Clara Dress Sew Along Final Week! Finishing Details

We are down to the final steps in completing our Sew Liberated Clara Dress. At this point, all that is left to do is finish the hem, sew in the buttonholes and attach the buttons.

If you have not added a ruffle as I did for the sew along dress, finishing the hem is quite easy. Cut a 2” bias strip. Sew the bias strip to the hem of the skirt with a ½” seam allowance. Once the strip has been sewn around the entire hem of the skirt, press the bias strip over the seam allowance. On the back side of the bias strip, fold over ¼” to 3/8” and press in place.
Fold the bias strip up over the seam allowance and pin in place. I pin mine on the right side of the garment.

On the right side of the garment, simply sew in the ditch to complete the hem. This is a great method to use especially if you would like a contrasting edge.

  You will have a stitching line on the back side of the skirt,
  And a beautifully finished hem on the front with the stitches hidden in the seam line.
  If you would like to add a ruffle to the hem of the skirt, measure the circumference of the hem. Mine was approximately 104”. When adding a ruffle, the formula for how much you will need is 2 1/2 to 3 times the circumference. I was not able to get 3 times the circumference as I ran out of fabric, but I was close and I still had a fairly full ruffle.
  I attached the ruffle to the lining of the skirt rather than the outer fabric. I finished the hem of my skirt with a strip of purchased ½” bias tape. Once the bias tape was sewn to the hem, it was pressed up and hand stitched in place.

The right side of the ruffle was sewn to the wrong side of the skirt lining. I finished the raw edge with a piece of purchased bias tape. Once the bias tape was sewn to the ruffle, I pressed it up and machine stitched the other edge to the lining.
  The final step in completing the dress is to sew in the buttonholes and attach the buttons. In last week’s video, I showed how I sew on my buttons. You can find the video here, https://www.sewnews.com/blogs/sewing/2014/05/19/clara-dress-sew-along-week-5/

When choosing buttons, the first thing I do is go to my stash of buttons and sometimes I get lucky. I had vintage buttons that worked beautifully with the dress I made for the magazine article.

The buttons have a domed shape. If you are using a button like this, be sure to measure across the top of the button to determine the size of your buttonhole. If you only measure the back, or the flat side of the button, your buttonholes will be too small.

For my ruffle dress, I decided to cover buttons as I really liked the black stripes in the fern pattern.

I find covered buttons to be a wonderful alternative to regular purchased buttons as they can be customized in so many ways. If you have never covered buttons, please give it a try. You can find lots of sizes at your local fabric store.

Be sure to check out the video portion of the last segment of the sew-along.

Now for a look at the three faces of the Clara Dress.
The Clara Dress is a lovely dress for hot summer days. It just seems to float around the body. I know I am going to truly enjoy wearing my Clara dresses this summer.

If you have made a Clara dress, be sure to post a picture on the Flickr page so we can ohhh and ahhhh over your success. You can find the Flickr page here, Clara Dress Flickr Group.

Thanks so much for following along! There’s a new sew long right on the heels of this one. Be sure to check it out as it is a must make for summer! News about the sew along will be posted soon.

Rhonda Buss

Rhonda’s Creative Life