Cosmos Dress Sew Along

Cosmos Dress Sew Along starts today. If you don’t have the pattern yet, you can still grab it 30% off from Kollabora.
We’re going to start with preparing the pattern, adjustments and sewing the bodice. Next Monday, April 25 we’ll continue with sewing the sleeves in and attaching skirt to the bodice. I’ll show you how to sew a few skirt options. We’ll finish on Thursday, April 28, with sewing the zipper and stand collar.

Print the pattern and stick it together. Remember to print the page with a test square first. Make sure it’s 2in by 2in (5cm by 5cm). Now, after you chose the proper size for you, add seam allowance. Yes, before you cut the pattern pieces out. I prefer to use 1 cm seam allowance but most people add 1.5 cm. It’s up to you. After you trace it around on the paper, you can finally cut it.
I strongly recommend starting with muslin before you cut your precious fabric. You don’t have to go through all the details sewing the muslin. To be honest, it’s enough if you just check the shape of the bodice.
The most common adjustment is changing the bra cup size. My patterns are drawn for B cup. If you feel that bodice is a little awkward around the bust and wrinkles closer to the armpit, try to fix it by making FBA (Full Bust Adjustment). You can find a tutorial here.

Let’s start sewing! Cut all pattern pieces out of the fabric.
Cut the bodice opening like on the picture here (fig. 2 on the instruction) and put some no fray glue in the corners. Give it a little time to dry.

Sew the darts in the front and the back and iron them flat (bust darts up, vertical darts toward the center).

 Iron interfacing on half of each placket (fig. 1 on the instruction).

Put the right side of the placket to the right side of the front and align its interfaced edge to the edge of the opening. Sew from the neckline to the end point of the opening.

Press seam allowances toward plackets like on the picture.

Mark your seam allowance on the other edge of the placket and press it with iron.

Fold it again such that the loose edge just covers the stitch.

Pin it from the right side.

Topstitch from the right side of the fabric. It’s easier if you move your needle slightly to the right (as far as you want the top stitch to be from the placket’s edge) and lead the center of the foot along the placket’s edge.

Put the right placket on top of the left one and secure with a pin.

Do you see the hole at the bottom of the plackets? Slip plackets’ ends inside the hole together with the small triangle part of the front so they stick out on the wrong side of the bodice. Pin all those layers together like on the picture; sew across and serge.

Tada! Plackets are almost ready. You will still need to sew buttons and buttonholes. We’ll get back to that later.
Align the back and front right sides together; sew side seams and serge.

To ease the shoulder lines pin them together first matching points 3 and 4. You’ll see that back’s shoulder is longer than front’s.

Baste back shoulder and pull the thread so it fits the front. Make a knot to keep it this way.

Unpin it and press basted line with stemming iron (only back). It may take you a couple of minutes. You want to shrink the excess fabric. Remember to always use temperature suited for the fabric you’re using.

Once you get rid of all those bumps pin it with front again and sew. Take the basting stitches out after that. Serge.

Ready bodice.