Sew a Rickrack and Button Hem

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"Let's Have a Conversation" Bishop Dress

Over the years, many Valentine's Day and heart-themed designs have been featured in the pages of Sew Beautiful - from the popular "Sweet Valentine" dress in Issue 104 to the gorgeous "Heart of Roses" gown in our 20th anniversary celebration edition.

Our recent December/January edition (Issue 151) continued this tradition with a "Shades of Pink" Valentine's gallery that included this oh-so-sweet smocked bishop dress. The classic conversational hearts picture plate was designed by Frances Messina Jones and is smocked on Ellen McCarn's Ultimate Bishop Dress. The dress has a very vintage Valentine's feel to it; not the pre-made, fold-over, cartoon-character kind, but the doily, paper-cut heart and glitter kind of yesteryear. 

Below, we've included a tutorial for sewing the bishop's unique rickrack and button hem. This is a great and easy way to dress up any plain dress hem! If you wish to recreate our bishop for your favorite little Valentine, complete instructions for smocking the "Let's Have a Conversation" graph can be found in Issue 151.

Rickrack and Button Hem

Rickrack and Button Hem:
1. Fold up a 4-inch hem and sew 1 inch from foldline, creating a 1-inch pleat. 

2. Edgestitch rickrack to underside of foldline so that bottom half peeks out from beneath. 

3. Sew buttons onto pleat at 1-1/2-inch intervals.


That's all there is to it! If you'd like to receive seasonal sewing inspiration, projects, tips and technique tutorials all year long, we hope you'll consider subscribing to Sew Beautiful. 

Within the pages of each edition, you'll find classics both new and old to create for your family's treasure chest. Click here to find out how you can receive a free trial issue!

Sew On, Sew Well, Sew Beautiful,
Cyndi and Amelia