That Print Skirt

A friend took a few pictures of me wearing my new print skirt. If you're interested, you could compare the skirt on me to the skirt on a hanger. Because the fabric is so drapey, it doesn't look full at the hem (on me) like it does on the hanger. But it feels comfortable when I sit down, unlike a pencil skirt would (pencil skirt = leg hugger). Please let me know what you think about the length. The next skirt will be for fall.

Oh and I made the green shirt, from a Louise Cutting pattern (Perfect Blouse maybe?). I took it along for the weekend, even though it needed a good steaming or pressing, not having worn it in a couple of years. So it hangs kind of funny. I have my Laura Star (steam press) heating up right now.

Blessings and peace...

My Pants Are Finished and Angels Are Singing

Because you might not realize the significance of my having just made a pair of pants that fit, I bring you the before. Well, it's not really a before, actually; it's a pair of pants I purchased and have been wearing. They're black stretch denim Not Your Daughter's Jeans. I did a bit of color enhancing because photographing black fabric and having it show anything is next to impossible, for me anyway. So here we have:

I didn't bother to draw lines to bring your attention to anything in particular. Some of the wrinkles are simply from wearing them. Oh, and here we have the same pants, back view:

I believe we could call this one smiles, frowns, wrinkles, and folds. Sigh. This is why I sew. Or should I say why I have been trying to sew a pair of pants that fit me for oh about 20 years.

And here we have my just completed, made from Sure-Fit Designs, pants (fabric is grey tencel):

And the view from the other side:

I do seem to be standing at a bit of a tilt. ??? Smiles: no. Frowns: nope. Wrinkles: not a one. Folds: nada. I believe this is referred to as the Holy Grail of Garment Sewing. 

Here's a close-up of the pockets (I wrote about this process recently, will add a link when I'm not on my way out the door):

Because the pockets don't show in the previous photos.

And me?

P.S. May I please have extra credit / bonus points for not talking about how my weight has changed over the years and how my body is not exactly the particular shape I'd like it to be and when did I shrink I used to be taller and how some of my "soft tissue" seems to have moved from the back of me to the front of me? And how only the inch of hair closest to my scalp is my natural color and not the orange that is the rest of it and at least it's not pink like it was when I colored it a few months ago before I applied Clairol Oops, yes that's a real product? And how we should sew for the body we have and not wait until we have the body we want? Thank you.

Blessings and peace..

Pondering Pants Pockets

I'm getting ready to make a pair of pants using my Sure-Fit Designs blueprint. I want to add front pockets and have been thinking about the exact angle and curve of the pocket opening I want. So of course I had to read up a bit. Just Pockets: Sewing Techniques and Design Ideas by Patricia Moyes has a lot of information about this, as well as construction information.

I thought I'd take a look at the pockets of my jeans. They're Not Your Daughter's Jeans (NYDJs), and the pocket bag (both layers) goes all the way to the center seam. I'd like to duplicate this and welcome any suggestions and tips, especially if you've made pockets this way.

Here are a couple of photos (please pardon the not-ironed-ness of them):

This photo is of the jeans' pocket area (right side). I'm not going to include the tiny coin pocket. I have drawn in the stitching line of the side front, but you don't see this from the outside of the pants.

The same area but from the inside. I lightened it so you can see the details:

• Both layers of the pocket bag go to the center (zipper), which is at the left of the photo.

• The red-thread X is stitched through only the innermost layer (pocket back). I think that this is part of the "tummy tuck" (ahem) feature of these jeans. The stitch itself seems to be a stretch stitch. However, the fabrics of the jeans AND the pockets are 96% cotton, 4% Spandex. So I'm not sure how much stabilizing that X stitching is. It would, though, stabilize the crosswise fabric of a fabric that has no stretch.

I'll be using a woven fabric with no stretch, so I want to give this a try. However, I don't have this fancy kind of stitch, so I wonder if maybe two rows of straight stitching will work. No, I think that any strain in wearing might pop the stitches. What kind of stitch might work? (My machine is a Bernina 1130, if that helps.)

My next pondering relates to the order of construction. Here's my thinking so far. Please chime in.

1. Cut 2 rectangles of pocket bag fabric the length plus top and bottom seam allowances and width from center to side seams plus seam allowances.
2. Stitch X (with what stitch?) on the pocket back, ending about 1 in. from bottom. This is the innermost piece of the pocket, which can be seen from the inside of the garment.
3. Stitch this pocket back to the side front piece, which is cut from the fashion fabric, along curve.
4. Stitch again, 1/4 in. from first line of curved stitching. Trim away pocket back along curve.
5. Sew second piece of pocket, which I'm calling the pocket bag front, to pants front, along curve, which is about 2 in. smaller than the curve of the pocket back. Press stitching, then press open, then fold pocket bag to wrong side and press along curve. Topstitch curve, close to the folded and pressed edge, then topstitch again 1/4 in. from edge. (In my NYDJs, it looks like there is a piece of bias on the inside of the curve that covers the seam. ???)
6. Stitch bottom of pocket pieces, right sides together. Press, press seam open, turn, and press again. Trim and topstitch close to this bottom seam, then stitch again 1/4 in. from first row of stitching. Or stitch a French seam.
7. Attach at center front and side seams.

If by any chance you have followed my train of thought, do you have any suggestions or warnings? It would be just so loverly to not have to pick out stitches (at best) and/or recut the pants fabric (at second best). 

Or maybe you have a question or two? I'll be happy to clarify anything I can. I'm really looking forward to hearing from you. Thanks!

Blessings and peace...

From a Jumper (UK Pinafore?) to a Skirt

This is my first sewing tutorial. Please let me know what you think (be gentle!) and especially if you find it useful.

Because evidently blogging about garment sewing adventures means suspending all pride in order to help readers understand what you are doing and why... here's a photo of me in the jumper. We'll call this BEFORE.

Some time ago, I bought this jumper from QVC -- I liked the pintucks in the hem area and totally forgot that all of the models are about 6 feet tall and I am not -- and when tried it on at home, of course it was several inches too long. I could have just shortened it, but then I would have lost the one feature about it that I liked: the hem treatment!

So I put it in the closet. I recently decided to transform this into an elastic-waist skirt that retains the original hemline. I am using the finished curved neckline as the opening part of pockets that I am adding to the skirt.

An even hemline is one that is the same distance from the floor all the way around, when wearing the shoes that will be worn with that garment. Hemlines on skirts or dresses on some women are uneven. Here are a few reasons:

• I might have more or less (ahem) "soft tissue" in certain areas (tummy, high hip, bottom) than the designer or pattern maker allowed for.

• My waist might be tilted; that is, it might be lower in the front than in the back or it might be higher in front than in the back. Or one side and the other.

• My posture might be different from the ideal, and it could be different front to back and/or side to side.

Because some of these apply to me, I have learned to keep the existing hem in the garment or pattern and make the adjustment at my own real waist. This makes the garment look a little funny on a hanger BUT when I wear it, the hemline is even all around.

For this remake, I used the following:

A skirt that is too long (a jumper, actually)
A yardstick and a thick rubber band
Elastic (1-inch wide) that I sewed into a loop so that it is snug around my waist (a piece of elastic a few inches shorter than your waistline and a safety pin to hold it in place would work just as well)
Shoes that I would wear with the skirt
A mirror that's either long enough or angled enough that you can view your waist down to the floor
A sliver of soap for marking the fabric
Usual sewing supplies (machine, thread, etc., and 3/4-inch wide elastic)

Note: See photos at end of lists.

Part 1: Establish the actual waistline:

1. Decide on the finished length from the floor, wearing the appropriate shoes and the too-long skirt. Pull the elastic loop on over the skirt (or length of elastic around your waist and pin it so that it's snug). Fiddle with the elastic until it is at your own waistline all the way around. 
2. Distribute the skirt fabric evenly around, paying careful attention to making sure that the skirt's side seams are at your side seams. 
3. Pull the skirt fabric up and down above the elastic until you find the length that works for you. Mine is 14 inches from the floor.
4. Wrap the thick rubber band snugly around the ruler, placing the bottom of the rubber band even with your finished length.
5. Place the ruler in front of you, with it touching both the floor and the skirt fabric, so that the rubber band mark is at your desired length from the floor. 
6. Pull the fabric up and down above the elastic, keeping the side seams straight, until the skirt is even all the way around. Photo shows bunched up fabric above elastic.
7. With your sliver of soap (or other preferred marker; I like to use white slivers of soap because they come right out with steam from my iron), mark the bottom of the elastic all around. Don't worry if you miss a few spots because of fabric folds.
8. Remove the elastic and the skirt. With the soap sliver, connect any missing portions and even out any irregularities. Do not expect a line that is parallel to the hemline.

Ruler with thick rubber band marker

Determining my waistline for this skirt; see that bunched-up fabric over on the right just above the elastic?

Arrows point to unevenness in front. Upper soap lines are explained in Part 2.

Back is almost even...

Unevenness shows more when looking at it from the side (front is at the right).

At this point, you have a couple of options:

•  You can add a zipper and darts to the skirt and make a separate waistband and attach it.
•  You can make a casing and insert the elastic through it. This is what I am doing with this skirt.

Part 2: Prepare to finish the skirt top:

1. Select the elastic for your skirt. I suggest 3/4-inch to 1-1/2 inch wide elastic. The more uneven your waist, the better to use a narrower elastic. I am using 3/4-inch wide non-roll elastic.
2. Add a few inches to the top of the marked waist for the casing, which must be enough to go around the elastic twice plus a bit extra. Caution: Math ahead! (but only a little)
   Width of elastic x 2 + thickness of elastic x 2 + extra for finishing the raw edge and also to enable you to work the elastic through the casing. Mine:
   a. Width of elastic: 3/4 inch x 2 = 1-1/2 inches
   b. Thickness of elastic: 1/16 inch x 2 = 1/8 inch
   c. Extra for finishing raw edge = 1/4 inch
   d. Ease in working elastic through casing = 1/4 inch
   e. Total: 2-1/8 inches, rounded up to nearest 1/4 inch = 2-1/4 inches
3. Mark the skirt 2-1/4 inches (or YOUR calculation result) above the marked waist, and cut all around.

Part 3: Adjustments before finishing the waist:

1. Try the skirt on again, with the elastic loop over it. In addition to making a few minor adjustments in length, I decided that my skirt was too full, so I resewed the side seams.
2. I made two patch pockets, using the finished neckline curve for the slip-your-hands-in portion. I planned to sew one raw edge into the side seam. Unfortunately, I forgot that I reshaped the side seams so that they were no longer straight. I set the pockets aside while I continued with the skirt. 
3. The slit at the bottom of the side seams, which was originally about 10 inches long, was too long after I shortened the skirt. So I reworked the side seams (again), especially the bottom portion of the side seams so that the new slits were a more proportional length, now ending at the top of the pintucks. 
4. Pockets: I turned under and pressed the raw edges of the pockets. Denim is thick. I took the pockets to the basement (concrete floor) and hammered the corners of the folded pockets to flatten them. I then topstitched each pocket close to the folded raw edges, then steam-pressed them to remove the rippled corners. I then pinned the pockets onto the skirt front parallel to each other and a bit in from the side seams. I stitched them on. 

Arrows point to slip-your-hands-in portion of pockets

Cut in half; center edges will become outside edges.

Arrows point to slip-your-hands-in portion; outer edges are now at edges of photo.

Raw edge folded under and pressed.

When top edge is folded down, the thickness of denim becomes apparent.

Smack, smack.

Thinner, manageable.

Topstitch close to the folded edges.

Ripples (caused by bias)...

...taken care of with steam, heat, and pressure.

Pockets pinned to skirt front

Stitch pockets, again stitching close to the edge.

Part 4: Finish the waist:

1. Serge (or press under 1/4 inch) the top raw edge. 
2. Fold over the waist the width of the elastic plus 1/4 to 1/2 inch, and press.
3. Stitch from the right side, close to the finished edge, leaving an opening approximately 4 inches long for the casing.
4. Trim the corners of the elastic, attach a safety pin, and insert the elastic through the casing.
5. Try the skirt on again. Adjust the elastic until it is comfortable. Pin the elastic. Adjust the skirt, making sure that the skirt's side seams are at your side seams. Place clips or pins at the side seams.
6. Pull the elastic out at least a few inches. Trim the end and stitch the ends of the elastic together. Stitch the opening closed.
7. To keep the elastic distributed as desired, stitch in the ditch at the side seams. 

Serge the top raw edge.

Serged top edge

Fold over and press. Note the curve (because of my unevenness).

Stitch from the right side.

Elastic and pin.

It doesn't matter (to me) that the thread color doesn't match the elastic color.

Stitch in the ditch to keep elastic distributed as desired.

And we'll call this AFTER. Here I am, wearing the skirt. Getting used to using the timer on the camera. Jumping on and off the platform. No mirror; no time to fix my sweater, posture, etc...

So, in my next jumper-to-skirt project (because yes, indeed, I bought two of these!), I will bring the side seams in even more, and I might eliminate the slits.

I have a couple of questions for you, if you don't mind:

1. Please give me some styling advice as to what kind of silhouette would be best for me to wear with this skirt. I traded in my actual waistline for menopause some time ago.
2. What do you think of the length? This is the length that I feel most comfortable with, but I don't know whether it's the most flattering length. The camera is at eye level.
3. I feel like this tutorial is really really really long, but I am at a loss as to what to omit. Suggestions welcome. Criticisms welcome, too, as long as they are sandwiched in kindness.

Is there a way to insert a photo within a numbered or bulleted list? I offer no prize for guessing how much time I spent looking for that answer!

Do you like the photos centered? Left-aligned? Some other way?

Special thanks to Bunny who suggested PhotoScape as a good photo editing software.

I need a nap! 

Blessings and peace...