Welcome to the second part of our BERNINA sew-along for the Lidya dress! In this article you will find the detailed sewing instructions for the dress from inspiration magazine. I’ll take you with me every step of the way and show you with many pictures how you can sew the beautiful dress with ruffles yourself.
In the first post, I introduced you to the pattern, gave an overview of the materials required and explained what you should already prepare. Today the sewing instructions for the dress follow, in which I show you step-by-step and with many pictures how you can sew your own version.
Who performs the Sew-Along?
i am linda Sewing is my great passion, which I regularly share with you on my Instagram account. There you will find a lot of inspiration for self-sewn looks and helpful instructions for various sewing techniques. Feel free to stop by, I look forward to a lively exchange with other sewing enthusiasts 🙂
I’ve already done eight more sew-alongs for you on the BERNINA Blog. If you fancy a cuddly teddy jacket, elegant trousers or a trendy jumpsuit, for example, you can have a look at the articles on my past sew-alongs here:
Preparations – Cut the fabric
We start cutting the fabric straight away. Before we start, you should have washed your fabric and cut the pattern to your size.
We cut all pattern pieces with a 1.5 cm seam allowance. Add a 3 cm seam allowance for the skirt hem. If you also use a fabric with a border like in the original, you have to take this into account when cutting. I sewed my dress Lidya with the original fabric and cut the skirt perpendicular to the grain:
For the front and back top, I then placed the respective centers along the border and cut them out:
If you have chosen a fabric without a border for your dress, you can cut all parts normally along the grain.
For the upper part we need two facing parts, we take these from the pattern parts for the front and back upper part. I like to use a transparent, stable foil for this (can be found in the hardware store for painters) and trace the trimmings as shown in the pattern:
Be sure to transfer any markings made on the pattern pieces to the fabric. You should also mark the front and center back of the two pieces of fabric for the top and the trimmings. The best way to do this is to cut snips into the seam allowance with small fabric or thread scissors. This has the advantage that the markings do not disappear again during the sewing process, as can happen with tailor’s chalk. In any case, make sure that you cut within the seam allowance and don’t make the snaps too deep!
Sewing instructions dress Lidya
Now we are ready to sew our dress! In the following sewing instructions for the Lidya dress, I will show you every step that is needed to get the dress finished. I will also publish detailed instructions for sewing the V-neckline with trimmings in the next blog post, which will be published on June 30th, 2023. There will also be a short video on the Instagram account of inspiration magazine. So feel free to stop by there!
Step 1: Prepare the trimmings and sew the upper part
We start with the trimmings. Iron fleece lining onto both facing parts to strengthen the parts.
Then close the front and back center seams on the tops. On the front part, make sure that you omit the seam allowance at the neckline. Neaten the seam allowances.
Then close the shoulder seams on the upper part and the trimmings and neaten the seam allowances here as well.
Also neaten the outer edge of your facing with your serger or a zigzag stitch.
Sew the facing to the neckline, right sides together. Cut back the seam allowances a bit and cut into the curves. Then turn the trimmings inside out, iron them over and then topstitch them once narrow-edged and once 3 cm wide. In the third blog post for our Sew-Along, I explain these steps in more detail with even more pictures. So if you need more help, you’ll find it there.
Now neaten the outer edge of your sleeve trimmings and then sew them to the armhole edges. These trimmings are also ironed and stitched 3 cm wide.
Now you close the side seams on the bodice, clean up the seam allowances and your bodice is finished!
Step 2: Sew on skirt and make buttonholes
Sew the side seams on your skirt parts and clean up the seam allowances. Now pin your top and skirt together at the waist seam, right sides together. Connects the top and skirt by sewing the pieces together. Clean up the seam allowance and iron it into the skirt.
Now mark the two buttonholes on the front part of the skirt with a water-soluble fabric marker or tailor’s chalk. Iron a small piece of fleece line on the wrong side of the fabric over the two buttonhole markings.
From the right side of the fabric, sew two buttonholes about 1.2 cm long in the fabric and open them carefully. Here I recommend a pin as a barrier at one end of the buttonhole.
Step 3: Sew the drawstring and thread in the tie
Clean up your stripe for the drawstring all the way around. Pin this along the waist seam from the left side. It is best to start at a side seam and fold the short side of the strip inwards. When pinning the strip along the waist, make sure that the upper longitudinal edge is slightly above the waist seam.
When you get back to the beginning of your tunnel, shorten the strip as needed and fold in the short side here as well.
Now stitch the tunnel from the right side of the fabric in the shadow of your waist seam. Then you put a second seam about 1.5 cm below the first seam and sew the tunnel in place a second time.
Now let’s tackle the tie! If you weren’t able to cut the full length of the ribbon from one piece of fabric, sew your strips together now. Then sew the strips together along the long edge, right sides together.
Turn the strip – you can use a turning tool for this, for example from Prym – and insert the strip through one of your buttonholes from the right side of the fabric into the drawstring. Pull the strip completely through the drawstring until you come out again at the second buttonhole. Knot the two ends of your tie band.
Step 4: Skirt Hemming
You’re almost there! We have come to the end of the instructions for sewing the Lidya dress. Only the skirt hem is missing. It’s best to slip into your dress and check how long you want the skirt to be. If you want to shorten it, cut off the excess fabric. Attention: Don’t forget the 3 cm hem allowance! Then clean up the edge all the way around and iron it inwards by a width of 3 cm. Pin and stitch the hem. Then iron once over the hem and you’re done!
Sewing instructions dress Lidya – we’re done!
Done! Your dress is finished and ready to sweeten your summer days. I hope you got along well with my sewing instructions. Feel free to leave me any questions here in the comments or on my Instagram account. I will answer these as soon as possible.
