NIKKO SEWALONG DAY 3 - VIEWS B & D SIDESEAMS AND SLEEVES

Step 12 - With right sides touching, pin one sleeve to the coordinating armhole edge of the garment, matching notches. First match the top shoulder notch of the sleeve to the shoulder seam of the garment.

Next match up the front and back sleeve and armhole notches. It's hard to photograph since it gets all scrunched up in this step, but you get the idea. If you are an experienced sewist you should be able to sew it up with just these pins, but if you are more beginner feel free to add more pins in for guidance.

Sew using a stretch stitch or serge like I did. Press seam allowances towards the sleeve. Repeat for other sleeve.

Step 13 - With right sides touching, pin the front to the back at sides, continuing to pin sleeve underarm edges together. Make sure the lower edges of the garment and sleeve align, and that the underarm seams match up.

For View B (top), stitch from the wrist to the hem in one continuous seam. This can be done on a serger or stretch stitch on your regular machine. If using a stretch stitch press seam open. If serging like I did, press seam allowance to the back of the garment.

For View D (dress), sew from the wrist down to the large dot in one continuous seam and backstitch at the dot. Be sure to stitch straight down to the dot at the slit and not follow the curve at that point. Press seam allowances open. (Note that for View D, this step must be done on a sewing machine and not a serger to accommodate the slit. If you want to finish the raw edges on a serger, finish the front and back edges separately and then sew together with a stretch stitch on the sewing machine. I chose to just leave them raw.)

Step 14 - Now it's time to finish the sleeves by hemming them. This is where I like to use some sort of fusible knit tape to stabilize the seam before stitching. Since the fabric used on this pattern has so much stretch, I often get wavy seams. My tape of choice is the HeatnBond Soft Stretch because it's easy to find, but I am sure there are other similar products or tricks out there for hemming slinky knits. You can see the clear tape on the bottom of my top here.

Turn the lower edge of each sleeve up by 1” (2.5cm). Pin and press.

Using a zigzag stitch, coverstitch or double stretch needle, topstitch at 7/8” (2.3 cm) from each folded sleeve hem to secure. With this pattern, I have found that I like to use a double needle for thinner fabrics like this bamboo jersey because you see the stitching. For thicker fabrics like sweater knits or rib knits I prefer a regular zigzag stitch (2 length and 3 width) because the stitching disappears into the thickness of the fabric.