Just a quickie post in the Georgia Dress Sewalong today to kickstart the week, and those of you making the skinny strap variation 2 or the bonus strapless variation, this post doesn't even apply to you - so take a load off and check back in tomorrow!

Today we will be:

• Assembling the wide collar straps
• Basting the wide collar straps to the bodice
• That's it

*To be taken to all the posts in the Georgia Dress Sewalong, please click here*

Before we begin, make sure that you have already sewn up your bodice and joined the lining, as outlined in our last post (just without the skinny straps of course!).

Assembling the straps

To make things clearer in our images, we have used different fabrics for the shell and lining: the floral print represents the shell, and the pale pink the lining. Assembling these straps correctly and not muddling up front and back, shell and lining can be a little confusing. Contrasting the shell and lining fabrics helps enormously, as does keeping your pattern pieces handy to refer back to.

• With right sides together, first close the shoulder seams by joining the front piece to the back piece. Repeat this for both straps, shell and lining, resulting in four loose strips. Press seams open.
• Now pair up the strap linings with their respective strap shell and pin, right sides together, down each length.

• Stitch each length with the usual 5/8" seam allowance and turn the straps to the right side. Press.

• Now take your bodice and lay it out, right side facing you. Matching notches, and referring back to your pattern pieces to remind yourself as to which is the front of the strap and which is the back, pin the loose ends of the strap fronts to the underbust raw edge of the bodice shell only - leave the lining free! Repeat for the strap backs to the bodice back.

• Baste into place by machine with about 1/4"-1/2" seam allowance (6-12mm).

Ummm... Well, that's all for today. It's been a gruelling post, we know, but that's just how we roll. For those of you hankering for more of a challenge, don't worry - we'll soon be getting to the fiddly part where we join the skirt to the bodice and try to pull off as neat and crispy a peak at centre front as we can...