Summer Top Sew Along Day 6: Bias Binding and Hemming

Today is the fiddliest bit about this top, attaching the bias binding.

The pattern instructions for this are very clear so I would go to page 7 of the instructions and follow them as printed.

Here are a few pictures of the process, this was my neck, you will need to do the arm holes as well:

Pin bias tape to the wrong side of top leaving a 'tail':

Sew along fold in tape - should be 1/4 inch:

Leave a tail at the end as well:

Pinch tails together to see where to sew:

Sew ends of tape together:

Fold tape over to right side of top:

Press then sew along the edge of the tape:

Hemming:

Now on to the final stage, hemming.

First turn up 1cm along then bottom of the top and press in place.

Then turn another 2cm and press.

Now, sew 1.5cm from the bottom of the top and you are done!!

I would love to see photos of any finished tops so I can share them here.  I hope you have enjoyed this sew along - what shall we do next?!

Summer Top Sew Along Day 5: Shoulder and Side Seams

The sewing today is simple, 4 straight lines.

Shoulder Seams:

You should have a front and back piece for your top, match these up with the right sides of the fabric together.

Now pin the shoulder seams in place (or just hold them if you fabric isn't slippy). Sew your seam with a 15mm / 5/8 inch seam allowance.

Side Seams:

Do exactly the same as the shoulder seams, make sure your dart is pressed towards the bottom of the top before you sew the side seam.

Try it on!

Try your top on for fit. Hopefully it will fit fine, if it is too big you can take in the side seams some more, if it is too small you can unpick and use a smaller seam allowance. If you have any fitting issues either comment here or email me and I will point you in the right direction!

Finish your raw edges:

You can do this by using pinking shears (like I did here) or do a zig zag stitch close to the edge, this should minimise the fabric fraying.

Press the seams open.

That is you done for today, come back on Saturday and we will attach the bias binding and hem you tops then you will be done!

Making your own Bias Binding

I thought I would do a tutorial on making your own bias binding but I found a blog post that does it for me so click here and follow the instructions! Now, you don't need the fancy bias tape maker you can do this.

Come back tomorrow and we will rev up the sewing machines!

Get Ready for Summer - Free Sewing patterns

1. Kids Oliver + S Shorts
2. Kitschy Coo Kids Tennis Skirt  
3. MADE Kids Basic Tee (no photo)
4. icandy handmade Everyday skirt
5. icandy handmade Maxi Skirt
6. By Hand London Circle Skirt App 
7. Kirsten Kimono top by Maria Denmark
8. Blank Canvas Tee by Cake Patterns
9. Colette Sorbetto 
10. By Hand London Polly Top (this is just a muslin - odd fabric choice I know :) )

I posted this on my other blog last year but though it would be good to share here, free patterns!

Details of the kids shorts and skirt are here , Kimono top here, circle skirt here and the Sorbetto here .

It really is amazing what you can find for free from such generous talented people on the Internet. I managed to fill almost all the gaps in my summer wardrobe without buying any patterns using only fabric that had been in my stash for too long. Basically it feels like I have a free summer wardrobe which can only be a good thing.