Dress & Bracelet

Difficulty level Intermediate
Time to Complete A week or more
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The new BERNINA 880 techniques were used on our B 880 dress, as well as on our top plus belt and bracelets. The results, we’re sure you’ll agree, are one-of-a-kind!
 
The Shape Designer was used to combine patterns.
The Colour Wheel was used to alter the colour of embroidery motifs.
The Stitch Designer was used to create brand-new stitches, which were altered with the ‘Distortion’ function. We also altered/distorted existing decorative stitches.  

Top with Belt & Bracelet

Picture: B 880 Dress

 

Picture: B 880 Dress

 

Picture: B 880 Dress

 

Picture: B 880 Dress

  

Picture: B 880 Dress

Dress – sizes 34 – 46

Materials for Dress:

  • 1.5 m cotton satin in grey (1.4 m wide)
  • Iron-on Vilene for the facings
  • Water-soluble embroidery stabiliser for decorative seams and embroideries; or, depending on dress fabric, cutaway or tearaway stabiliser, amount as per number of embroideries
  • (In-seam) zip, 35cm
  • Sewing thread
  • Overlocking thread
  • Embroidery thread
  • BERNINA B 880 Sewing Machine
  • BERNINA overlocker
  • Zipper foot no. 35 (optional accessory)
  • Embroidery foot no. 26
  • Sideways-motion foot no. 40C, or Open embroidery foot no. 20C
  • Straightstitch plate
  • Maxi Hoop

Cutting out (Seam and hem allowances must be added on)

Wash cotton fabrics before cutting out in order to prevent subsequent shrinkage.

Tips for cutting out:

  • Cut out front and back of dress generously, or divide up fabric and do the decorative stitching or   embroideries first before definitively cutting out.
  • Cut out belt lining as for the leather; alternatively, line with a piece of fabric on the bias.

Cotton satin:
  1. 1x front (to fabric fold)
  2. 1x back (to fabric fold)
  3. 1x front facing (to fabric fold)
  4. 1x back facing (to fabric fold)

Instructions for sewing Dress

Embroider front and back sections; alter designs with the ‘Colour Wheel’ function and combine them with the ‘Shape Designer’ function.
Embroidery designs used: Floral Etchings BC01518, BC01519, BC01520.


Place front on back with right sides facing and close shoulder seams with a straightstitch. Neaten shoulder seams with the overlocker. Iron Vilene onto facings and let cool thoroughly.
Place front and back facings right-sides-together and close shoulder seams with a straightstitch. Neaten shoulder seams of facings with the overlocker. Neaten facing edge with the overlocker.
Place facing right-sides-together on dress and pin together along the neckline; sew together with a straightstitch. Turn facing inwards. In strong curves, snip the seam allowance up to 2mm short of the seam. With a straightstich and invisible from the right side, sew dress and facing to the shoulder seam allowances. Edgestitch facing with thread of the same colour as the embroideries.
Insert concealed zip in the left side seam with foot no. 35 and close this seam to within 7cm of the hem allowance, i.e. leave 7cm open for small slit.
Close right side seam to within 7cm of the hem allowance, i.e. leave 7cm open for small slit.
Neaten side seam allowances with the overlocker. Iron seam allowance under along the armhole edges and hem with a blindstitch (foot no. 5), or narrow-edgestitch with a straightstitch.
Neaten seam allowance on hem with the overlocker. Iron under hem allowance and topstitch hem. Narrow-edgestitch slits with thread of the same colour as the embroideries.  

Picture: B 880 Dress

Top & Belt – sizes 34 – 46

Materials for the top:

  • 0.8 m cotton satin (1.4 m wide)
  • Iron-on Vilene for the facings
  • Water-soluble stabiliser for decorative seams and embroideries, or, depending on the fabric used, cutaway or tearaway stabiliser, amount as per number of embroideries
  • Sewing thread
  • Overlocking thread
  • Embroidery thread
  • BERNINA B 880 Sewing Machine
  • BERNINA overlocker
  • Embroidery foot no. 26
  • Sideways-motion foot no. 40C, or Open embroidery foot no. 20C
  • Straightstitch plate
  • Large oval hoop

Cutting out (Seam- and hem allowances must be added on)

Wash cotton fabrics before cutting out in order to prevent subsequent shrinkage.


Tip for cutting out:
Cut out top front and back generously, or divide up fabric and sew the decorative seams or embroideries before cutting out definitively.

Cotton satin:

  1. 1x front to line L (to fabric fold)
  2. 1x back to line L (to fabric fold) 
  3. 1x front facing (to fabric fold)
  4. 1x back facing (to fabric fold)

Instructions for sewing top

Front and back sections with decorative seams and embroideries; Alter stitches with the ‘Distortion’ function, and embroideries with the ‘Colour Wheel’ function.
  • Decorative seams used: Stitch 414, combine several times (e.g. 5x), and distort each individual pattern length as wished with the ‘Distortion’ function.
  • Create your own stitch with the ‘Stitch Designer’ function, combine several times, and distort each individual pattern length as wished with the ‘Distortion’ function.
  • Embroidery design used: Exotic Rainforest BE10730, alter as wished with the ‘Colour Wheel’ function.

Place front and back sections together with right sides facing and close shoulder seams with a straightstitch. Neaten shoulder seams with the overlocker. Iron Vilene onto facings and let cool thoroughly.
Place front and back facings right-sides-together and close shoulder seams with a straightstitch. Neaten shoulder seams of facings with the overlocker.
Neaten facing edge with the overlocker. Place facing right-sides-together on top and pin together along the neckline, then sew together with a straightstitch.
Turn facing inwards. Snip the seam allowance in strong curves up to 2mm short of the seam. Sew top and facing invisibly with a straightstitch to the shoulder seam allowances.
Close left and right side seams. Neaten side seam allowances with the overlocker.
Turn seam allowance under along the armhole edges and hem with a blindstitch (foot no.5), or narrow-edgestitch with a straightstitch. Neaten the hem allowance with the overlocker, then iron over and sew with a blindstitch (foot no. 5) or topstitch with a straightstitch.

Picture: B 880 Dress

Belt

 

Materials for the belt:

  • 0.3 m leather (1.0 m wide)
  • 0.5 m lining
  • 14 eyelets, diameter 4mm (e.g. Prym)
  • 3 m cord
  • Iron-on Vilene for reinforcing eyelets
  • Self-adhesive embroidery stabiliser (e.g. Vilene H54 Filmoplast)
  • Sewing thread
  • Embroidery thread
  • BERNINA B 880 Sewing Machine
  • Embroidery foot no. 26
  • Sideways-motion foot no. 40C, or Open embroidery foot no. 20C
  • Straightstitch plate
  • Large oval hoop

Cutting out (Seam- and hem allowances must be added on)

Leather:
  • 2x centre-front
  • 2x side-front
  • 2x side-back
  • 2x centre-back

Lining:
  • 2x centre-front
  • 2x side-front
  • 2x side-back
  • 2x centre-back


Instructions for sewing belt

Embroidery design used: Exotic Rainforest BE10730 – alter as wished with the ‘Colour Wheel’ function. Create your own stitches with the ‘Stitch Designer’, combine them in the various shapes with the ‘Shape Designer’, and alter them with the ‘Colour Wheel’ function.

Sewing the belt
Place centre-back sections right-sides-together and close the seam in the centre-back.
Add on both side-back sections with right sides facing, and close the seams.
Add on both side-front sections with right sides facing, and close the seams.
Add on both centre-front sections, and close the seams.

Sew together lining in the same manner.
Iron a 5cm width of Vilene onto both centre-front sections of the centre front of the lining and let cool thoroughly.

Embroider the leather piece and embellish with decorative stitches.

Trim seam allowance of leather piece.
Place lining wrong-sides-facing on leather piece. Fold over the seam allowances of the lining and pin both pieces together.
Edgestitch the leather together with the lining.
Insert 7 evenly spaced eyelets 1.5cm from the edge in both centre-front sections. Pull through the cord as a closure.

Picture: B 880 Dress


Materials for bracelet:

  • Remnant of leather (approx. 0.1m x 0.1m wide)
  • 1.5m cord
  • Iron-on Vilene for lining
  • Self-adhesive embroidery stabiliser (e.g. Vilene H54 Filmoplast)
  • Sewing thread
  • Embroidery thread
  • BERNINA 880 Sewing Machine
  • Embroidery foot no. 26
  • Open embroidery foot no.20C
  • Straightstitch plate
  • Medium Embroidery Hoop

Picture: B 880 Dress

Instructions for sewing bracelet

Embroidery designs used:
Exotic Rainforest BE10730, colours 2 and 3 only (without stalk), alter with ‘Colour Wheel’ function. Floral Etchings BC01503, alter with ‘Colour Wheel’ function.

Hoop self-adhesive embroidery stabiliser and stick the piece of leather onto it. Embroider flower motif. Remove embroidery from hoop. Iron the Vilene onto the wrong side of the leather as a lining. Cut out motif close to edge. Cut cord into 50cm pieces. Position the three pieces of cord under the embroidery design and edgestitch on in places with zigzag stitches.