lining down, and you now have a clean-finished, lined dress!
LOOKING FOR MORE SUDLEY POSTS?
Here’s the full list of Sudley posts and tutorials:
- Pattern Tester Round-up
- Ties and Shoulder Seams
- Collar
- Bias Facing (Views A, B, D)
- Sleeves and Side Seams
- Bodice Lining (View C)
- Skirt (View C) (this post!)
- Hem
Here are a couple of posts you also might find useful:
- 5 Tips to Sewing a Perfect Rounded Collar
- How to Finish the Sudley Keyhole & Neckline with a Bias Facing
Don’t forget to tag your creations with #MNsudley and @megannielsenpatterns when sharing on social media, and check out what everyone else is up to!
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