Stop staring and start sewing!

The Essential A-Line Skirt, Part 3: The Double Ruffle

Part 1: Preparing your pattern

Part 2: Working the Bugs Out

Now that you've worked the bugs out of your pattern it's time to start having some fun!  This Double Ruffle version is cute and whimsical without being too silly.  I love this ticking fabric from Sweetwater's Make Life collection and the fabric with the words on it was just enough fun stuff to keep the skirt from taking itself too seriously. 

Refer to the previous tutorials for information on preparing your pattern and assembling your basic skirt.  This tutorial builds on the previous tutorials.

For this version you need your usual fabric (1.5 yds main fabric, 1 yd lining) and a 7-9 inch invisible zipper.  PLUS you will need 12 inches of a coordinating fabric for the ruffles.

Remove the selveges from your ruffle fabric and cut it into 4 strips.  Each strip will measure 3 inches by 44 inches.

Here are all the ingredients for your skirt.  Don't forget to mark the front and back pieces in a discreet spot.

Stack your main skirt pieces together and make sure the folded edges and bottom edges line up with each other.

Mark a line 6" up from the bottom and cut this portion of your skirt pieces.  Stop and mark the front and back pieces (on the wrong side) so you line them up correctly when your skirt goes back together.



Now get your ruffles ready:

 

Finish the top portion of your skirt using the same method shown in the second tutorial.  Sew the bottom skirt pieces together on the sides using the same seam allowance you used on the top of the skirt.

Now pin your gathered ruffles to the bottom of the top skirt portion and the bottom skirt portion.  Once you've got them evenly adjusted, sew in place using a 1/3" seam.

Now pin the top skirt portion and the bottom skirt portion together with the right sides facing each other.  Your upper ruffle will be sandwiched between the layers.  Now stitch in place using a 1/3" seam allowance.

Press your skirt firmly and make sure both seam allowances are pressed upwards.  Now top-stitch on the outside of the skirt just above the ruffle.

Now put some cute shoes on with your skirt and get out of the house!  Great job!

I love my life (most days)

Yesterday was one of those craptastic days when everything seemed to be going wrong and I'm already waking up stressed so there's not much room for the unexpected in my "patience bank" right now.  I'm having pre-vacation "we forgot to get a house sitter, the animals will starve!" type of dreams (even though we have a very capable house sitter coming and I'm sure he'll feed the pets).  Then I realized that a fabric order (which was already delayed while we added some fabrics to it) had been sent to the wrong customer's house and I turned into a blubbering mess while the kids ran for cover in any corner they could find.

I stomped off to the car because my battery was at Sears being tested (while I use one of their loaner batteries, which I didn't know existed) and I needed to find out if my dead battery was actually bad.  They have to charge the dead battery up overnight to test it to see if it's actually bad.  Seriously.  So I was mumbling "I hate my life, I hate my life" as I left the house.  I'm so glad I stopped at the mailbox on my way out.  I opened it and there was a package from F W Media addressed to "Stop Staring and Start Sewing" (my blog got a package!).  I opened it up and began screaming "I love my life!!" because Kay Whitt's new book was in it and I totally was not expecting it!  In fact I've been scanning the local Barnes & Noble's this past week looking for it because I didn't want to order it online and have to wait.  Cowabunga!

So I was thrilled to have something to read while my battery was being replaced.  Yes, it turns out my battery was, indeed bad and I did a halfway decent job of not sounding too sarcastic when I said "You don't say!" to the mechanic who gave me the news.  Did I mention we just spent 600.00 on 4 new tires and some struts (which are like shocks I guess)?  I need one of those "Keep Calm and Carry On" posters right now.

Anyway, enough about my car woes!  This book is PERFECT!!  You know I love Kay's patterns so this book is just a slice of sewing heaven.  It's so cute I'm going to go buy a coffee table just so I have a place to display it.

It's a hard cover but spiral bound so it opens and lays flat so nicely.  I LOVE the fact that she shows her initial sketch with each project so you can kind of see the evolution of an idea here.  I must make this skirt very soon.

I must make this skirt too.  I actually have some of these fabrics still.  Truth be told, I have a habit of stashing some of my favorite fabrics especially if I find out they're going out of print (I don't want my customers to think I'm holding out on them but seriously, who wouldn't do that?).  But you could use all sort of fabric combinations (sorry, don't bother asking for my bird fabric!) with these patterns and come out with some drop dead gorgeous items.  I'm determined to make one of the oh-so-smashing jackets this year.

I cannot recommend this book enough and if you go over to Kay's site now you can buy a signed copy from her (and it's marked down so don't wait).  But first sign up for her give-away here!  Oh, and all the instructions are hand drawn and they are darling (see Kay explain it to BariJ in an interview at Boutique Cafe).  This book will keep you busy and looking good for a long time!

Oh!  The winner of the last drawing is Steph who left a comment at 1:40 on June 14th.  Congratulations Steph!  I'm going to start the give aways again when I'm back from vacation.  I have one more (super cute!) skirt tutorial coming up and Olivia is working on some super cute things I'll share.  I hope you're having a great week!

The Essential A-Line Skirt, Part 2: Working the Bugs Out

Part 1: Preparing Your Pattern

Part 3: The Double Ruffle

Okay!  Time to make the first skirt!  I'm loving this skirt style.  It's feminine and fun to wear and I hope to have a closet full of them by the end of this summer.  I promise to wash my mirror before the next tutorial!

Take your time with this first skirt and take notes.  You can write in a sewing notebook (a good thing to have!) or make notes on the pattern pieces themselves.  This is my first time making a skirt with this particular pattern so you can sew along with me and I'll show you how I like to make adjustments along the way and hopefully end up with the perfect pattern for me!

Lay out your pattern pieces like the picture below and cute your skirt pieces out.  On the remaining selvage edge cut two strips of fabric for your ruffle.  If you are doing a rolled hem your strips will be 2 3/4 inches wide.  If you're using a regular hem (fold under 1/4" twice and sew) then cut your strips 3 1/4 inches wide.

Trace your darts on both the front and back pieces (make sure your marks are on the wrong side of the fabric).

Because the skirt pieces look so much alike I like to mark the front and back in pen (up at the top so the markings are in the seam allowance.

Sew your two ruffle strips together (into a big circle) and hem one side.  Sew your gathering stitches in the other side.  Use your longest straight stitch (don't backstitch) and make one row 1/3" from the edge and the other one 1/4" from the edge.

Now cut out your lining pieces.  I just use a yard of fabric so the lining is 18" long.  This works well on the basic skirt because it's not bulky and you don't need a slip (which is always a winner in my book since I have 3 daughter who always "borrow" mine so I can never find one).  Be careful to cut under your pattern pieces (not through them).

Stack your lining pieces and trim them, if necessary, to make them the same length as each other.  Trace your darts and mark an F (for Front) and B (for Back) at the tops, above the seam allowance area.

So now you have everything you need for your skirt and you can start putting it together.

Sew your darts on both the front and back pieces.  Now try your skirt on by pinning one side (pin in a straight line at your seam allowance 1/2 inches from the raw edge) then put the skirt on and pin the other side.  REMEMBER your finished top edge will be 1/2 inches from the current top of the skirt so if the fit is good at that point you're ready for the next step.  My skirt was too big so I took it in by 2" (I took 1/2 inch off each of the 4 sides).  Whatever changes you make to your skirt you need to also make on your lining.

Now you're ready to put your zipper in.  Start with the upper edge of your zipper tape up against the top edge of your skirt piece.  I always make mine so the zipper is on my left side when finished (I don't know why).  Whichever side you chose, just remember to do it on every skirt that way (or you may end up with your skirt on backwards and not even realize it!).  The links for invisible zipper tutorials are here, here (print this one out and pin it above your sewing machine), and a great video here.  Do not be intimidated.  Conquer your fear of invisible zippers and you can conquer anything!



Now finish sewing the rest of the seam below the zipper (if you haven't already) and then sew the other side of your skirt.  Try it on again just to be on the safe side.  Make any adjustments now (you can take in the darts a little or let them out a little, or take a smidge off the non-zipper side).  Sew your lining together but leave it open at the top on the side where the zipper will be (9" down from the top, see next color picture below).  To help you figure which side to leave open just place the lining pieces against the coordinating skirt piece, right sides together, then mark the zipper side of your lining with a pin.  Finish the hem of your lining by either using a rolled hem or a small folded hem like you did on the ruffle.

Pin your lining and skirt together with right sides together.  When I did mine my lining was too small for some reason so I just let the darts out a little (it's nothing that will affect the look of the skirt when it's finished).  Fold the raw lining edges so they are even with the edge of the zipper (the top part of it).  Sew all the way around using 1/2" seam allowance.

Now open it up and make sure your seams came out even.  Go back and sew a little further away from your last seam on one side if necessary in order to get them even.

Now use a long stitch to tack your lining down at the sides of your zipper (unless you're in a hurry to get to a party, then you can do this later!).  Be sure not to sew through the zipper tape to the fabric.

Now attach your ruffle by pulling your gathering stitches tighter and pinning (use lots of pins) all the way around (make sure the side seams on the ruffle match up with the side seams on your skirt).  Adjust your gather so they are even all the way around (take your time!).   And then sew the ruffle to the skirt using a 1/3" seam allowance.  Finish the seam by serging or zig-zagging and then press the seam upwards.  Topstitch close to the seam on the outside of your skirt above the ruffle.  I like to press my ruffles down so they're nice and crisp and not "floofy".

Now try your skirt on!  It's probably perfect but you may want to make some changes on your pattern for next time.  When mine was done it was still looser than I needed so I took it in just a little on the non-zipper side.  I changed my pattern so that the next time it will be perfect on the first try.  I needed a total of 3.5" taken in at the waist (probably because I played it safe by going with a bigger size and also because I used 1/2" seam allowances instead of the 5/8" the pattern instructions suggested).  I made adjustments by removing a total of 1.75" (half of the 3.5" I need deducted from the entire thing) on both sides of each pattern piece in order to hopefully keep my darts in the correct place.

I really love this skirt but I know I'm going to be even happier with the next one since I got all the bugs worked out on this one!  Let me know how it goes for you!!

One down....4 to go.

We celebrated Olivia's graduation yesterday out at my parents and it was a beautiful day.  The temperature was over 105 this past week but it dropped to the high 80's with a nice breeze yesterday and we couldn't have been happier (since we were all outside the whole time).  I got the kids to hold still for a moment so I could get a picture (this doesn't happen often enough).  We had around 50 guests so the kids had a blast and we all slept well last night.

Here is Olivia in her finished dress.  I used the Monique pattern from Sew Serendipity and I can highly recommend this pattern now.  Aside from the part where the first zipper broke during the final fitting (did you hear me screaming?) this dress went together quickly and easily.  Once again Kay did a great job designing a pattern that is flattering, versatile, and uncomplicated. 

Now I always warn the kids "Knock it off with the faces!  This is going on my blog!"...but do they listen?  So here you go.  This should teach her.  Cute shoes though.

Sorry I am so off kilter with the "every Friday" give away, ha!  I don't know if life could get more complicated right now (yes, I know...there's always room for more chaos...).  We are leaving for a two week vacation in under 3 weeks and now that the grad party is over I'm into vacation stress mode.  Laundry and packing (we're driving to Portland!) for 7 people and I have to have the house clean enough for the house sitter.  I'm freaking out on the inside but smiling (in a fake, lunatic kind of way) on the outside.  And I have the nagging feeling I'm going to have to start replacing major appliances pretty soon (because they all break at once of course) so that's starting to gnaw at me, plus the half painted bedroom furniture, unprinted patterns, Quilt Market in October, paying for the kids new school year when the last year isn't even paid off.....*whimper*

Anyway, here's a distraction!  Free fabric to give!  It's a 23" x 44" panel from Kate Spain's 12 days of Christmas collection and it's really cute (better picture here).  I'm including the project sheet from Moda but if you don't want to make a quilt you could make a banner with all the squares (which I've been trying to find the time to do so I could show you how fun these panels are!).  Plus all of those cute candy canes and ornaments would look darling if you appliqued them on some Christmas outfits (you could make little skirts with the squares, the possibilities are nearly endless!).  Just leave a nice comment!

Back soon with a cute, new skirt tutorial to walk you through!  I'm going to do a few so I can post them while on vacation and then see what everyone did when I get back! 

The Essential A-Line Skirt, Part 1: Preparing your pattern

Part 2: Working the Bugs Out

Part 3: The Double Ruffle

Use Butterick 4461 or 3597  (any basic a-line skirt pattern should do though).  I'm using Butterick 4461 in this tutorial.

Okay!  This is my favorite style of skirt and I'm excited to share it with you!  My favorite thing about this skirt is the way it lays flat at the hips so it doesn't add unwanted "fluff" like a gathered skirt does (which I haven't worn since I started having kids).  I always make it with a lining because it's cheap and fast and then I never have to find a slip.  I've made a lot of very different looking skirts from this one basic pattern so it has served me very well. 

In this post I'm going to show you how I remove the back seam and add width to the bottom of the skirt pattern so that it becomes a simple, 2 piece pattern and doesn't look like a fabric tube instead of a skirt.  In the following skirt posts I will begin to show you some fun variations you can make with this pattern. 

When choosing your pattern size I recommend using your hip measurements as your guide.  Adjusting the waist when your pattern is cut is much easier than adjusting the hips (if you're between sizes, chose UP and adjust from there).  You'll want your finished skirt to sit 1 inch below your waist.  Tie a string around your waist and then measure 1 inch under that to get the correct waist measurement for your finished skirt.  I want the bottom of my unfinished skirt to land around the center of my knees because it's an easy length to add or subtract from (when you make variations), so I cut my pattern pieces slightly below the "view F" cutting line. 

Once you cut your 2 pattern pieces out (ignore the little facing pieces) fold under 5/8 inch along the straight edge of the BACK piece using the "center back" line at your guide.  This is the line where you would normally have a seam but since I'm removing the seam (and putting the zipper on the side), you need to remove the part that would have been the seam allowance.  You can actually just cut this part off instead of folding it but it's a good idea to leave it folded on your first try in case you need to make some adjustments at the back of your skirt after your first try.

On your pattern pieces fold your darts and pin them, then pin the side seams together (I use a 1/2" seam allowance just to keep it simple).  Measure across at a curve along the "waist" line.  Your goal is to get a number that is 1/2 of the measurement you got when you measured below your waist.  If it's too big you need to "shave" a little bit off of both sides of each pattern piece and pin and measure again.

My finished measurement needs to be 32 inches around so once I got 1 measurement of 16" (half of 32 you know) inches across I knew I was on the right track.  Now you can remove the pins from your dart lines but leave that 5/8" fold (that you made on the back center) in place.

Now I want to extend the bottom of the skirt out because I'm of the opinion that a skirt that's a nice, bigger width at the bottom helps make the top look narrower (that's my story anyway).  Tape a piece of tissue or tracing paper onto the outer side of both skirt pieces and trace a straight line from right where the hip curves down on the pattern (I used a straight ruler and a pen for this).  I just used some old tissue paper I ironed out.  Mine extended out 2 1/8 inches at the bottom side.  This number will vary with different patterns but the goal is to make the skirt flare from the side and not hug the hip.

Now make sure your pattern pieces are the same length.  It will be longer where the side seams are because the length needs to compensate for the curve of your hips (which lift it a little on the sides).

So now I have my pattern pieces ready to go.  Keep in mind your first skirt will not be as great as your second skirt so you may want to start out with "practice" fabric (not too "practic-y" though because you may end up loving it).

You'll need 1.5 yards of fabric (for the main skirt) and 1 yard of a solid fabric (for the lining) on the first skirt I'll demonstrate (the one in the picture on top).  Pre-wash it and iron it and I'll be back real soon with instructions!

***PLEASE ask me to clarify anything that is confusing about this post (or give me help in expressing these instructions better)!  I'm going to make it part of a whole series with lots of (very fun!) variations so any help is appreciated and I'll be adding corrections and helpful hints to these posts.  THanks!!***

It's summer....where's my "break"?

Sorry for the long absence.  This past month has been as busy as December with all the end of school events and graduations.  And now we're smack dab in the middle of vacation preparation (after Olivia's graduation party this Saturday).  I'm going to need that vacation.

I've had a lot of giggles reading all the comments from the last post, and while I agree with those who don't like words written across peoples butts, it was still funny to see everyone's ideas (thanks for keeping it clean, ha!).  Some of my favorites were "PANTS" (it's so obvious it's nearly brilliant), "MATERIAL GIRL" (accurate for sure), "VERY FIRM" (made me laugh, in a wistful sort of way, then the crying began), and "TOOT TOOT" (a little potty humor is always appreciated in a house full of kids).  But the winner of the scrap bag is KatieV who recommended "STOP STARING, I'M SEWING".  I don't know how many times a day I have to say that to Joey (*snicker*).  Anyway, thanks for all your crazy, creative ideas.  I appreciate you all taking the time to humor me (even if it includes incentives)!

Here's something cute my brilliant graduate is working on.  She says she's about half done so I'm assuming she's planning a bedspread (a very very busy bedspread).  Just lots of triangles and some fun appliques and patches.  I love it!

 

Here's a close up.  I love everything about this, including the vintage "Croke" can patch (which reminds me of those old ad parodies in Mad Magazine).  So many of my favorite fabrics!

She made it here on this machine, out in this meadow, with her hair curled just so.  Actually these are her senior pictures and I couldn't help but show some of them off.  Arizona isn't all cactus and desert and my friend Sandi Bradshaw has a real knack for finding beautiful locations right here in the Phoenix area.  When she was looking for a model I was quick to raise my hand since I was desperate to have her take pictures for Olivia's graduation.

A couple of years ago I took a photography workshop with Sandi.  It was all day long and only 50.00 (including lunch).  Now she has people flying in from out of state for her workshops and paying 950.00 to learn her secrets (plus she does the family photos for the Diamondbacks!), so I consider myself very lucky to have gotten in on the bottom floor!  

Here's my pretty girl wearing the jacket my grandmother wore when she married my grandpa.  It was during the depression and I'm sure she wore her best outfit which was a beautiful wool ensemble and included this incredible jacket.  My grandmother died of tuberculosis when she was only 27 and left behind my mom and my aunt, who were only 6 and 4 years old.  I wish my grandpa was alive to see this picture (and to play cards with me).

Thanks for letting me brag!  Here are the blog posts Sandi did on her photo shoot with Olivia (here and here).  Thank you Sandi!!!

And tomorrow I will start my Essential A-Line skirt tutorial!!  Thank you for you patience!  I'm going to start off with a simple skirt and then do some posts on different variations and fun embellishments. 

And we just received the complete 12 Days of Christmas collection by Kate Spain.  It's 10% off through this Friday if you want to get an early start on Christmas projects!  I'm also adding scrap bags to the store (sorry, the French General is gone already).  Perfect for quilting or small projects (or stash building).  I'll be back tomorrow (and back on track with the give-aways this weekend!).