Sasha Sundress, Knickers, Bolero & Flip-flops
Materials: 0.5 metre Cotton Fabric 0.25 metre fabric for lining Bolero 0.5 metre 1/4 wide elastic for Waist and legs 2 Snap Fasteners Small Beads or Sequins 2 Small Buttons to decorate front straps Small Sheets of craft foam to match fabric. PVA Adhesive. The Bolero Shoulder Seams 1. With right sides together. Stitch from shoulder edge to neck edge. 2. Press open. 3. Side Seams 1. With right sides together. Stitch on seam line. 2. Press open.
Repeat the process with the lining pieces. With right sides together and carefully matching all edges, pin and tack all around the outer edge leaving a small gap at the centre back to allow for turning after sewing. Sew all around, again leaving that small gap at the back. Trim seam to ¼ and snip around all curves taking care not to cut the seam stitching. Turn through the gap and roll the edge between your thumb and fingers pressing lightly to give a neat crisp edge. Using a fine sewing needle tack all around and then press. You may top stitch close to the edge if you prefer. Snip armhole curves to a depth of 1/8, turn under ¼ and press the edge with your fingers. Do this again to lining, Carefully match edges together and tack in place. Machine sew along the outer edge joining the two pieces together. Remove tacking threads and give a final press with your iron. To make the slide bar; cut a piece of top fabric 2 x 1 and fold in half lengthwise. Machine stitch along 3 edges and turn. Press between fingers. Fold in half and machine across the small end, creating a circle of fabric. Turn the right way and slip onto one of the front ties. Close the Bolero by passing the other tie through the slide bar. The Dress Using an erasable marker, mark a line on the skirt piece ½ down from the top edge. Set your machine stitch to gather or increase the stitch length and starting 1 in from the edge stitch right across the fabric using your marker as a guide to staying straight. At the end of the line (again 1 before the edge) do not secure the end stitches but leave a long thread on both bobbin and top. Using your machine foot as a guide stitch five further lines under your first remembering to leave those long threads at the end of each row. Gathering secure together in pairs one end of the stitching lines (ties several knots) leaving the long threads as your pulling threads. Holding all the long bobbin only threads carefully pull the fabric into gathers until the gathered section measures 10. Tie the threads together to stop them from moving and unravelling. Stroke the gathers with a pin head to neaten and align them. When you are satisfied that the gathers are even and tidy, sew 5 lines of stitching using a fine zig zag or fancy stitch if your machine has them. This will create the effect of smocking. The look is enhanced if you use contrasting threads, even each line could be a separate colour. Binding the top edge using your binding strip, lay with right sides together along the top of the gathers and matching each end. Sew together just over your first stitching line. Trim and turn to the right side and hem into place. Turn the back edges twice and hem into place. Attach two snap fasteners at the top and bottom of the smocking area to close the back.
Turn under ¼ hem and turn again for 1 and hand stitch into place. Press back edges and bottom hem. Straps Using your strap pieces, fold each one in half and sew along the long length and one short end. Trim corners and turn through opening. Turn the open end in ¼ and close with hand stitches. Place on the skirt and sew into place. If you want, sew two small buttons to front as trim. Panties With right sides together sew side seams, press open. Sew crotch seam and again press open. Turn under a hem at the top, just wider than your elastic, and sew all around leaving a small gap to insert the elastic. Carefully pass elastic through the opening and all around the hem bring out again through the gap and hand sew ends securely together. Close the gap with machine or hand stitches. Repeat this process around both legs. Flip Flops Using a PVA adhesive glue together two pieces of sole (take care to make a left and right) and again with the remaining pieces. Leave until fully dry. Holding the sole on Sasha s foot decide where to place your top straps and mark with a dot on both sides and again on the strap piece where it meets the under sole edge. The strap needs to be held quite firmly over her foot. Using the marks you made glue the end pieces of the top strap under the sole and hold in place until dry. Once dry attach the two remaining pieces, hold into position until dry. I decorated mine with sequins. Sasha Togz is a section of Whisper Nursery 22 Beatty Gardens, Braintree, Essex CM7 9TA Email. Gloria.farrant@btinternet.com Please do not sell or share this pattern.