Style 29 Lesson 1
Front and Back Princess Seams
 With photo's and instructions by
Marsha Olson
(printout is 5 pages)

Fabric: Light Weight Cashmere Wool Blend or similar weight fabric
Lining: Dupioni Silk, Taffeta, Synthetic Lining Fabric
Sew-on size 4/0 Snaps

Important Note: The princess seams on the Kitty size pattern are 3/8" rather than 1/4" as on all the other sizes.
All other seams on the Kitty size are 1/4" as usual.

I have chosen the simplest form of the pattern for this first part of the lessons.
Jewel Neck - Short Straight Sleeve - Mini Length
For the purpose of clarifying some general sewing points,
the lessons may vary slightly from the written instructions accompanying your pattern.

Cut out your pattern pieces choosing
the neckline, sleeve, and length you prefer.
Fold the fabric and lining together
and pin your pattern pieces in place.
Do not reverse any of the pattern pieces
and pin them all with the top edges of
the pattern pieces at the same end.
This pattern is very tailored,
be precise in your cutting!
When choosing your thread color,
match your thread to the dominant
color in the fabric. A good rule
of thumb is to lay a single length of
thread on the fabric and choose
a thread color slightly darker
than the fabric.
Although it is not apparent in the
photo, the dominant color in my fabric
is a light shade of taupe, so the
color I chose blends in very well.

~~Matching The Seams!~~

Start with the Dress Front and Side Front pieces.
Unpin the patterns. Determine the right sides.
Lay out the pieces as they will be sewn together
for the dress front and lining.
(Side Front - Front - Side Front)

Match the curved edges of the Side
Front to the Front. Start pinning
from the top and bottom at the same
time, easing in to the curves. Use
liberal amounts of pins for this step
and ease gently. This may be the most
important part of sewing this dress.
If it is not done correctly, the
pieces will not match and the final
fit of the dress will be distorted.
Clip the curved seams down to the stitching.
Follow the instructions and sew both
Side Fronts to the dress Front.

Press the seam open or towards the
side seam of the dress, using the
rounded end of a pressing ham.

If you do not have a
pressing ham, there are instructions and a
pattern to make one on the Perfect Patterns
website. Here are the direct links:
HAM PATTERN
HAM INSTRUCTIONS
To determine if your fabric seams should
be pressed open or to the sides, do a
test on your fabric with small swatches
and press the seam to one side. If the
seam allowance shows to much from the
right side after pressing, you will want
to press the seams of your dress open
instead.
Follow the instructions and sew the
dress front and lining front.

~~Dress Back Seams~~
Set aside the dress front and dress front lining.
Unpin the pattern pieces from the Dress Back and Dress Side Back pieces.
Determine the right sides.
Lay the pieces out as they will be sewn together,
dress and lining.
I will be using the lining as my example in the photo's
because the pins, stitching, and pressing is easier to see.

Following the same pinning instructions
given for the dress front, carefully
pin the Dress Side Back to the Back
pieces, dress and lining.
Stitch both seams and clip the curves.
Do not press the seams yet!
Stitch the center back seam
up to the clip mark.
Using a long running stitch, stitch
from the clip mark up to the neck.
The running stitch acts as a stabalizer
to keep the back opening from
distorting as you are pressing
the curved seams.

Press the seams.

End Style 29 Lesson 1

By printing out these pages and putting them in a 3 ring binder, you will have a good start on an excellent personal sewing book. Write notes in the borders that will help you the next time.
These pages can also be saved as complete webpages (including photo's).

Instructions For Making a Desktop Folder
and Saving Lesson Pages!

Have fun!
Marsha Olson


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