A basic black dress gets revolutionized with the help of Baby Lock’s sergers. A removable collar adorned with silk roses is cheerful by day and pair it with a long dress or ensemble and it becomes a bold elegant statement for an evening out. Download printable instructions.

Materials:

• McCall’s Pattern 5799 (or other like pattern)
• 4 Spools Madeira Aerolock serger thread
• 1-1/4 yards of silk dupioni
• 6” x 22” strip of silk dupioni for each rose
• ½ yard of green fabric for leaves
• 4” or 5” square of green fabric for each leaf
• Hand needle
• Hook and eyes
• Black fabric for dress (see pattern for yardage and add ½ yard)
• Interfacing
• Zipper

Tools:

• Baby Lock Serger

Steps:

1. Cut out and assemble the dress as per the instruction guide sheet from the pattern.

2. Use a serger cording foot to insert the zipper into the dress if desired. (Refer to the serger Inspirational Guide for your machine)

3. For the collar, cut two additional front facing pieces and four back facing pieces.

4. Interface the lower pieces as if it were for the dress facing. Stitch the front facings to the back at the shoulder seams.

5. Place right sides together and stitch around all sides of the facing collar piece, leaving a small opening for turning.

6. Overlap the back pieces and attach hoop and eye closures.

7. Make approximately 10 roses.

8. Rose & Leaf

   1. Thread the serger for a four-thread stitch.

   2. Set the stitch length to four and the differential feed to two.

   3. Fold the silk strip in half lengthwise.

   4. Note: this size strip makes a fairly large fabric rose. Adjust the strip smaller as desired.

   5. Start serging at the corner closest to the folded edge and round the end.

   6. Serge catching both raw edges into the seam and then round the other end the same as the first.

   7. Your fabric should be gathering into a ruffle. To tighten the gathers, pull the two short threads on the end of the serger tail to add extra fullness.

   8. Wrap the ruffle in a circle to form the rose.

   9. Thread a hand needle and stitch the serged edge together to hold the ruffle in the desired position.

   10. You can also show decorative serging on the rose by finishing the folded edge of the ruffle using a rolled hem before gathering the strip.

   11. Fold the fabric square in half. Then fold in each corner to the middle using the same method as folding a prairie point.

   12. Gather the lower straight edge.

   13. Using the hand needle, stitch the leaf to the back of the rose.

9. Using the hand needle, stitch the roses to the front and back of the collar piece.

10. Wear it over your black dress or other ensembles.