In part 6 of the Infinity Dress Sewalong, we’ll assemble the skirt and attach it to the straps and waistband. Gather your skirt and and waistband & strap pieces, coordinating thread, pins, scissors, and of course sewing machine. A serger is optional. We’re using a contrast thread throughout this Infinity Dress Sewalong for visibility purposes, but we advise you to use coordinating thread for your dress. We’ll walk you through Steps 15-18 of the instructions.
Step 20: Sew center back
Sew the skirt seam, right sides together, using a 3/8″ (1 cm) seam allowance. Start at the waist and stitch down. Press the seams open.
Step 21: Pin skirt
Pin the skirt to the waistband, right sides together. Match the notches on the skirt to the notches on the waistband at the center front, center back, and side seams.
Step 22: Sew skirt
Sew the skirt to the waistband using a 3/8″ (1 cm) seam allowance. If desired, finish the seam by pinking or serging.
Step 23: Hem
As with the strap edges, you have three options to finish the skirt hem:
A – Don’t finish the hem. Most fabrics that are suitable for this dress won’t ravel so hemming isn’t strictly necessary. Check the raw edge to clean up any sloppy cutting and leave it as is. We have chosen this method for this tutorial. Note that the pattern does include a 3/4″ (2 cm) hem, so check the length on you and decide if you want to cut that off or leave it on.
B – Finish with a narrow overlock on an overlocker/serger. Don’t cut off any fabric from the edge when you overlock. Leave it as when you have used coordinating threads is or finish by folding the edge over 3/4″ (2 cm) to the wrong side and topstitching it in place. Lower the pressure of your presser foot and press afterwards to minimize stretching the fabric and prevent a wavy edge.
C – Finish by folding the edge over 3/4″ (2 cm) to the wrong side and topstitching it in place (shown below). Make sure you use a stitch that will stretch with the fabric, such as a narrow zig-zag or a specialty straight stretch stitch. Lower the pressure of your presser foot and press afterwards to minimize stretching the fabric and prevent a wavy edge.
That’s it for today, you have finished your dress! Next up is sewing the optional Bandeau Top, if you want it. If not, wear your dress and rejoice!
Find all the Infinity Dress Sewalong posts here.
Maternity Sewing was founded by Lisa Kievits and Erin Weisbart. They created Maternity Sewing to help you love your body and your wardrobe while pregnant and after. Read more about Erin & Lisa.
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