A basic black dress gets revolutionized with the help of a Baby Lock sergers. A removable collar adorned with silk roses is cheerful by day and pair it with a long dress or ensemble and it becomes a bold elegant statement for an evening out. Download printable instructions.
Materials:
- McCall’s Pattern 5799 (or other like pattern)
- 4 Spools Madeira Aerolock serger thread
- 1-1/4 yards of silk dupioni
- 6” x 22” strip of silk dupioni for each rose
- ½ yard of green fabric for leaves
- 4” or 5” square of green fabric for each leaf
- Hand needle
- Hook and eyes
- Black fabric for dress (see pattern for yardage and add ½ yard)
- Interfacing
- Zipper
Tools:
Steps:
-
Cut out and assemble the dress as per the instruction guide sheet from the pattern.
-
Use a serger cording foot to insert the zipper into the dress if desired. (Refer to the serger Inspirational Guide for your machine)
-
For the collar cut two additional front facing pieces and four back facing pieces.
-
Interface the lower pieces as if it were for the dress facing. Stitch the front facings to the back at the shoulder seams.
-
Place right sides together and stitch around all sides of the facing collar piece leaving a small opening for turning.
-
Overlap the back pieces and attach hoop and eye closures.
-
Make approximately 10 roses.
-
Rose & Leaf
-
Thread the serger for a four-thread stitch.
-
Set the stitch length to four and the differential feed to two.
-
Fold the silk strip in half lengthwise.
-
Note: this size strip makes a fairly large fabric rose. Adjust the strip smaller as desired.
-
Start serging at the corner closest to the folded edge and round the end.
-
Serge catching both raw edges into the seam and then round the other end the same as the first.
-
Your fabric should be gathering into a ruffle. To tighten the gathers pull the two short threads on the end of the serger tail to add extra fullness.
-
Wrap the ruffle in a circle to form the rose.
-
Thread a hand needle and stitch the serged edge together to hold the ruffle in the desired position.
-
You can also show decorative serging on the rose by finishing the folded edge of the ruffle using a rolled hem before gathering the strip.
-
Fold the fabric square in half. Then fold in each corner to the middle using the same method as folding a prairie point.
-
Gather the lower straight edge.
-
Using the hand needle stitch the leaf to the back of the rose.
-
-
Using the hand needle stitch the roses to the front and back of the collar piece.
-
Wear it over your black dress or other ensembles.