Perfect timing for a special dress. I've been wanting to try out my new Embroidery Module and Embroidery Library designed another flower ballerina and I couldn't resist buying the design. Independence Day is always one of my favorite holidays, so I finally made a fun patriotic dress for Susie.
The BFF is a dress I've always wanted to sew and I'm really happy I made one for Susie before she outgrew size 6 (She is 4.5" tall, so fully in size 6 now). Her chest is pretty skinny (22.5" so just size 4), but I just made a straight 6 instead of blending sizes. The dress is drafted with 2 3/4" of ease in the chest; a comfortable fit for play.
My Bernina 770 stitched out the Red, White, and Bloom Ballerina design flawlessly. It is on linen (a remnant for Joann's) with two layers of cut away stabilizer. One layer of Poly Mesh and one of Heavy Weight cut away. I bought the 4.85" x 5.93" version with 20,323 stitches.
I am so happy with my new module and how it purrs when it sews. It can stitch up to 1000 stitches per minute, but the machine automatically slows down when design elements are too dense to stitch that fast. This took about 30 minutes of active stitching and had 6 thread changes.
My favorite features of embroidery on the 770 are the following:
- Max design size 15.7" x 8.3" (with the Maxi Hoop)
- Ability to Combine Designs on the Machine (added with a recent update)
- Cuts Jump Stitches!
- Thread Away (all threads to the back)!
Okay, back to the dress.
The bodice is made out of linen and the skirt is quilting cotton from Hobby Lobby.
I changed the back to an invisible zipper (I love zippers and this is a pretty dress that I thought deserved a zipper). I love Oliver + S as much as I love Puperita patterns and when I need a tutorial on how to change something about a dress I always turn to their blog. This post here was how I changed the back to a zipper. You have to change the math a bit, because Puperita uses 3/8" seam allowances instead of the 1/2" that Oliver + S uses, but that was really simple.
After installing the zipper I basted the collar into place (it is important to overlap the front of the collars so that they line up exactly at the 3/8" seam allowance), attached the lining along the neckline, then used the burrito method to sew up the armscyes. Then I followed the pattern until the hem. I serged the bottom of the dress and used my downturn feller on my coverstitch to turn the hem up 5/8" (so it is a tiny bit shorter than the 3/4" hem allowed).
I have been having so much fun with my downturn feller and coverstitch I have to write a blog post with all of the things I have hemmed. It is so easy and effortless once you get it set in the machine.
Here are a couple pictures of the inside of the dress, which is neat and tidy, because of the lined bodice.
Pattern Features
- Sizes Newborn to 6
- Collar
- Lined Bodice
- Button Back
- 3/8" Seam Allowance 3/4" Hem Allowance
- Pictures with the sewing Instructions and an Illustration for positioning the collar and button placket
- Notches for matching the bodices when sewing
- Circles for placing the collar
- Grainlines
- Even Grading
- Child's Measurement Size Chart
- Fabric Requirement Chart
- Cutting Layout
To make this dress I used the following machines/presser feet:
Bernina 770 for embroidering and assembling the dress
- Embroidery Foot 26
- Reverse Pattern Foot 1D
- Invisible Zipper Foot 35
- Zipper Foot 4D
Serger for finishing the waistline and side seams of the skirt
Coverstitch set on wide coverstitch for the hem
- 5/8" downturn feller
Happy Sewing!
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