We made it to the final day of the Webster Top & Dress sewalong! The last few finishing touches are a little difficult to capture in photographs, so feel free to ask questions in the comments if things are confusing!
Start by trying on your dress to figure out the ideal length of the back straps. It’s helpful to have a buddy for this part, but if you’re sewing alone, pin the straps to the back first, try it on, and adjust as needed. Pin the straps in place over the gaps in the back facing seam diagonally across the back. The straps should lay reasonably flat but allow for freedom of movement as well. Take the top off and mark the point where the strap meets the dress with a pin or chalk on the strap.
Insert the end of the strap into the opening in the shell-facing seam, keeping the strap twisted and lining up the length determined in the last step with the edge of the shell.
Now, to sew this strap in place, turn the Webster inside out and flip up the facing so you can see the end of the strap sticking through, sandwiched by the seam allowances of the shell and facing.
Pin along the length of the gap, making sure to catch the end of the strap. Then you’ll sew along the 1/2″ seam allowance to close the gap and catch the back strap. Here’s the same view as above just rotated so you can see the facing as well:
Flip the facing down and make sure you’ve caught the strap and closed the entire gap. You can also complete the under stitching of the facing at this point.
Repeat these steps with the second strap, again being careful that it doesn’t get twisted.
Finally, we’ll anchor the inner facing so it doesn’t flip out. Start by giving the whole neckline and both armscyes a good press, making sure the facing is laying flat. To secure the facing, we’re going to stitch in the ditch from the right side of the shell, sewing a short line of stitches in the valley created by the side seams and back seams.
Stitch in the ditch on both side seams and the back seam. If you want to topstitch around the neckline as shown in View B, press the facing again and topstitch around the whole neckline at 1″ from the opening, pivoting at both front and back V points.
Give your Webster one final press and you’re done! Congratulations on making a swishy and silky new summer top or dress! Share your makes with us using #WebsterTop and #WebsterDress; we’ll be sharing a roundup at the end of the month!