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Welcome to Lemon Drop Dress Sew Along Day 2! You’ll need the Lemon Drop Dress Pattern for Girls and the free Universal Flutter Sleeve pattern. Today we’ll construct the bodice and add the optional flutters to the straps. It’s really easy to add this sweet touch and shoulder coverage, let’s go!
Day 1’s post instructs adding an additional 1/4″ seam allowance along both long edges of your strap pieces to make things much easier to work with. Be sure you’ve done that.
Complete Steps 1 and 2 from the free Universal Flutter Sleeve pattern (linked above) for your flutters so you have them hemmed (or lined) and sewn with gathering threads.
Press the straps in half lengthwise with wrong sides together to make a crease and unfold. Then press one long edge of each strap under 3/8″ to the wrong side. Be sure to press so they are mirror images of each other as shown in this photo. It’s also helpful at this point to mark the lengthwise center by folding the short edges together and marking the midpoint of the strap.
Fold the flutter to mark the lengthwise center, then with right sides together, align the raw curved edge of each flutter with the long raw edge of a strap. Pin at the midpoints and endpoints.
Gather the flutter to fit the strap and adjust gathers evenly. Pin and then sew the flutter into place, using a 1/2″ seam allowance.
Press the flutter to the outside and press the seam allowance toward the strap.
Re-fold the strap along the creased center line and pin the 3/8″ fold so it just covers the line of stitching.
From the front of the strap, sew 1/8″ from each long edge.
Just one more thing you need to know before returning to the Lemon Drop instructions for assembling the bodice and straps in the usual way – in Step 3 at the top of page 6, when you attach the straps to the bodice liners, be sure you are looking at the *right* side of the straps and flutters (another way of saying this, place wrong side of straps/flutters against right side of bodice liners). When you sew the liner and main fabric together, with the straps sandwiched between, you may need to move the flutter portion out of the way of your stitching line to be sure you are just catching the strap.
Continue with the Lemon Drop pattern instructions through Step 4 (bottom of page 7). You’ll see a big pink
where you should stop and check the fit of your bodice (worn layered over a tee or alone as you intend to wear the dress). How exactly you want it to fit is up to you, and how it is going to be worn. You don’t want it skin tight, but you don’t want it revealing either. If you are layering or layering sometimes, you’ll want some extra room.
So, if the bodice width is larger or smaller than you’d like, adjust the side seams (that last seam you sewed) being aware that taking off or adding just 1/8″ on each side seam changes the all-around fit by 1/2″. Also check the strap length so you have a custom fit for your wearer. It’s advised to adjust this fit in the front to maintain the correct angle on the back strap attachment.
Come share your finished bodice in the Tie Dye Diva Patterns Facebook Group!
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