Limbs and head flopped out to sleep. Looking d-e-d.Filed under: Fixed it, Gifted it, How to do it, Made it, Sewed it | Tags: gather, gathered, how to, skirt, tier, tiered, tutorial, twirl
The bodice is done, the button and loop attached, now the top of the Rooster’s skirt needs to be 25″, which is the circumference of the bodice’s edge. I’m going for as many tiers as I can stand to gather. So at least four and maybe even five. Yep, in the end it was five.
Using the old 3 Peas tutorial (c/o Kuky), my top loop of fabric needs to be 39″ total, gathered to fit the 25″ bodice. Since my fabric’s 60 wide, I’m using one 39″ wide strip. Each subsequent tier is made from strips that are 1.5 times the width of the tier above it. Kuky tells you how to do the math and cut out all the pieces.
But then it occurred to me, two tiers in, that instead of cutting all these chunks, since I’m using the same fabric all the way down, I could make a long strip 5.25 inches deep of my 59″ wide fabric. I could join the 59″ lengths then measure and cut 1.5 times each round.
Now so can you.
1. Start at the bodice, or your child’s waist (plus 2-3) and multiply out 1.5 for each tier.
2. Divide a measurement between the waist and knee by as many layers as you’d like, and then add 3″ to the top one for a waistband.)
So I need 39 x 1.5 or 58.5″ for the second tier.
88″ for the third.
132″ for the fourth.
198″ whopping inches for the fifth. That’s a lot of gathering.
3. Sew the strips together and then into loops. Finish the seam allowances as you will. I did Hong King finishes on the seams binding the strips together, now that I’m a giant fan.
4. Start assembling from the top down. If you’re attaching the skirt to a bodice, do it now. If it’s a freestanding skirt, fold over 1.5 inches for the top, and stitch, leaving a small hole about 2 inches wide to fish through elastic or a ribbon drawstring.
5. Take the next biggest loop and prepare it for gathering. I like to drop in a couple of straight stitches at the end of the loop, raise the presser foot, and pull the threads long back to the start. Now set the machine to a wide, long zig zag, and stitch the zigzags over the pulled threads.
6. Divide each loop into quarters, marking each fourth with a pin. Match up the pins and gather the bigger loop to fit. Pin in place, then stitch. Work your way to the bottom.
7. BUT before you attach the bottom loop, hem it. I used a length of satin ribbon as a hem binding on the bottom tier BEFORE gathering it. Dang, that took forever, both the hem and the last gather.
It is in fact the twirliest skirt.
But I don’t know how to finish the gathered seams inside the unlined skirt.
Help!
Filed under: Fixed it, Gifted it, Sewed it | Tags: binding, button, dress, Hong Kong finish, skirt, tiered, tutorial, twirl
The top of the twirliest, pinkest Christmas dress is done! According to pattern, too.
Look at those bound seams. Topstitching. Pintucks. Mmm hmm. I went nice and slow, with only the pressure last weekend of finishing the top. Now to add a twirly twirly skirt, with help from this tutorial.
And a button from the old button box.
I wanted to use a stray, if there was a good one, instead of breaking up a set. Here’s the stray bag emptied out onto the little bodice.
And the finalists. I think the little red one with the eye on the back’s going to win. Though the orange on with the circles makes me want to start something it could go on.
Filed under: Fixed it, Refashioned it, Sewed it, Thrifted it | Tags: blouse, dart, Hong Kong finish, purple, refashion, silk, thrifted
My purple obsession is bordering on…obsessive. I am heeding advice to stock up while everyone thinks purple’s all fresh and trendy, for the days when my love is finally left alone.
Grabbed up a size 22 shell at the thrifts for $2. It’s a beautiful purple color and it’s pure silky silk.
The neck has some great details, too. There used to be an invisible zipper up the side — no more. I thought this was going to be a simple fix – pull in the sides, pin, baste, sew. And you know I love refitting giant tops to fit me because of the resulting long length and the de facto cap sleeves.
Alas, some pesky darts got in the way. My refashions are sometimes lazy. I didn’t want to rehem anything or refinish any edges. So I ended up making darts on my own to pull up the slack so the front matched the back at the armhole and hem.
Took three tries to get it right. Here’s one of the mistakes
I kept trying very long darts that went along the bias and were hard to sew. Unclear why – had some impression from a vintage pattern it was the way to go.
In the end, wide, straight darts ended up working right.
Tried out a Hong Kong finish on the edges to keep it all smart looking, cutting the tape from the side scraps. So little waste!
And now I have a new silk blouse.
That’s so ready for a stretchy purple sequined belt.
Filed under: Fixed it, Gifted it, Love it, Sewed it | Tags: Christmas, dress, pattern, present, tiers, tutorial, twirl
The same little girl who got these dresses for her and her mom gets a custom Christmas dress every year made by her faraway aunt. I figure if I can’t spend time with her, I’ll spend time on her. And twirly dresses are super fun. Best part of all: We’ll get to take a trip to Gaffney’s together next weekend where she’ll get to pick whatever fabric she wants.
Kiddo wants something like this, the Love To Twirl. In green. I haven’t yet seen an exact pattern, with tiers starting right under your shoulders, but I found these two Simplicity patterns on sale at the JoJo that I think could work. How don’t I already have anything close?
So 2711 is for wovens and 2943 (Project Runway for kids now?!) for knits.
I think the trick’s going to be getting the upper body to fit her, then to chop the bodice high and start adding tiers. This tutorial should come in handy.
Filed under: Fixed it, Sewed it | Tags: 776, broken, clothes, necklace, repair, sewing maching, Singer, Stylist, Svengoolie
…is being repaired by a professional from Crown Point, Ind., who informed me that when I replaced the gears, a simple task in and of itself, I threw off the machine’s timing.
He’s got my friend for a good week to tune her up and reset the timing. I’ve been reading of course about timing and what it means for the next time. Meanwhile, I will cough up the $78 for a real tune-up and a timing reset and rejoice come Friday when I get the 776 back.
Meanwhile, also, I can’t do a darn thing but drool over clothes I can’t make.
Like while I was watching on Svengoolie (again) last weekend, “I Saw What You Did,” and Joan Crawford’s necklace stole the show. Her dress, too. I need a dress like that to show off a fantastic neckpiece.
Alas.
