Sweat/Jersey Dress "Aster"

First a few preparatory seams: Fold the bust darts together so that the right side of the fabric is on the inside. To do this, place the two notches on the side of the dart on top of each other. You can draw a guide line from these notches to the bust point (e.g. with tailor's chalk). Then sew this line from the outside to the inside using a normal straight stitch. The seam is not locked at the bust point. Instead, sew a few stitches beyond the bust point and then knot the yarn. Use a needle to push the knot very close to the fabric.

Fold the neckband lengthwise and sew the short open side together with a straight stitch. For the V-neck cuff, the seam follows the triangular cut-out.

Now close the shoulder seams. The right side of the fabric is on the inside. Use an elasticated stitch for this and the other seams. If you don't have an overlock, a simple zigzag stitch will also do the job.

Now fold the waistband lengthwise so that the right, beautiful side is on the outside. Then fold the waistband and top twice to mark the quarters. For the round neckline, simply pin the waistband to the right side of the top and sew on with an elasticated stitch (overlock or zigzag stitch). The seam on the cuff meets the centre back of the neckline. The waistband is slightly smaller than the neckline and is stretched slightly when sewn on.

If you wish, you can then topstitch the cuff from the right side so that it is always nice and smooth. A presser foot with a spacer is very practical for this, and a blind hem foot can also be used.

The cuff for the V-neck is finished slightly differently. This waistband is also folded lengthwise and the seam allowance is pressed apart. This creates a triangle at the seam. Sew a few centimetres close to the outer edge to prevent this area from opening up again. Then mark the quarters here too. The seam is one of the markings.

Mark a point on the neckline directly under the point of the V. The distance to the edge of the fabric corresponds to the seam allowance, in this case 1.5 cm. Mark the same point on the waistband, but here from bottom to top. Place these two points on top of each other, pin the waistband to the right edge of the neckline and remove the bottom pin.

Sew the cuff in place a few cm from this point.

To be able to turn the waistband and sew it to the other side, you need to cut into the fabric of the neckline at the tip. Please do not cut all the way to the seam, there should be a few millimetres of space. Fold the waistband over to the other side and sew a few cm long here too. It is best to do this from the reverse side so that the side with the cut is on top. Then you can always pull the fabric to the side.

You can then pin, sew and topstitch the cuff all the way round.

Continue in the same way for both neckline versions.

The sleeves are then inserted. Note that the sleeves are not symmetrical, the back part is slightly wider, this is the part with the double nick in the seam allowance. Of course, this also belongs on the back.

As always: right side on right side. Position the nick at the top of the sleeve on the shoulder seam. Then bring the four corners and then the notches together. The double notch is joined to the double notch, the single notch to the single notch.

Distribute the remaining fabric evenly and pin everything in place. The sleeve is slightly wider than the armhole, which is correct. Simply divide the width evenly.

Use an elasticated stitch (overlock or zigzag stitch) for sewing. The sleeve lies at the bottom of the stitch plate. Sew slowly and keep smoothing out the pleats. Even if it is tempting, try not to stretch the fabric too much. You will see that it works wonderfully.

Now sew the two skirt sections to the bottom edge of the top sections using an elasticated stitch (overlock or zigzag stitch). The sleeves and top are still open at the sides.

Once the skirt pieces are sewn on, the sides of the dress are closed. Sew both sides together in one go from the wrist to the hem of the skirt using an elasticated stitch (overlock or zigzag stitch).

Now you just need to sew around the hems. Fold the edges of the wrists and skirt hem inwards by 2 cm and then sew them in place with a 1.5 cm seam allowance. Use a zigzag stitch or an elasticated decorative stitch for this. Twin needles also produce beautiful, elasticated finishes.

You can cut off the excess fabric at the end so that you are sure to always catch the fabric on the back.

Tip: Even with a free-arm sewing machine, it will be tight to pull a sleeve over the stitch plate. However, you can also simply turn the sleeve inside out and then sew from the inside.