Sunday, February 4, 2018

Gathered skirts are perfect for dolls: Part 3 - Elastic casing photo tutorial

valspierssews

Last night I looked up some summer fashions at target online. There was a little chambray skirt that looked cute.


Sometimes it is nice to have a place to start. However, I didn't have chambray and I didn't feel like doing embroidery and tassels were just beyond the scope of my Sunday fun. But a skirt I could do!

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For this cute little skirt you need:
  1. a fat quarter of light fabric.
  2. 25" of trim
  3. 10 1/2" of 1/2" elastic
  4. a shoe lace


I folded my fabric over 6 1/2" and cut 2 skirt pieces and 2 waistband pieces.
You can make pattern pieces.

My elastic is 1/2" so I calculated the width by adding
1 x 1/4' seams, 2 x 1/8" casing stitching rows and 5/8" for my elastic.
You then multiply by 2 for the width. Recalculate if you want to
use 1/4" elastic and make the skirt longer.

This is a short skirt. It could go 1/2" longer I suppose.
The other option is to use 1/4" elastic then you would need to add
1/2" to the skirt to keep it from being too short.

Of course you can make the skirt in one long strip for the skirt and the waist band but I don't always have that much fabric in one piece.

Stitch one side of the skirt.
Overlock the seam and the hem edge.
Press up the 1/4" hem.

Sew on the trim about 3/4" above the hem fold.
Press.

Stitch the other side seam and overlock it.
Turn the skirt inside out and stitch the hem.
Press.

Stitch one side of the waist band.
Press the seam one way and press up 1/4" on the bottom edge.
Stitch the other side seam and press it the same direction as the other seam.
Re-press the fold.

Attach the waist band to the skirt by placing the unfolded 
edge rights sides to the wrong side of the skirt. 
Pin it and Stitch.
Trim the seam.

Press the waist band up with the seam.

Fold the waist band over to the right side of the skirt and line up
the folded edge with the waist stitching line.
Stitch it down close to the fold leaving a 2" gap near a side seam. 

Press the waist band.
Stitch another row 1/8" from the first, leaving the gap open.
Stitch a row 1/8" from the top fold, all the way around.
Use a safety pin to insert the elastic going in the direction that you pressed the seams.
Pin the end about 2" before it disappears.

Overlap the elastic ends about 1/2" and zig zag together.
Ease it back into the casing and stitch the gap closed with two rows of stitching.

Cut 6" ends off a shoe lace. You could probably cut a bit more. Mine was only just long enough.
Overlap the cut ends and zig zag them to the centre front of the band.
Tie a half knot then tie a bow.
Another option is to cut a 14" piece of string. 
Stitch the centre to the band. Tie a bow. 
Then tie knots in the ends.


Hope you like this one. She is wearing it with the 1806 Open Neck Shirt that comes with lots of variations.



Happy Sewing,
Val

P.S.
Sign up for my newsletter so you will always get links to my tutorials without having to remember to look for them. This skirt comes with printable instructions and ready to go pattern pieces. It is no.21 in the newsletter folder.