warm brown skirt + floor length hems

Excuse the sunset-ness of the pictures -- It was finally cool enough to wear this outside, so I dashed out as soon as I got home and changed.  Or we can pretend alien attack.  That could be fun too.

Anyhow, this is the first volley of my be-warm-with-options-other-than-polar-fleece campaign.  (Winter does get a bit monotonous) It's a self drafted 6 gore skirt, with a side zipper.   Its made of a thick woven cotton, with blue and white sewn (maybe woven, but it looks like stitching) stripes.  Its been sitting in the stash for ages, waiting for me to come up with something interesting.

 snazzy stripes.

 I've developed a fondness for floor length skirts lately, and getting the hem to the right length is a bit of a trick.   (I find about an inch off the floor is good - doesn't drag, but looks like it might)   Anyhow, to do it without help, I use my handy-dandy chalk marker on the lowest possible setting

Due to the stand, this still ends up being a few inches higher than I'd like, so after chalk marking, I go around again and add 3 or 4 inches (depends on the weight of the fabric) 

and voila! floor length hem!  In this particular case, I actually went with three inches, and then attached a hem band to the bottom.   This allowed me to use the band's seam allowance to anchor the hem, resulting in no visible stitches.   (the close up of the stripes, a few pictures up, is actually the interior of the hem.  I serged the end and whip-stitched it in place)

A Whole New Outfit*

Short version: Finished the skirt! yay!  Didn't have a top that worked well, so I made that last night too! Yayyy!

Long version:  A week or so ago, I was feeling bloated and gross and hated everything in my closet except for this one floor length skirt that skimmed my hips and made me feel better about going into public that particular day.   (Ironically enough, I couldn't get a good picture of it.  It is like the fox!)   Anyhow, I decided to copy is so I could have a few more.   The skirt itself was originally part of an empire waist dress with a shirred back, so it didn't have a proper closure, just slips over the head.   Over the years the elastic has stretched and I've never gotten around to fixing it, so I usually just pop on a safety pin or two and wear a long shirt to cover the unholy mess.   Now -- when making new, this would not do.  I took the waist in a little and added a yoke to make the whole thing look a bit more finished.  


This worked out nicely, except I decided not to cut the back panel in half,  and the shaping on the yoke didn't go quite as far as I'd intended (the back matches the V shape of the front) so despite a lovely opening, it still has to go over my head.   (I'll make a deeper V next time.)

Ignore the wrinkles -- I sit almost all day and I took these pictures after getting home from work.  It sits nicely when fresh.

Interesting construction facts:  To get the hem-line even I ended up putting on the skirt and stepping into a bucket of water.   I swished around for a moment, then hopped out and pinned along the water mark. (I had to go quickly, as capillary action was not my friend in this particular case.

Anyhow, once I'd gotten it all together and was merrily prancing about the living room, I realized I didn't really have a shirt that worked, and I definitely didn't have one that would accommodate my necklace (it is *exactly* the right color)  but I did have half a yard of lovely black jersey.   (I think we can see where this is going.)   Anyhow, traced out a shirt I like, threw this together and then started experimenting.

I serged fabric tape to the inside of the neckline, and for once it didn't stretch or gape. (win!)  It ended up funky and odd in new and exciting ways... but still.  win.

I also ended up serging on a pair of crescent cap-sleeve things.  There was a scrap of about the right size when I was playing with it, so I copied it, and bam! sleeves!

More pictures, just for fun. I look horribly irritated, but really, I'm watching the camera sitting on little posts and shaking in a breeze hoping it won't make a dive for freedom.

I ought to get a tripod.


*the fabric and the yoke keep making me think mermaid......

half circle skirt - doneski!

 Huzzah for the half circle skirt!  (My personal barometer for being myself again.)  Anyhow, following fun with the measuring tape and a cut out that matched my pictures, all was on track for a lovely project.   However, it turns out that taking ones measurements whilst still dealing with the after effects of very strong pain medication, and being sat upon by a cat, and consequently not actually getting off the couch lead to inaccuracy.  (go figure)  Happily, all of mine were too big, so I was able to trim things down a bit and used the excess to finish the seams nicely.   I feel this is an important lesson - if you can't drive a car, leave the scissors alone.  (random side note:  I knew not to trust me, and we hid them in the car before surgery, just in case I got "creative" )

 Anyhow, I'm very happy with the final result - except the lack of pockets, but I'm thinking about that one.

I ended up making a waistband with a strip of fabric the length of the waist and about three inches high - makes it looks a bit more finished.  




For the hem, I really didn't want a visible seam, so I used hem tape and hand stitched it to the body of the skirt with alternating colors of thread to match the pattern on the right side.  The result is nearly invisible :)

Drafting your own half circle skirt pattern. Part Two

El scruffinator asked for a bit more on the whole half-circle skirt thing, so, here we go...

How much fabric do I need?

Well, this depends - since you are drafting your own pattern its really up to you (helpful, no?)  But the real answer is 2*r2 , i.e. the length of the total distance from the bottom of the skirt to the center of rotation.  (If you are confused, please read my previous post)  So, working off of my measurements from the other day, I'd need 79 inches, or a little less than 2 and a quarter yards.    But, as I say, it depends on your measurements, if you make something smaller, you'll need less.  If you choose to do something longer and use the whole 45 inches of your standard bolt width for your length, well....

However, odds are you won't, and odds are I'm taller than you, so I think its safe to say 2 and a quarter for a half circle and four and a half for the full humdinger.  Mine will hit the web in a bit - I still need to do crazy things like wash the fabric and finish a project for a friend of mine that's on a bit of a deadline, before I can actually make it, but soon.

Drafting your own half circle skirt pattern. (Math is your friend)

My Greetings!  No new sewing for a bit, but I've been planning things out for when I'm back to normal.   A few days ago I came upon Vivat-Veritas' half circle skirt pattern (from the Grosgrain free pattern month).   It was lovely, very simple, and solved a problem I've been having about a lovely but tricky print.

I didn't want to spoil it with shaping seams, nor do I find gathered skirts to be a flattering look for my body, so its been sitting in my stash for well over a year, just hanging out and hoping for inspiration.

Well! a half circle would mean only one seam, at the center back - and everything would be pre-alligned by the fold, so, perfect!   Now, I know I linked to a downloadable pattern at the top, but if you are like me and prefer geometry to endless taping, here's the math I worked out for mine.  (I promise you, this is easy.  It looks wordy, but that's only because I am defining all my terms.  The short version is: R1 = (AL*4)/2pi, where AL is half your waist measurement plus a seam allowance.  SL is the desired skirt length, also plus a seam allowance, and R2 = R1 +SL)

1) Measure your waist where you want the skirt to sit (natural or otherwise) and add one inch for seam allowances.  We will call this value WL (waist length) in my case this value is 31 inches.

2) Divide WL by 2, for the quarter arc length in the image above.   (Why divide by two for a quarter arc?   We are making only a half circle skirt, so that one quarter of the full circle will go around half your waist.   Should you choose to expand on the pattern and make a full circle skirt, then you would divide by 4.)  For me, this is 15.5" and we will call it AL (arc length).

3)  We now need to calculate the radius of this arc from the center of rotation (i.e. the fold at the top of the fabric)  which means its time for comparing the circumference of a circle to its radius.   The radius is C/(2*pi) where the circumference is four times the arc length we're using (remember, half circle skirt vs full circle math)  so, to define our terms both algebraically and with my measurements, C = 4*AL = 62 inches.  2*pi = 6.28, which means the radius R1 = 62/6.28, or 9.8 inches.   The fabric inside this circle is excess.

4) Now decide how long you want your skirt to be - this is the length from wherever you picked as your waist point to where you want it to hit your leg.  This will depend partially on personal preference and partially on the width of your fabric - your skirt can be no longer than half the full width, due to the placement of the fold.   Now, personally, I like things a bit below my knee, and  from my chosen waist point, that is 30 inches, which is defined as SL (skirt length) in the picture.  (Don't forget, SL must include your seam allowence

5) Add R1 and SL and you've got your total length from the center of rotation (i.e. top of fold) now known as R2. For me, R2 =  9.8 + 30, or 39.5 inches.   (For narrower fabric, try folding it the opposite of the way it was on the bolt, so you get the full woven width in one direction, and  the length you bought in the other, which will allow a nice long skirt.)

6)  Pin a measuring tape in place at the top of the fold and mark every inch or so at lengths R1 and R2 as you rotate it from one side of the fabric to the other.   (Take a look at the red arcs in the picture - see how the smaller one lines up with R1 and the larger one lines up with R2?   You can also use bits of string that are the right length, tie chalk on the end, pull it tight and draw.)

7)  THAT IS IT for the math.  Cut it out, pop in the zipper of your choice, hem it, bind the waist-band, and you are done!

EXTRA)  Adding a more standard waistband can be achieved either with a short rectangle the length of your waist (very narrow, not much more than a binding, and best done on the bias)  or for something wider, measure the height you want it to go up your torso, the change in width between that point and your waist point and draft the band based on the arc of the original skirt.  You will not end up with full half-circle pieces, more like rounded trapezoids, but you get the general idea.   (If not, feel free to bug me and I will draw more pictures.  But I am sleepy and don't really feel like it just now.)


Instructions on how much fabric you will need here.

altering a pencil skirt

The Festive Miniature Alpaca of Winter Joy

Merry Kwanzmucka, other winter holiday or your choice, or Festivus, the holiday for the rest of us.

I don't think this really counts as a refashion -- just a regular old alteration.    The story of how I ended up with this particular skirt is a bit ridiculous, but revolves around no one telling me we were going out to a fancy dinner until *after* I got off the plane....

Anyhow, RTW skirt!  with purple!  (I do like purple)  Which I didn't move around enough in while trying it on, because, holy crap, it didn't fit.   When I would do crazy things like walk across the room or sit down, it would ride up, and then stay that way.    I loathe tugging on my clothes, so this had to be fixed.      I detached the waistband from the front of the skirt, put it on, and then walked around and let the skirt ride up the inch or two to where it really wanted to spend its time.  I then pinned the waistband back down and ta da!   Fits properly!   (I had to make some minor modifications to the side seams to keep them from puckering, but it was just a case of following the fabric.)

^--In both cases this is post wandering around  -  soooo much better  ---^

yaaaaay I can move!!!!! (!!!!!!!)

..and now its a skirt

I was playing with the red dress a bit more today, when I decided that I really just didn't like it.   The fit was fine, the color was nice, the style was interesting, but I didn't feel they went together.   Its fairly rare that I wear bright red, and rarer still that I wear a lot of it all at once - and there was nothing it seemed appropriate for - the combination of the cut and the color made it simultaneously too... showy and too staid all at once.  (I was fairly impressed by that actually)     So -- I turned it into a skirt, which actually made everything ten times easier -- as its a knit, I just sewed up the back, hemmed it and did a rolled waist, and bam! skirt!   (with the added bonus of being able to pull it down to cover my knee-caps)    I'm not totally sure what I'll wear it with - as I said, I rarely do red - but I have a green shirt that I think makes me look more like an upside down flower than a Christmas ornament, so probably with that.    When I bought the fabric, the intent was to expand the color palate I usually wear, so I guess it will fulfill its purpose.  Anyhow, this is officially stash-bust #4 of the current count.