As if I need to tell you TSC has been a little neglected. Last week I was in the middle of a field in Wiltshire getting soaked whilst listening to some of the best music I've heard in a while. I have to say (apart from the rain) WOMAD outdid itself this year.
Some of my highlights had to be the Jenova Collective, an electric swing band from Manchester, The Correspondents, who I have seen a few times but were even better with a band behind them and Red Baraat, a sort of modern rock-Bollywood fusion from New York.
Along with the music the food is always good! All the meat is free range and many of the stalls support farmers growing organic vegetables. As well as all the chai and tasty vegan cakes the best part is is that you can jump across the world for each meal - every continent is covered!
So after four days of soggy heaven I'm back - yesterday I had a wonderful time in Fine Fabrics, Hillsborough with the lovely Xe, and I have to say, st*tch and b*tches are great fun for all involved. It doesn't matter if one is more experienced as sometimes explaining things to others really engrains it in your head. You can share in eachother's triumphs and if it all goes terribly at least there's coffee and cake to fall back on!
I highly recommend getting yourself a sewing buddy. You can help each other out and they can talk you out of buying that expensive albeit lovely Liberty silk for £17.99. You can also swap buttons, trim and bits of fabric, as well as gossip.
Speaking of sewing friends, there is a possibility that I may be getting some blogger buddies of my own. It's still early days yet but I have a lot planned now I'm off to uni and I would love to follow up on the ideas I'm currently having. Watch this space!
Anyhoo, this is the post I promised you lot about two weeks ago now. This is me following my own tutorial on the wrap skirt I drafted for myself. It turned out pretty well, actually, all things considered.
I have redrawn the pattern and altered it slightly. I've also done it on the computer so it looks fancy - just click on the photos if you want to see them larger. You'll need your waist to floor measurement and your waist measurement for this skirt.
I've done the complicated piece first as well, it's not easy. The maths is not fun, I suggest a calculator or a maths friend. What it lets itself down on is numbers but it is a really easy sew and a great finished product. I swear.
After cutting shape A out you need to modify it slightly (this is when I realised that my original draft of the pattern wasn't A-okay and decided to change it. I tried to combine it into the maths above to minimise fabric wastage but I thought doing it in two steps would be easier to follow) then you need to cut out piece B and two of piece C.
So the first step is to gather the left side of piece A to equal the measurement D/4, which is the length of piece B. On me, this makes the shorter part of the skirt about as short as a mini skirt (see below)...so if you want it to be longer then don't gather it as much. Obviously then piece B needs changing too.
Get your sergers/rolling feet out! Now you need to finish the edges all the way around. You could use bias binding, a serger, but for this I learnt how to use yet another foot on my machine and now I'm glad to say I can do a teeny tiny rolled hem. Yes!
I serged the left side and the waist curve (top left) of piece A, the right side and top of piece B and all of C but I rolled everything else.
Then I added lace to mine on all the edges that would be seen as I had so much black lace and nothing planned for it. This is completely optional but I think I'd adds a little more to the overall effect, don't you?
Sew your two long strips together along the short side to make an even longer strip. Pin the middle to the middle of the waist curve as a reference point and sew the strip to the skirt.
When both bits are attached fold the strip in half length ways right sides together and sew to itself to give two long ties on either side of the skirt. You'll be able to sew most of it by machine but when the skirt gets in the way on the middle section you'll have to pin, press it and sew by hand.
Almost done!
Now you need to try the skirt on to see where you need to place the buttonhole in the waistband. You don't have to have one, I took the plunge and tried it as I hate putting them in but it turned out pretty well.
Give it a good iron, thread pick and wear your new skirt!
I apologise for this photo being so dark - I don't have a tripod for either my camera or my pad so I can only take full length selfies in the mirror! Will have to treat myself to one sooner or later.
Top: New Look
Bra: Boux Avenue
Skirt: a TSC original!
Loads of love for all the sewers out there. Get the Bollywood on and have a great week!
Toni
No comments:
Post a Comment