June 10, 2017

Lenox Shirtdress Sewalong Day 10: Finishing Touches!


We made it to the final day of the sewalong! Hooray!! Today is all about finishing touches. We’ll hem our Lenox Shirtdresses, then put in button holes and sew on buttons.

To hem the dress, start by pressing the bottom edge up by 1/4″. Fold it up by another 3/4″ and press. Pin in place from the right side and topstitch at a scant 3/4″ all the way around. Make sure the edges around your button bland are well-pressed and any raw bits are tucked away. After sewing, give it another good press.

Using the buttonhole guide, mark the positions of the button holes on your dress. As drafted, there is no button on the waistband so if you want to wear a belt, it doesn’t have to go over a button. If you don’t plan on wearing a belt with your Lenox, we’d recommend shifting the buttons so there is one on the waistband. You’ll also want to make sure the second button is in line with your bust apex to help prevent gaping. Adjust the spacing of your buttonholes if necessary to get them in the right spots for you.

Use the buttonhole foot on your machine to make your buttonholes, then carefully open with either a seam ripper with a pin in the end of the hole, an exacto knife (very carefully!), or a buttonhole awl.

Align the two button bands, pinning in place at the waistband, hem, and V-neck corner. Mark the locations of the buttons through the button holes and attach the buttons either by machine or by hand.

And that’s it! You’re dress is done!! Thanks so much for sewing along with us and make sure you share you’re garments using #LenoxShirtdress so we can see what you create!

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