Show us what you've made!

[dollydaydream]

Oooo yes I will have to invest!! I always get as far as the hem & I'm just like 'nahhhhh...' lol

Trip to the sewing shop for me this weekend!!

 

[Inky]

Hemming it used to be difficult until I talked to a seamstress friend. She recommended that I use a rolled hem foot for doing it. It funnels the fabric in, folds it over, and stitches it all in one fell swoop. Fantastic stuff. It took a bit of getting used to, but really it's taken the frustration out of hemming for me. You might see about getting one of those feet for your machine. (I got mine at a local sewing shop.)

That's a great tip, Babydoll! I think I have one of those feet in my sewing machine box.

I loved your skirts so much I got some of the cowboy bandana print to make my own - I made a bandana out of it a few months back and thought it would make a great skirt - seeing yours sealed the deal for me!

 

[kamikat]

Another question about the circle skirts: I looked at your pattern while at the fabric store the other day. It calls for something like 4yrds of 60in wide fabric and gave no recommendation for 45in wide. I know those novelty prints are 45. How much fabric do you use for the skirts?

 

[desi_de_lu_lu]

Another question about the circle skirts: I looked at your pattern while at the fabric store the other day. It calls for something like 4yrds of 60in wide fabric and gave no recommendation for 45in wide. I know those novelty prints are 45. How much fabric do you use for the skirts?

You can do a circle skirt with 45 inch fabric using 4 yards. They just have BIZZARE cutting patterns. Check out the Vogue pattern:

http://www.voguepatterns.com/item/V2902.htm??tab=vintage_vogue&page=2
this is the pattern I used to make the dress I am wearing in my Avatar. I used 4 yards of 45".

And by golly that is a circle skirt WITH a circle skirt liner. 8 yards to hem! YAY!

 

[CherryRed]

Another question about the circle skirts: I looked at your pattern while at the fabric store the other day. It calls for something like 4yrds of 60in wide fabric and gave no recommendation for 45in wide. I know those novelty prints are 45. How much fabric do you use for the skirts?

Most stores have a conversion chart.
Here is a link to one also:
http://sewing.about.com/library/weekly/aa120598.htm

 

[Babydoll]

Another question about the circle skirts: I looked at your pattern while at the fabric store the other day. It calls for something like 4yrds of 60in wide fabric and gave no recommendation for 45in wide. I know those novelty prints are 45. How much fabric do you use for the skirts?

Great question. When I purchase fabric for a skirt, I have them cut it as two pieces of two yards each. That's four yards total. It doesn't matter to me that it's 60 versus 44/45. I'm not that tall, so it's still going to be a longer skirt on me if it's the full four yards. In fact, the 60 is almost too long for me! To cut out the pattern, I unfold the fabric from how they have it on the bolt, and fold it the other way to give me more surface area for the pattern piece. Each piece of fabric is 1/2 of the skirt.

Another thing is that I don't have the patience to match patterns, so I always get a pattern that doesn't have a specific way that it needs to be laid out (no lines, plaids, etc.). That way the skirt doesn't look odd.

Any of the trims that I use, I get 6 yards of them. I usually place them at least 5-6 inches from the bottom of a skirt. I have a bit of extra trim, but I'd rather have too much than too little. I've done fringe at the bottom of a skirt before, and that was about 6 1/2-7 yards of trim.

 

[Lady Day]

Well the difference is generally 60"s are used for full circle skirts and 45"s for a halves. You would have to piece a lot of bottom corners together (cutting the pattern on the fold) if you used fabric at 45" because of the flare.

Personally I think its a crazy amount of fabric to make a full circle skirt. Just crazy as in complete circle if laid out on the floor. Just crazy!

LD

 

[desi_de_lu_lu]

Well the difference is generally 60"s are used for full circle skirts and 45"s for a halves. You would have to piece a lot of bottom corners together (cutting the pattern on the fold) if you used fabric at 45" because of the flare.

Personally I think its a crazy amount of fabric to make a full circle skirt. Just crazy as in complete circle if laid out on the floor. Just crazy!

LD

But there's something about them.. especially with one or two crinolines underneath and a wasp like waist line...

 

[Babydoll]

Oooo yes I will have to invest!! I always get as far as the hem & I'm just like 'nahhhhh...' lol

Trip to the sewing shop for me this weekend!!

This is what mine looks like:

For instructions of how to use it, you might check out this website with a tutorial of how to use it.

 

[mackenzie]

Hello ladies,

This is my first ever attempt at making anything...please, be kind!

Are you kidding? Your first attempt? You good!!! Guess you got it in the blood. It looks great. :eusa_clap

 

[mackenzie]

Do you find it difficult to hem a circle skirt? Any tips? I almost threw mine out the window lol

I always use a cotton band ( like the ones the use to hem mens pants here in europe). It gives a cleaner finish when you hem a skirt. I sew it on the bottom on the outside, fold it to the wrong side (as high as you want) and handstich it. It looks nicer and I find that the dress/ skirt falls better when I do it like this.

 

[dollydaydream]

But there's something about them.. especially with one or two crinolines underneath and a wasp like waist line...

Right...and where can I get one of them...

 

[ShoreRoadLady]

Hello ladies,

This is my first ever attempt at making anything...please, be kind!

Your first attempt? :eusa_clap It looks fabulous!

 

[dollydaydream]

I always use a cotton band ( like the ones the use to hem mens pants here in europe). It gives a cleaner finish when you hem a skirt. I sew it on the bottom on the outside, fold it to the wrong side (as high as you want) and handstich it. It looks nicer and I find that the dress/ skirt falls better when I do it like this.

So sew the cotton to the hem and turn it over? That's a good idea. Then again do I have the patience to pin it

 

[kamikat]

Right...and where can I get one of them...

It's all about the illusion! Get yourself a nice waist cincher and a HUGE crinoline. You may not have an actual wasp waist, but the cincher and crinoline do the trick. Once I finally broke down and shelled out the bucks for the crinoline, I was stunned by the difference it made.

 

[PS]

It's all about the illusion! Get yourself a nice waist cincher and a HUGE crinoline. You may not have an actual wasp waist, but the cincher and crinoline do the trick. Once I finally broke down and shelled out the bucks for the crinoline, I was stunned by the difference it made.

Kamikat, where did you get your crinoline from? I really want one but worry about how often I will wear it, I just can't imagine that my dh would take me seriously.

 

[kamikat]

Kamikat, where did you get your crinoline from? I really want one but worry about how often I will wear it, I just can't imagine that my dh would take me seriously.

EBay! There are a ton of them on eBay, but the pretty ones go high. So far, I tend to wear mine only when going out on the town. They seem pretty delicate and mine arrived with a hole, and I've made another one in the short time I've owned it. I don't know if the newer ones are more sturdy or if tulle just is that way. I know others here have bought from http://www.petticoatjct.com. Most of the eBay ones tend to be shorter, like for square dancing or maybe early 60's fashion when skirts were just below or at the knee. http://www.petticoatjct.com has a few longer styles.

 

[Josephine]

Kamikat, where did you get your crinoline from? I really want one but worry about how often I will wear it, I just can't imagine that my dh would take me seriously.

If you want to try making your own here are good instructions: http://www.pettipond.com/lon.htm

 

[dollydaydream]

If you want to try making your own here are good instructions: http://www.pettipond.com/lon.htm

I've made a few from that pattern & they are great & soooo easy to make too! I made the last one from net curtain material. It's very soft & frothy & not scratchy & wears very well too. I love it

 

[Lady Day]

So sew the cotton to the hem and turn it over? That's a good idea. Then again do I have the patience to pin it

Thats called bias tape, and its the most wonderful thing in the world! Do 'a google' on that, youll find a slew of information.

LD