White Band @ Bottom

WARNING: Extremely lengthy post

Faye of Faye's Sewing Adventure asked about the white band on the bottom of my recent variation of the Sorbetto. :)

Here are some pics of what I did:

1) Front view of white band attached to main Sorbetto top

2) Back view of the attached white band


3) Inside view - pinked seam


4) Inside view of the attached white band to the main Sorbetto
Because my fabric is a heavily fraying type, I used my machine's stitch that look like serging to hold it in - in my attempt to prevent future fraying.


5) Inside view of the attached white tab
Press the seam up towards the main Sorbetto.

My situation was that I've sewn the Sorbetto top portion back in August 2011 but left it unfinished (a. I can't find my scraps/remainder of the dress to make self fabric bind because I cut them August of 2010! b. I can't find in my stash any coordinating fabric back when I sew this Sorbetto so it's been put on the shelf in favor of other projects).

I did not want to unpick the seams of this Sorbetto before attaching the white band (delicate fabric), so what I did were a bit of a hack job:

A) Preparing the white band
I measured the circumference of the bottom of my unhemmed Sorbetto.

Cut a rectangle of the white band:
Width = circumference + 2 inch(just my preference/approx.) + seam allowance.
Length = (desired band length + seam allowance) x2.
[however, since my white fabric was not wide enough, I pieced 2 equal squares on both sides of the rectangle to make it as wide as I need it to be (the above measurement) and press the seams flat]

B) Sewing the band to the Sorbetto
So, let's say that the white band is the red fabric in pic below, and my main Sorbetto is illustrated by the white and blue fabric below:

I pinned the right side of my white band rectangle to the right side of the bottom of my Sorbetto from the middle of the white band and the Sorbetto (there will be extra fabric at the end of course since I added the 2 inches and seam allowance but let it hang there for now). I machine-stitched the band around the bottom of the Sorbetto - I do not have a pic for where the extra fabric on both ends will meet, but I stitched pretty close at this seams.

Pressed the seam up towards the Sorbetto fabric.

On the wrong side again, I folded the white band up to meet the earlier seam (thus this makes the white band now folded into 2).

I flipped my Sorbetto so that it's right side is facing the right side of my white band (like in pic below) and pin the sandwich of the bottom folded part of the white band and the previously machine stitched seam of step #2 from the middle front of the Sorbetto. The pinning and then stitching this part is also tricky a bit. Because:
My Sorbetto flare out a lot, so my white band at the bottom also needed to flare out accordingly. This was why I added the extra 2 inches. After pinning from the middle of the front Sorbetto (I also did a lot of basting at each tricky step actually), and having the adequate flaring out at the bottom and marking where the extra fabric will meet by creasing, I machine-stitched the sandwich but left maybe about 5 inches off at the middle of the back unstitched just yet. Just so that I can stitch down the creased line where the white band meet in the middle back like my picture number 5 of my inside view of the finished Sorbetto. After that is stitched down, I then stitched close the last 5 inches of the sandwich. (wordy ehh)


Pressed all the seams. Now the band is attached.

So that was just how I came up with my hacked version, since I already have my Sorbetto all made up and only then added the band. Hackjob or not, I try to keep it neat... A little.

Hindsight
Now, in the future if I am making something like this again, I would have attached the band to the front and back pieces of the Sorbetto, before sewing the sides up....

Or, to make it easier (but maybe not as pretty), like the mock-up pattern above, I will cut 2 pieces of the contrasting band panel for each front and back. Then first sew the curved hem of the bottom part (right side face each 0ther). Turn out to the right side and press. Then maybe stay stitch the upper part of the band together and then stitch it to the main Sorbetto front. And do this again for the back. AND THEN only sew the front and the back together....

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My brain is tired. Can you believe that after thinking spring is upon us it started to snow heavily and hasn't stopped since morning! Not cold enough to stick probably. Am going to sew something spring-y now in defiance!