Adventures in Skirt Making Continue

On Sunday, I decided to tackle the easier of the patterns, S2614.  I made the changes to the pattern and didn't make another muslin. I think I may have added too much width for the high hip, but I figured I could pin-fit that out.

Monday morning, I cut and marked. Tuesday, I staystitched and got ready to construct! I pinned my two pieces together. Guess what? When I added 1" to the back waist. I really added an inch -- without tapering from the left seam line. Thank goodness this is an easy fix. You can see below how I'm trying to accomplish this taper.

I only had 20 minutes. I'll fix it later. I also want to revisit how to do an elastic casing without threading the elastic through. Is that called a fold over casing?

Double Trouble

I need bottoms desperately (really I just need clothes.) I can suffer through RTW tops, but that is not the case with pants. Skirts can be an issue too, but more about that later. In the meantime, I've become obsessed with skirts. I even bought a book to help me figure out how to line an A-line skirt.

I was ready to conquer V8882 with gusto:  I traced the pattern. I added 1" to the side seam allowances and my usual 2.75" length to the CB for my high and round rear. (This is why RTW skirts can be scary.) Side note:  what I have been calling a sway back issue may actually be my high and round rump. Not sure yet if it's just my rear or if I really have a sway back.

I moved on to the muslin. I now see my tilted waist in action! I raised the back 1" and lowered the front 1" (people, I'm on a roll!) By pinning, I was able to fix the hemline curve.  I still needed the 2.75" at the CB, I just can't seem to draw the curve correctly on paper. I draw half the curve, fold the pattern in half and then trace it on the other side.

Not a great shot

I was ready to cut some fabric. Dang! The piece I wanted to use was too short. My alts required an extra 3/4 yard. See how the Lord helps fools and babies? I was completely willing to ignore the pulling around my high hip and what the pleat was doing as it opened over the ummm ... apex of my bum. Also, that 2.25" waistband looked like it was sitting directly under the girls. I definitely had an old man in Florida look.

The desire for a quick win was so great, I decided to move on to an easier bias skirt with an elastic waist (that didn't need as much fabric.) Enter S2614. How the hell do you line a skirt with an elastic waist? (Lining is a requirement for me.) Thank God for Google.

In my brilliance, I did the tissue alts in the following order: Overall length, CB hem length, hips, high hip, back waist (notice how I forgot the front waist?) The high hip alt was torturous. I tried to use the seam method. Completely severed the tissue on both the front and back. Still wasn't sure if I really got the alt right, but I moved on to the muslin.    

Yep. Still needed to lower the front waist. Here is where I am amazingly awesome. I still don't know why, but although I marked the new waistline on the muslin, I chose to use a curve to draw a different waistline. The CF was the same, but I angled it differently. I started with the left side. I couldn't quite get ruler to match up on the right side. So I cut the left side, folded the skirt in half and cut the right side based on the left! YES!! I CUT OFF THE LENGTH I ADDED FOR THE RIGHT HIGH HIP. I am greatness and excellence rolled up into one.  Luckily, I saved the piece I cut off.

My hemline curve wasn't right on this skirt either.

This weekend will be spent working on both skirts ... Of course, none of the fabric in my stash will do now ;-) I have my heart set on the Potent Purple linen from Jo-Ann. I could probably go for Calla Green as an alt. (Yes, I have a 5+ yd piece here, but that's for a dress!)



Third choice is potting soil.


I see a top in my future with this fabric.

Book Review: Handsewn

I know absolutely nothing about hand stitching. I avoid it like the plague. I purchased this book to overcome my ignorance and fear. After falling in love with the Great British Sewing Bee, I realized I needed to know how to sew by hand and I was so inspired by what the finalists were able to do without a sewing machine.

So here's what I needed the book to do: cover the basic hand stitches used in garment construction: basting, slip stitch, running stitch, overcasting, tailor's tacks and hemming stitches, etc. The book does all that plus covers more. There are more than 35 "Functional Stitches" in the book. I love the large step-by-step pictures. This book has more breadth, but not necessarily depth than The Complete Book of Sewing New Edition.

Since I'm even more clueless about embellishment, the book seems awesome in this regard. Again, the large pictures are wonderful. I had no idea there were so many different types of decorative stitches and techniques. This is Chapter 3 and consists of about 40 different stitches/techniques. There's even a directory of motifs!

The information on thread, needles and pins is thoughtful. Of course there is info about hoops and frames. There are a few topics in the book that are a nice surprise, but seem odd for a book on hand sewing: measuring for drapes and dressmaking, reading sewing patterns, estimating fabric requirements for dressmaking, types of zippers and info on pressing. Maybe it's just me.

It's a good, solid book. It is extremely well organized. (Within each chapter and subsection, stitch are presented in order of skill level.) Buy it more for the information on decorative hand sewing.