Tutorial: Twist-and-Shout Skirt

A couple of weeks ago I saw on Pinterest this concept of a twisted panel. I wish I remember where I saw it so you could see! I liked the idea of the twist, but I didn't particularly like it as a panel. So, I thought it would make an adorable skirt! It's pretty easy even though it takes a bit more time than your average skirt. 

What you'll need for a 4T-ish sized skirt:

~ 1/4 yd of whatever fabric you'd like (I actually used fat quarters)

~ 1/4 yd of contrasting color

~ 1/2 yd for the skirt

~ elastic

First things first. 

For the skirt I cut a 22'' x 11" piece

For the twists I did 30 (of each color) pieces cut to 9" x 2"

For the skirt hem I cut a 22" x 4"

and

for the waistband I cut a 22" x 4" piece (this measurement will depend on how long you made the skirt piece!)

Here are my two contrasting pieces for the twists:

Match a colored and black piece together, right sides together, and sew down each long side. Make sure to leave the short ends open. Next I turn all 30 pair right side out, press them, and then trim the short edges.

After I've pressed the trimmed everything I sew the skirt piece together. Once that's sewn, I place the twists along the top about 2 inches down from the edge of the fabric. Once you've pinned all the twists in place sew them to the skirt piece.

After you've sewn all the twists to the top of the skirt piece, twist the bottom of the twists and pin under the neighboring twist. Does that make sense? If not, maybe the picture shows it better than I can explain.

Once all the twists are pinned sew them down.

Next comes the hem for the bottom of the skirt and the waistband. What you'll do is fold each piece in half and press. Then fold under the edges and press again. Pin the hem and waistband to the skirt making sure to encase the ends of the twists. Once everything is pinned, sew the hem and waistband on. For the waistband, make sure you leave a big enough opening to thread the elastic through.

When you're done, it should look something like this!

As for a final product photo, I don't have one! I made the elastic too small and can't get the skirt past A-girl's tush. Serves me right for guessing instead of measuring! I'll have to fix that though. Have fun and send me pictures!

sewmuchpotential (at) gmail (dot) com

Pattern: Pencil Skirt

One thing I like about making my own pencil skirt is that I can make it without darts, however long I want, and so that it will fit my body. I tend to have a harder time finding skirts, pants, shorts, etc. that will fit my hind end as well as my waist. I never could find exactly what I was looking for so I decided to make my own pattern. And it's super easy to do!

There are just a handful of measurements that I take which are easily done. Let's start with the front of the skirt.

**In the patterns below, I did not mark the seam allowance. I added that as I cut around the pattern pieces.**

The first measurement I take it the length of the skirt. I place one end of the measuring tape where I would like the waistband to be and go to my knee or just past. You'll need two of these: one for the front and one for the back.

The next few measurements focus on the waist/hip area and are all from side seam to side seam across the front. I measure at the natural waist, the hips, and then my thighs. Be mindful of the vertical distance between each measurement so you have a copy of your body's curves. With those three measurements, I divide them in HALF and mark them on a piece of paper (photo below). The next measurement I take is the width I want around my knees. I also divide this in half. I divide everything in half because I make my pattern so that the middle of the skirt will be the fold of the material and will make a more symmetrical pattern. In the picture below, the fold is on the left. You'll just cut 1 front piece when making the skirt.

 For the back pieces, I repeat the same process for the front. I measure from side seam to side seam across the back. For the back pieces I only measure at the waist, the biggest part of my bum, and the knee width. In the picture below, the left side of the pattern will be the seam in the middle of my back where the zipper will be placed. I add 1-2" to the middle seam (left side of pattern) to allow for the hemming of the slit and zipper. OR you can copy the outside curve from the front piece and extend the middle seam to the widest measurement. The first way is best with smaller tushes. You'll cut 2 back pieces.

 The last piece to the pattern is the waistband. This part is totally dependent on how tall you want the waistband. I make mine at about 2 inches tall and the length of my waist plus 4 inches. But, then I multiply the height of the waistband by 4. So, I'll have a strip that is 8" x my waist + 4". I multiply it by 4 because I fold the waistband in half and then fold in the edges to the middle. It strengthens the waistband and also eliminates the appearance of folded edges. A cleaner look.

For putting the whole skirt together, you'll find that in the tutorial for a True to Size Pencil Skirt.

For clarification or help shoot me an email: sewmuchpotential (at) gmail (dot) com.

Tutorial: Bow Front Dress

I have this irrepressible desire to create things on a whim with no direction - except for the cute photo I find on Google or other places. This bow dress is one such item. And I absolutely love how it turned out! I mean,  seriously, wouldn't you if you had a cute little model to put it on?

Well, first things first: a supply list.

~ 1/2 yard fabric for the bodice OR a shirt

~ coordinating zipper (if choosing to make your bodice)

~ 1 yard fabric for the skirt

~ coordinating string

~ needle

Step 1: Construct a bodice. 

I actually don't have that part of the dress on this tutorial because I had started this dress awhile ago (with a different skirt in mind) and then got side-tracked with other projects. Which means, that I dug my bodice out of the closet. BUT, I will be posting a bodice tutorial SOON! 

If you'd rather save time, or don't feel comfortable making a bodice, go ahead and use a t-shirt and trim to your desired length. You can attach the skirt directly to the shirt :) Easy!

Let's move on.

Step 2: Cut out the belt and bow pieces.

You'll need 6 rectangles:

2 bow "knot" pieces: 2 1/2" x 5 1/4"

2 bow pieces: 4 1/2" x 22"

2 belt pieces: 2 1/2 x the circumference of the belly (in this case I cut mine to 27")

I simply cut along the bottom and side edge of the yard of fabric to get these pieces. 

With wrong sides together, sew the two pieces together for each size. Make sure to leave an opening at the end so you can pull your fabric through. Once completed, set the three sewn pieces aside.

Step 3: Sew the side seams of the skirt.

From the remaining yard, cut two equally sized rectangles for the skirt. Pin the sides together and sew.

Once the side seams are sewn, press them open.

Step 4: Gather the skirt and attach to the bodice/shirt.

Make sure to line up the side seams on the skirt to the side seams on the top. Sew in place and cut extra thread.

Step 5: Hem the skirt.

Now that the skirt and top are sewn together, you have yourself a basic dress. From here, you can hem the bottom to the desired length. I like to fold my rough edge over twice so there are no frayed threads when all is said and done.

Step 6: Making the bow.

With the bow pieces, sew the ends together so that you have a circle. Lay the circle flat and center the sewn ends.

Take the bow "knot" piece and sew the ends together as well. You can adjust the size of the circle so that the "knot" in the middle of the bow can be narrow or wide. I decided to go for a slightly more narrow look. Thus, the extra fabric in the inside of the circle.

Next, thread the bow through the bow "knot" and center the bow. Make sure the seam on the bow "knot" are in the back. It should look something like this. With a needle and thread, stitch the bow and "knot" together.

Step 7: Sew the belt to the dress.

Now, when I measured the belt, I didn't plan on having my two ends connect, so I didn't start in the middle of the bodice. Here, you'll place one end of the belt on the FRONT center of the bodice. This is simply to ensure that you never see any seams.

 With a stitch close to the edge of the belt, attach to the top. I attached the topside of the belt first and then to the skirt.

 The end product looked like this. If you've made your belt long enough for the ends to meet then you won't have the gap I did. I make my gap for two reasons: 1- I didn't make it long enough and 2- my belt is wider than my bow "knot" and didn't that to show. So, I'll hide those end under the bow.

Step 8: Place the bow on the dress.

Using a needle and thread, center the bow to the front of the dress. I attached at the "knot" first and then stitched down the corners of the bow. And you can't even tell my belt is short!

 Does the dress make you feel this way too? Haha...what a girl!

If you end up making a Bow Front Dress, send me a picture so I can share your hard work! Also, feel free to ask questions! Reach me at 

sewmuchpotential (at) gmail (dot) com.