First, following the pattern instructions, stitch the facing or lining
to the overlay, if you desire you can understitch, sew the seam 
allowance to the facing or lining, but don't topstitch at all.

After having turned the overlay right side out, position it over the
bodice front again according to the instructions, and pin it to the 
bodice front.  This pinning is to get the overlay properly placed and 
hold it there as you begin shifting it out of place in subsequent steps.

Note in your pinning where you will want the opening to end at each end.
You may want to do something like place two pins at these points or you
may have marked it on the seam allowance before you turned the overlay
right-side out.

Carefully holding the overlay in the pinned position transfer the pins
from holding through all layers to holding through only the bottom 
layer.  This will make the pins on the inside, between the layers of a 
lined overlay or through only the facing of a faced overlay.

When you have all the pins transfered, stitch along the seamline, where
the overlay is sewn to either the lining or facing, backstitching at the
ends of the nursing opening.

Sometimes the pinning and/or sewing can be a little tricky, but the
results are worth it IMO.

When the seam is sewn, straighten everything out.  You should find that
the overlay lies on the bodice front much the same as it did when you 
were pinning it to begin with, but there is no topstitching to be seen 
along the overlay line.

Questions?

Ruth Anna

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OK, I just figured it out. What you are doing is sewing inside the
overlay.  There will be no visible stitching because all will be 
between the overlay and the lining. You determine where your nursing 
opening will be ahead of time so you don't stitch thru that area.  It 
sounds like it should be an interesting look. I don't know if or when 
I'd be able to attempt it in the near future. I have some knit I want 
to make into another 205, but like to do my decorative stitching to 
eliminate the lining and enclose the raw edges in the same step.

Laurel

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Laurel,
Exactly, this is what I am doing.
Ruth Anna

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It took me a while to understand this too.  It finally clicked the other
night.  It was the sewing from the *inside* of the overlay that took 
me so long to figure out.

After the overlay is pinned into place, you lift up the top layer and
shift things so you can lay the seam in the overly flat and "stitch in 
the ditch".  The top layer of the overlay will have to be bunched up 
a little bit and moved behind the needle/presser foot shaft (OK, my 
sewing vocabulary could use some work) while you are sewing, but it 
shouldn't be a problem since you only have to sew in a few inches at 
the top and bottom.  This is why it is important to have it pinned into 
place only on the under layers, and also pinned in place well
since there will be so much shifting of the fabric while sewing.

I hope this is correct and that it helps someone!

Heidi

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Heidi,
Very correct, and the part that makes it so hard to explain, and scary
to do.
Ruth Anna

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Ok  I think I get this now but does the front (outside portion of the
overlay) then show no stitching at all?
Jen

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Jen,
This is correct, the front overlay shows no stitching at all, just like
it were a normal construction seam.
Ruth Anna

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That's right!  That's why we like it!  It looks like a regular seam.
For those of us who wear nursing attire, it looks more normal and 
harder to recognize.  "Oh, isn't that a nursing dress?"  I finally 
finished my first one sewn from the inside,  It's easier than matching
top-stitching.
Sheri

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Congratulations Sheri.

That was the drawback I saw to ELD patterns from the beginning, here I'm
probably meaning both my and her beginning since I've been using them
that long, but I've always sewn them from the inside, even my swimsuit 
where there is no facing or lining.

Ruth Anna

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