Endless Dress Day 3

Jocole Endless Dress Sew Along Day 3

Buttons, Buttonholes and Pockets

Are you ready for buttonholes today???  Yikes!  I hope you'll give them a try, even if it's just to practice.  I have a couple of hints before we actually sew the buttonholes.  

Have you ever wondered about that little hole on the arm of the bobbin case?  Well guess what!?!?  You're about to use that sucker!  When the hole is used, it adds a little extra tension to the stitch and gives a nice, tight buttonhole.  The thread goes through the hole on the bobbin case.

Second, the buttonhole foot comes in handy for making --wait for it--buttonholes!  I didn't even realize I had this foot but it came with my machine.  The channels on the bottom of the foot keep the parallel lines of the buttonhole in place.  Just use it like a regular foot and it will work keep everything straight on its own.

Don't laugh, I practiced about 10 buttonholes before I was happy with the buttonhole.  I wanted to make sure I programed the machine correctly.  (Are you sick of me saying buttonhole yet?  I am!)

Start on the actual, real life bodice now.  Buttonholes go on the left and buttons on the right.  (Ignore that I put them on the wrong sides!)

One of my favorite pattern pieces in this PDF is the buttonhole placement guide.  The guide allows you to mark the buttons on the right side and the buttonholes on the left.  The guide insures that the buttons and buttonholes line up correctly.  Genius!

Mark the buttonhole placement on the LEFT side of the bodice back (the picture shows the buttonholes on the wrong side).  This is an empire length bodice so there are 3 buttonholes.  Be sure that the buttonholes are a little longer than the buttons so the buttons slide in easily.  Sew the buttonholes.

Mark the button placement on the RIGHT side of the bodice back(the picture shows the buttons on the wrong side).  Sew on the buttons.  Fabric covered buttons also look really nice, find the tutorial here.

Make sure everything lines up!

Pockets are also an option for the Endless Dress.  Place all 4 pockets RST, at the top of the skirt panels.  Sew the pockets onto the right side of the skirt.

Iron the pocket pieces flat and topstitch.  Place fabric RST and line up all pockets.  Beginning at the top of the skirt; sew down to the pocket, around the pocket and down to the bottom of the skirt (sewing the skirt panels and pocket pieces together).  Serge or zig zag stitch the edges.

Now you have a completed bodice and a skirt panel with pockets sewn on.  Tomorrow we sew the skirt band, gather the skirt and attach the skirt and bodice to finish the dress!