Here is my final product, more length added for some growing room
I have an extra I cut out and made at the same time (takes the same amount of time to cut out 2 as 1) in a size 3T, side length 12" waistband cut to fit 20"waist (18" no roll elastic)- $8ppd
Thanks for looking, this was fun to draft and see come together- such a fast project!
Sarah
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Mommy to Elias (6/5/00), Hannah (9/23/01), and Barnabeas (4/21/05)
happy wife to Eddie
First I measured her side from natural waistline- aka where I want the elastic to sit) to her mid hipline. Then I measured from mid hip to hemline. Next I measured loosely around the hips. The top panel piece is a rectangle that is as long as the loose hip measurement and as wide as the waist to mid hip measurement. Because our bodies have more shape than a rectangle, at least hannah's body does, I added 1" in heighth in the back and took off 1" in the front.......plus I had to add 1" total for the waistband to attatch and fold over. What I ended up with (original measurement was 5") was a 6"wide piece that is 24" long, about 3" in from either cut end it starts sloping down to be 4" in the center front 6".
Ok now the attatched skirt piece is a circle with a circle cut from the center. To find the center circle size figure your loose hip measurement as the circumference of the circle and using some math (diameter times pie equal circumference, radius equals half of diameter) find your radius. Now with your fabric on the fold measure from one point out that many inches and connect the dots (my circle has a 3" radius). Next the length fo the skirt is the additional radius of the circle, don't forget to add an inch or whatever for your hem. So my 7" needed for dd from midhip to knee plus 1" plus the previous 3" radius from smaller circle equalled an 11" point I had to mark radiating out from the 3"circle center. Connect the dots and cut out your circle and cut out small circle. Unfold and you have a full circle with a hole in the middle, no seams needed.
Next I sewed the back seam of the upper hip piece. Then I attatched the small circle of the skirt to the flat edge of the upper hip piece (not to the curved side of the piece)- I used a pin to mark center since everything wants to shift since it is not cut on grain. Now I attatched my waist elastic, turn and topstitch. Now I twin needled my mid hip seam down and hemmed.
Just thought I would add that I plan to make this same style skirt for my little sister, she's 8, from some velour. Since velour has more stretch than sherpa and it will be a larger size (aka more fabrice to hang) then I will let it hang overnight before I hem. Because the hem of the skirt willbe off grain due to being cut out in a circle it will mostly stretch a bit and make an uneven hem eventually. If I make sure that my fabric is prewashed and I let the finished yet unhemmed skirt hang overnight, then trim unevenness and hem- then the majority of any future problems will be eliminated. Just thought I would mention this since you are thinking of making this style for yourself.
Thank you for posting the "hanging" tip. That totally makes sense, but I don't think I would have thought to do that on my own. I appreciate it as I have some velour waiting to become a skirt for me at the moment, and I would be really upset with a wavy hem!
And I love your skirt design
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Love,
Amy J.
**Felix '00, Clara '02 and Miles '06**
So, Sarah, where did you learn how to sew? Just amazes me how much you know!!!! Not just figuring it all out math-wise, but then to let it hang overnight?
The skirt turned out great
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Ellen
mom to Jenna (16), Andy (14), and Clara (8)
Originally posted by HuncaMunca So, Sarah, where did you learn how to sew? Just amazes me how much you know!!!! Not just figuring it all out math-wise, but then to let it hang overnight?
The skirt turned out great
My mom taught me and she is a major perfectionist, unlike me. She would make me measure from the straight of grain line to the selvage and get it within a centimeter of perfect- and thats after we checked to see if the fabric needed to be stretched back to square in the first place. Then she would make me still have to hang the perfectly on grain thing up over night just in case so that the hem would be perfect- all this for pj pants! In all honestly I only mildly enjoyed sewing then, too much work. BUT I did learn all the things that could go wrong and how to avoid them. When I got preggo I suddenly really wanted to sew- but did it at my house and only asked my mom questions when I needed help. When I found AW these ladies stretched me eons and really helped me learn how to improvise, draft and create. I've always enjoyed math but with all the things that 'could go wrong' I was too scared to try it out on fabric till I got here.
So now I can draft something creatively, and think through all the 'dangers' to elimate as many prototypes as possible. I rarely sew a first draft that is unusable so I always use good fabric even when making my 'muslin'.
So there you have it; take one part perfectionist mother, one part homeschooled math class, two parts insane amount of desire, and one heaping part AW sewing forum guru's!
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