Reed Sew-Along: View A & B Fronts

Today I'll be walking you through assembling the fronts of the Reed Skirt Views A & B. Both views start out the same so I'll be using my View A skirt for this post. Let's dive in!

To begin, take your side front and pocket bag pieces and align them along the diagonal edge with the right sides of the fabric facing each other, matching the edges and the notches.

Grade the seam allowance of the pocket bag. If you're unfamilliar with grading, it's a technique used to reduce the bulk of seam allowances. Basically you're creating a stair step from the bulkiest point at the stitching line to the thinnest point just outside the seam allowance. You'd rather walk down a stair case than off a cliff right? Same idea!

Since we're topstitching along most of the seam lines on this skirt, we're not going to press the seam allowance to one side and understitch. Instead press your seam allowance open. This helps to ensure that the seam line falls directly between the two sides of the folded edge.

Here's a closeup of the seam allowance pressed open. At the top of the image is the pocket bag, graded, and below is the side front.

Now fold the pocket bag over on top of the side front, along the seamline, so that the right sides are together, and press. Topstitch 1/4" from the edge through all layers. Trim off the small point of seam allowance that overhangs at the edge.

You now have two pieces that look like the above. We're now going to form the pockets!

Fold the lower edge of the pocket bag up, along the notched fold line, aligning the hipline notches of the upper and lower portion of the pocket bag and the side front. The angled edge you sewed will also match with a set of notches on the pocket bag. Press the folded edge and pin through all layers.

From the front your two pieces will look like this.

To anchor the pockets in place, baste through the two layers of the pocket bag and the side front within the seam allowance on both side seams.

From the back your completed side fronts with pockets will look like this.

This is a closeup of the pocket from the front.

Now we're going to sew the front princess seam. Take your center front pieces and align them along the princess seam line of the side fronts. Sew and finish the seam allowances as desired. In this tutorial we'll be serging all of our seam allowances but the finish you use is up to you.

Press the seam allowances towards the center front.

Turn the fronts right side up and topstitch along the princess seam line through the center front and seam allowances. Again, we topstitched 1/4" from the seam line.

Here you can see a closeup of the topstitching and pockets once completed. 

That's it for your View A & B fronts! Next we'll be assembling the fronts of Views C & D so stay tuned for that post. As always, if you have any questions let us know below!