SALIDA SEWALONG DAY 3 - POCKETS AND BACK ASSEMBLY (STEPS 19–25)





Welcome back for day 3 of the Salida Sewalong. Today we will be assembling our pockets and also sewing up the back of the skirt. Lets get started. Step 19 - With right sides touching, pin the pocket lining pieces to the skirt front along the short curved edges. Sew the pocket opening edge. Trim and clip the seam allowance up to the line of stitching, being careful not to cut into the stitching. This will help the curve of the pocket to lay flat and not pull. Step 20 - Turn the pocket linings to the inside, cheating the linings slightly toward the inside so they are not visible from the outside of the skirt. Topstitch the skirt along pocket opening edges ¼” from the finished edge. Step 21 - Pull the pocket lining away from the skirt. Pin the pocket to the pocket lining along the curved edge, right sides touching and matching notches. You will only be pinning the pockets together (keeping the front skirt out of the pinning). Stitch the long curved edge, keeping the skirt free from the line of stitching as you sew. Finish the seam allowance along the curved edge in your desired manner. Pull the pocket back towards the inside of the skirt. Pin the upper and side edges of the pocket to the skirt, matching notches and making sure everything lays nicely. To secure, baste along top and side edges, 3/8” from raw edge. Set aside the skirt front for now. VIEW A ONLY: (For View B, skip to Step 25) Step 22 - Fold the inner edge of each back skirt self facing (where the slit will be) to the inside by 1/4” and press. Fold in again by 1/4”. Pin and press. To secure, stitch close to the fold. (Sorry I forgot to snap a pic of the stitching.) Step 23 - With right sides touching, pin the back skirt panels together along the center back. (Leave the slit portion free for now.) Stitch from the upper edge to the dot. Pivot at the dot to stitch across the upper end of the back slit self facing. Here is a close up. Trim seam allowances to 1/4” and finish in your desired manner. It can feel a little awkward to finish the angled area at the top of the slit, but just do your best. Baste (temporary long stitch length with no backstitching) the slit closed from the dot down to the bottom raw edge of the skirt. This is going to help you line up the slit correctly. If it helps, you may want to draw a line straight down first to use as a stitching guideline. Step 24 - Press the center back seam allowance and the self facings for the slit toward the left back skirt (when wearing), as shown below. Baste along the upper end of the back skirt self facing through all layers to secure the back slit to one side. This will also serve as a guideline for the topstitching. Starting at the top of the yoke, topstitch down the left back skirt to the slit, pivoting to stitch on top of the basting. Backstitch to secure. Remove all basting stitches if visible, including the ones closing the slit from step 23. That is it for View A for today. View B Only Step 25 - With right sides touching, pin the back skirt panels together along the center back, aligning raw edges, matching up notches, and making sure that the yoke seams align. Stitch the center back seam from top to bottom. Trim seam allowances to 1/4” and finish in your desired manner. Press the seam allowances towards the left skirt back. Topstitch the left skirt back 1/8” from the seamline (from top to bottom), catching the seam allowance underneath. (Sorry I don't have pics of this, but it is just the same as View A above, without the slit.) That is it for today. See you back here tomorrow.