Allegro Sew Along Day Five

May 22, 2020 | Uncategorized | 2 comments

Today we wrap up the construction of our Allegro Bottoms. Day five of the Allegro Sew Along is all about hemming. The pattern includes a couple of options for a hem, which will you be using?

The Allegro Pattern not only has several options for style, 5″ inseam shorts, 9″ inseam shorts, knee length skirt, ankle length skirt, joggers, crop pants, there are some options for hemming as well! The options vary based on which style you are sewing.

The shorts have two hem options, a basic folded under hem, or a cuff.

Let’s talk about the cuff. You will be cutting four pieces, a front and back cuff piece for each leg. Make sure you are cutting the correct pattern piece. The 5″ inseam and 9″ inseam each have their own cuff pieces.

Sew the side seams together. I prefer to use my sewing machine. I then clip the seam allowance at the angle. This allows the fabric to release to create a nice fold.

I press my seam open and then fold the cuff wrong sides together. Press well after you fold!

Slip the cuff onto the end of the short leg, right sides together. Sew the seam and then finish with a serger, overlock stitch or a zig zag stitch.

Press the seam allowance up and topstitch into place. The shaping keeps the bottom of the short from blooming out of the cuff.

Finally, press the cuff upwards. Repeat with the other side.

Elastic Ankle Joggers

The pants have the option of a crop length with a folded under hem, or an elastic ankle jogger. To sew the jogger cuff, fold the hem under and press. Topstitch into place leaving a gap to thread the elastic into.

Overlap the ends of the elastic and zig zag stitch in place.

Close the gap in the hem. Now topstitch along the middle of the casing to elastic securing it into place. Use a long straight stitch. Be sure to pull the elastic to straighten out the fabric while you sew.

Such a great touch!

Hemming the skirt

The knee length skirt has a simple turned under hem. The ankle length skirt has a great split hem. The instructions allow a clean finish at the corners.

Fold the skirt hem up to the RIGHT side. (just like when we sewed the top of our pockets) Sew into place 1″ from the sides.

Flip the hem over so it is on the wrong side, folding the side vent into place. Use a chop stick or a blunt item to push the corners out. Repeat with the other three corners. Topstitch the hem in place working all the way around the skirt, pivoting around the corners of the hem and at the top of the hem vents.

A big big thank you for our sponsors for the Allegro Sew Along!

Style Maker Fabrics and The Fabric Fairy both provided the fabrics you see in this series. I will be using this gorgeous fabrics all week to create Allegro shorts, skirts and pants! Members of our Facebook Support Group will have a chance to win a gift certificate to each The Fabric Fairy and Style Maker Fabrics and Love Notions Patterns for sewing along with me!