At the Boonah Guides Quilt & Craft Show recently,
I bought 3 fat quarters from http://www.apatchyquilting.com.au/
and set myself the challenge of making a skirt from them.
I kept it simple - a 6 gore straight self drafted skirt.
The right front and back panels are contrast to the other 4 panels.
I made sure I planned the pattern layout carefully before cutting out, because I wanted the right front & right back panels to be yellow.
Remember to measure twice and cut once.
Sigh, vanity makes you unpick.
The master pattern was drafted a couple of years ago, and
it seems a centimetre or two as well. The skirt was a bit snug with
15mm seams so I restitched them using a 4-thread overlock
and unpicked the machine stitching. Much better.
Of course then the facings didn't fit, so I lined the skirt
without a facing and under stitched it at the waistline.
I love under stitching - it's the perfect finish for linings and facings.
I pressed the seams away from the centre panels and
topstitched using a yellow/gold rayon embroidery thread
and my ditch stitch foot.
Hems are so easy on straight skirts.
I overlocked the raw edges and turned up a 1" hem, and also tucked
under the overlocking (just because I felt like it) making it a 3/4" finished hem.
If you are going to finish the hem this way (no visible raw edges) it is not necessary to overlock first. It was a last minute decision.
The easiest way to measure a straight hem is to place the
skirt wrong sides up over the end of the ironing board.
Then measure 2" (twice the finished hem width) from the
overlocked/raw edge and poke a pin into the ironing board.
Fold the raw edge up to the pin, move the pin to secure hem,
and press before sewing.
I used an invisible zipper in the side seam.
The sewing up was relatively quick and easy. It just takes a little
time to plan something not straight out of the box.
A great way to spend a Sunday afternoon.
