Alteration - Indian dress Part 7

 There were front panels on the dress's skirt that I removed in the beginning. 

It is time to see if I can put them together to make a stole. Upon closer inspection, I discovered that they were cut in an A line. But I will work with that to keep as much fabric as possible. It involves some geometry and diagonal seams.

The panels laid out. On the left, not yet fully taken apart. On the right, separated and arranged to make a rectangle. The idea is to make two rectangles and then stitch them together into one long rectangle.

I want the stole to be reversible (it must look finished on both sides). I have nowhere to hide seam work, so I had to come up with a method that gives a clean finish on both sides.

First I used the overhang stitch to attach and block the edge of two pieces. Normally, one stitches first then blocks the edges with the overhang stitch, but I have found that doing the opposite was easier. You can ensure more easily that the row of stitching that secures the seam is under the overhang stitching.

Not easy to see (because I did a great job finding color matching thread). On the left, the overhang stitching and on the right side, the added row of stitching that secures the seam.

I finished the seams with French seams, then pressed them flat and top stitched.