The Leggy Maxi Skirt

My younger sister (E) is 6'2 (or something like that) and has a desire for a maxi skirt. She requested that I sew her one so she didn't have to spend $70 on one that is actually long enough. Since I love my little sister, I agreed to it. Since I also love myself, I decided to make myself one first as a practise run so I didn't waste the material I bought for it. I used this tutorial as a starting point, with a few modifications. The one I made for E is going to be a little different, and I will make a post for it as well.

This skirt is definitely wearable, and I get compliments on it before people even know I sewed it myself. I love the way it flows around my legs as I walk outside. I definitely need to wear shorts underneath so the whole world doesn't see more than they want to of me, but thanks to my chub rub I do that anyway. You can never have too many pairs of spandex shorts. Similar to my $0 skirt, I didn't spend much time finishing and being exact on this skirt, which I would if I made it again. Here are my takeaways from the experience:

1. Finish hems properly. This skirt has a lot of hems (sides and bottom) that should be double hemmed because they are very visible close up. I just sewed a regular stitch and it looks pretty sloppy upon inspection.
2. Make sure things line up properly. When I sewed the space at the top of the skirt for the elastic, I ended up with some holes where the elastic is visible that I didn't end up fixing (yet). I also twisted the elastic, so it does not lie flat. 
3. Aim for an even hem. I clearly have not nailed hemming skirts yet, I don't have a straight one at all. I will be looking up tips for straight hems before I make E's skirt.

This skirt was great practise for a skirt that I want to be perfect, the fact that I actually like wearing it is just a bonus!

Thanks for reading,

Amanda

The $0 Dollar Skirt

This skirt is also affectionately referred to as the drunk skirt, because I started the skirt and a bottle of wine at the same time, and finished them at the same time as well. The reason it is the $0 skirt is because I got the fabric free out of my friend's grandmother's basement, and instead of buying a zipper I just used a button closure. I loosely based it off the tutorial here, replacing the zipper/hook and eye with a button and omitting the fusible interfacing. This skirt was not made with regular wear or lasting in mind, I just wanted to try and make it to try something new with sewing techniques I haven't tried before, and to generally practise.

I have actually worn this skirt out, so it gets the label "wearable", and some people even complimented me on it (once they found out I made it, not just because they liked it in general). If I wanted to make this skirt again and have it last, here are the things that I would do differently:

1. I would follow the tutorial's instructions to use a zipper and hook & eye loop, and interfacing. The waistband folds over the way I made it and requires a lot of adjusting, and the button and modesty patch add volume on my already large hips (but only on one side). 
2. I would calculate and measure out the knife pleats. For this skirt I just eyeballed it and hoped for the best, but I think it would look a little sharper and put together if they were a little more precise. 
3. I would finish everything nicer. I didn't properly finish the hem (I would do a double hem, cut it with pinking shears or zig zag stitch it to finish), the pleats are not all even with the waistband and are already coming out, and I didn't do a great job with the ironing. 

Overall, this skirt was a very positive experience. I proved that I can make a skirt in an evening, I learned a few new techniques and I enjoyed a great bottle of wine and 4 episodes of Say Yes To The Dress.

Thank you for reading!

Amanda

Musings of a Casual Seamstress

I have wanted to sew my own clothing for years. At almost 5'10, finding inexpensive skirts and dresses that I deem appropriate gets more and more difficult as the length I consider appropriate and comfortable gets longer. I knew that sewing my own clothing would not necessarily be cheaper than buying in some cases, but considering the limited options of clothing that I liked I figured it could be worth it. Also, I enjoy sewing, so it's a productive hobby I can engage in.

That's all I want, a skirt that reaches my knees

There is one problem that I considered that is a bigger issue than I thought it would be: motivation. While creating an item of clothing might not take much time, getting started is difficult for me. I have the same problem with exercise: it's hard to get my butt off the couch, but once I get working I really enjoy it. Even though I know it will be worth it, I will enjoy myself and I will regret not doing it, Newton's first law seems to apply to me: An object at rest tends to stay at rest. So, I have come up with a few different ideas for getting myself off the couch and started with the activity I actually want to accomplish (sewing, cleaning, exercise, etc).

Man I'm sad I missed that episode

1. Turn off the television

Sometimes I think that getting cable was one of the worst decisions I've made in the last year. I love watching jeopardy every night with my husband (we are speeding up the growing old together process by acting old), catching sports games and PVRing movies, but sometimes I can sit in front of the TV catching flies for hours. By turning off the TV and throwing the remote across the room, I have one less thing anchoring me to the couch.

I've decided everything I buy for my house is going to be grey

2. Set small goals

Sewing an entire article of clothing, doing a 1-hour workout or cleaning the entire apartment can seem like daunting tasks. By telling myself that I'm only getting up to do one thing, I am less intimidated by what I intend to accomplish. For example, cutting the fabric for a skirt, changing the thread in my sewing machine, or setting up the ironing board are easy enough that I can fool myself into doing them. Once I'm off the couch and started, I am more likely to continue.

This is the first result from Google Images of "perfect housewife"

3. Don't sit down in the first place

As someone in the tech industry, I sit in front of a screen all day at work. While I come home from work tired, sitting the entire evening as well is not the best plan for me. Ideally, I would like to come home, tidy whatever needs tidying and start making a wonderfully healthy meal, get come exercise and spend some time sewing. I think I've done that once, ever. Between playing sports in the evening, hanging out with friends and being too tired to function, I rarely get one of those things done, let alone all of them (luckily playing sports ensures I still get the exercise a few times per week). Getting things started before I get sucked into the vortex which is the couch starts my evening off on the correct foot.

One day....

With a little bit of self-discipline, I'm hoping that putting these tips into practise will push me in the right direction for accomplishing as much sewing as I hope to.

Thanks for reading!

Amanda

Circle Skirt: A Beginner Sewer's Attempt

Full disclosure: I bought my sewing machine second hand over a year ago and have barely touched it since. When I was a child I tried my hand at sewing blankets and pillows, but never really picked up sewing beyond that. Recently I have been making a conscious effort to change that because I am having more and more difficulty finding inexpensive skirts and dresses I like, that are an appropriate length for my 5'10 frame. In my imagined future, I will be able to sew myself beautiful skirts and dresses for every occasion. That being said, I have a full-time job, a house to (try to) keep clean, weights to lift, a husband who seems to like spending time with me and a nasty procrastination habit.

This circle skirt is based on the tutorial posted by Merrick's Art, and it was my first time hemming something, inserting a zipper, adding a waistband, sewing a knit fabric and trying to cut fabric to a specific measurement. As you can imagine, it did not turn out perfectly, but I consider it wearable.

I used a medium-weight knit fabric that I picked up and pre-washed a few months ago (see what I mean about procrastination?), instead of the polyester suiting fabric used in the tutorial. Here are my lessons learned from my first circle skirt:

1. When cutting the fabric, start with the waist smaller than you think it is supposed to be, especially if using a knit fabric. I cut mine way too large and had to add a couple darts and cut a V where the zipper went, making the hem less than straight.
2. There is a way to hem a knit fabric with a sewing machine without any puckering, but I have not mastered it yet. Maybe next time.
3. Making a waistband out of a thick knit fabric is not as straight forward as a fabric that presses easily. I will need to research how to do it so the seam is flat.
4. When inserting the zipper, make sure that it is pinned evenly on both sides. If you look closely at mine you would be able to see that it is not (entirely) even. 
5. Black was a very good colour selection for my first skirt, it seems to hide most of the little flaws. 

Overall this was an excellent choice for a first sewing project. I got my sewing machine serviced for the first time right before starting, which I highly recommend, because it ran so much smoother than before. 

skirt (diy) / boots (The Bay) / tights (Rickis) / coat (Sears) / cowl (Danier Leather) / top (Banana Republic) / gloves (Mark's Work Wearhouse)