How To Stitch Dress?

Gathering a bodice of a dress? Help?

• I have a pattern that calls for me to do the following: "To gather center front between small dots, stitch along seam line and 1/4" inside seam line, using a long machine stitch. With right sides together, pin bodice front sections together. Pull up gathering stitches to measure 2". Fasten thread ends. Baste; stitch center front seam between small dot, backstitching at small dots to reinforce seam." I've never gathered a dress before, so I'm kinda confused. It sounds like they want me to do like a kind of loose stitch and them pull it so it bunches up?? Also, if the seam allowance is 5/8", then I should do one line of stiches at 5/8" and one at 3/8"? Is that a correct interpretation of these directions? Any info on what stitch to use, as well as the mechanics is helpful.

• Answer:

  You can turn your sewing machine stitch length to it's longest stitch and do as you said, one line at the seam allowance and one inside. Two lines of stitching is just to be sure when you pull the fabric along this "clothesline" the line doesn't break, and if it does, you have a back up. Otherwise it would just fall into your lap. TIP: I tie a knot in the two lines of stitching before gathering and hold the thread still and push the fabric along the line. What the instructions want you to do is pin the pieces of the bodice together where the dots occured on the pattern, then gather the one piece that is longer until it is evenly gathered against the other piece. Also, a tip: If you stitch this all together with the same long basting stitch, if it isn't just right, it is easy to take out until all layers of the garment are sewn along the correct seam allowance and lay as you want it to lay. Then stitch with a smaller stitch to secure the seam,, along the 5/8 allowance and pull out all the basting stitches that show.