Welcome back to day 4 of the Blair Sewalong where we sew up the waistband of the Blair skirt.
Step 19 - Without trimming, finish one long raw edge of the Belt Loop piece by either serging or zigzag stitching.
Fold in the unfinished edge by 3/8”, wrong sides touching, and press.
Fold in the finished edge by 1/4”, wrong sides touching. Press.
Edgestitch 1/16” along each edge.
Cut the Belt Loop into six 3 1/2” sections. Discard any extra.
Fold up one end of each Belt Loop by 1⁄2”, wrong sides touching. Press.
Step 20 - With the right sides touching, pin the raw, unfolded edge of each Belt Loop up against the top edge of the Waistband Lining at the six notches. Baste using a 3/8” seam allowance (or use a glue stick like I am). Be extra careful that this is the top of the Waistband and not the bottom edge.
Step 21 - Press the bottom long edge of the Main Waistband up by 3/8”, wrong sides touching.
Step 22 - Pin the upper edges of the Waistband and Waistband Lining together, right sides touching. The Belt Loops will be sandwiched between the two layers, as pictured.
Stitch.
Grade the seam allowances;
Press seam allowances toward the lining.
Step 23 - Understitch just inside the lining.
Step 24 - Pin the bottom of the Waistband Lining to the top of the Skirt, matching the notches. The right side of the Waistband Lining should be touching the wrong side of the Skirt. The Waistband will extend past the edges of the Button Bands by 1⁄2” on both ends.
Stitch.
Grade the seam allowances.
Press the seam allowances up towards the Waistband.
Press the entire Waistband up and away from the Skirt.
Step 25 - Turn back the upper folded edge of the Waistband, right sides together, towards the Waistband lining seam along the center front. Pin. The folded edge of the Waistband should just barely extend past the seam where the Skirt and Waistband lining meet. I like to draw in the line of stitching first before sewing to be extra precise.
Stitch the short ends of the Waistband using a 1/2” seam allowance, lining the stitching up with the Button Band edge.
Trim the seam allowances and upper corner.
Step 26 - Turn the Waistband right side out. Press the Waistband so that you get a nice squared edge at each center front corner.
Pin (or use a glue stick) the folded Waistband edge so that it just covers the seam where the skirt and Waistband meet.
Step 27 - Starting at the center back and keeping the Belt Loops up and out of the way, edgestitch around the entire Waistband.
Step 28 - Pull the folded edge of each Belt Loop down so it’s flat against the Waistband and Skirt. The folded edge of each Belt Loop will extend past the bottom of the Waistband by about 1⁄2”. Pin or use a glue stick.
Edgestitch along the bottom folded edge of each Belt Loop through all of the layers. Stitch back and forth a few times to secure.
And that is it for today. Come back tomorrrow and we will finish sewing up our Blair skirt.