Holly: October 2010 Archives

Here we are at the end of this year's Costume Trunk series. I hope you've had fun and that all your costuming projects have been great successes.

Since we're so close to Halloween weekend, I wanted to close out with an all-too-familiar last-minute scenario:

We've all been there. You find out hours before a party that it's a costume affair. Your child or spouse promised someone that you could absolutely make them a cape for that play... and forgot to tell you until the dress rehearsal. Or, life got busy and robbed you of costume prep time before Halloween.

Fear not! Even when you're in a crunch, you can churn out a quick costume piece that will earn you awed gazes from your fans and admirers. I can usually bang one of these out in about 90 minutes, which includes interruptions from my pets and my beloved. Once you have the construction down, you can really churn them out at a rapid pace.

What you need for this is a sizable piece of fabric -- I grabbed a piece of flocked taffeta I had left over from a costume several years ago that added up to about three yards. You want enough that you can cut 2 decent-sized squares out of it.

Ready, set, go!

1. Cut your fabric into 2 squares, one larger than the other.  You will likely want to cut them as large as you possibly can. Mine are 40"x40" and 60"x60"

Note: for my larger square I had to piece it from 2 pieces which were 60"x30" so if you don't have a full square, you might be able to creatively build one.

2. Fold your squares in half, then in half again along the first fold to make smaller squares.



3. Locate the corner of the first square where both folds pivot. This would be the center of the original piece of fabric if you were to unfold it.

4. Use a yardstick to measure the side of your square, then pivot the yardstick at the fold point described above and mark that same distance from one corner of your folded square to the other side, so you create an arc of marks.


5. Repeat the process above using a radius of 3" -- this will create the neck circle.




6. Cut both of the arcs your created with your marks. You should have a circle with a hole in the center of it.




7. Repeat steps above for your second square of fabric, marking the radii of the full length and neck circle and cutting along both lines.

8. You will need to cut along one fold of your fabric to create an opening in the circle.



9. If desired, finish straight edges and large lower arc of your circle. I used a quick and dirty rolled hem. For non-fraying fabrics or for costumes where a rough edge is acceptable, you could even skip this step.

10. Lay smaller circle on top of larger circle, right sides down and matching up neck edge.



11. Stitch circles together along neck edge.

12. Flip smaller circle out to the right side.

13. Set a piece of ribbon between the two cape layers and machine at front edge of both sides of cape. This both attaches the ribbon and hides the neck seam.



14. Press if you wish. Your 2-layer cape is done! Go trick-or-Treating! If you want to go fancy schmancy, you can always add a bit of trim for extra sparkle!



 

Oh, the envy I have felt in my heart while watching little girls twirl in their glorious petti-skirts! It always seems so unfair that whimsical designs are made only in little sizes. The ones you can find in adult sizes are usually a little anemic when it comes to ruffle-osity, which is totally unacceptable.

One of the great benefits of having sewing skills is the fact that I can take matters into my own hands and make up for the short-sightedness of apparel manufacturers who think only little girls under the age of seven might want to spin and giggle in fluffy finery.

So, into the fray I decided to go, to make myself a petti-skirt. If I had known what awaited me, I might have turned back.

Be warned, brave costumers! Should you decide to churn out one of these babies for yourself, a life of cutting long strips of fabric, seemingly without end, awaits you!

Seriously, it just takes some patience. I am a fairly patient seamstress, but I found mine running a little dry at several points on this project. But never fear - costumes, like fairy tales, usually have a happy ending.

I primarily used the awesome Seraphina Chiffon we got in stock recently for this project. It's a poly chiffon with a weave almost like a knit, but there's little to no stretch to it. And the important part: it doesn't fray! Sometimes it will run if stretched vigorously across the grain, so I opted to cut my ruffling strips in the other direction - problem solved!

Here are the cutting details for my adult petti-skirt:

Top tier/yoke (I used Nu-Suede):

Cut 2 pieces 8" x 45"

First tier of ruffles (Seraphina Chiffon):

Cut 7" wide strips of fabric with the grain to get 360" worth of length. Piece if you need - I just cut the full length of a 10 yard piece for my first layer.

Second tier of ruffles (Seraphina Chiffon):

Cut 7" wide strips with the grain to get 1440" worth of length. With my 10 yard piece, this was 4 strips.

Yoke Lining (China Silk):

                Cut 2 pieces 11" x 45"

Lining ruffle (Organza):

                Cut 9" wide strips with the grain to get 360" worth of length.

Elastic:

Cut a piece of 1" wide elastic the length of your waist plus 1".

So, with all that cutting, I hope you had some good music or a movie to watch! I have read pettiskirt tutorials which suggest cutting multiple layers of the sheer ruffle fabric at one time. My luck in this endeavor was hit-or-miss, so I ended up going the careful but pokey route and only cutting one layer at a time.

On to the stitching, which is a simple though time-consuming affair:

-          Join all your bottom tier ruffles together end-to-end to make one long strip of ruffle material. Do not close the circle - all gathering will be done with the skirt open on one side so you can handle it as a flat piece. Much easier that sewing in the round!

-          Gather bottom tier ruffles to middle tier using the gathering method of your choice. I had a bad argument with my ruffle foot and it hasn't agreed to take me back yet, so I did the gathering by hand. If your relationship with your ruffler is better, have at it! It will go much more quickly!

-          Join the two top tier/yoke pieces on one side. Again, do not stitch together on the second side yet!

-          Gather middle tier to top yoke in the same manner you used to attach the bottom tier.

-          Once all ruffling on the outer layer is done, close up the side of the skirt.

-          Join the two yoke lining pieces on either side so you make a closed circle.

-          Stitch the yoke lining to the top edge of the yoke, right sides together. At this point, you should have a skirt that looks like this:

-          Fold the lining inside the yoke, and stitch a 1" wide casing into the waist.

-          Stitch your lining ruffle pieces together end-to-end, leaving open on one end.

-          Gather lining ruffle to yoke lining. I cheated here and just hand gathered as I stitched, which saved my sanity. When I finished the circle, I overlapped the ruffle fabric about 2-3". I didn't even bother to close the lining ruffle seam.

Ok, at this point, I was feeling quite hateful to this monstrosity. It was getting to be a heavy, unwieldy behemoth of ruffles.

 

And then I put it on.

 

It gave me that magical fairy-princess feeling! I twirled and swirled and scared the cats. It was worth all the anguish of cutting and ruffling and arguing with cranky fabric. Because now I have my own fluffy petti-skirt! And the feeling is so intoxicating, I am shopping for the next color I will make one in!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Who doesn't adore the fluff and whimsy of a tutu? For kids, for adults... even for pets! Tutus are easy to make and are a fab addition to your costume collection. Tutus also allow you to play with color, layering in different tones or keeping things monochromatic, and they are simply fun to wear for children of all ages.

As you may have heard around the school yard, tulle can be a little persnickety to work with. Think of it like approaching a feral animal -- you want to be confident and in charge, but keenly aware that of its unpredictable nature.

Here's how I make a quick, adjustable tutu:

- Cut a length of scrap ribbon 5-7" larger than the intended wearer's waist. (This will not show on the finished product.)
- Cut a piece of tulle 4-5x longer than the your ribbon, and twice the length you want the tutu to be. 5x will give you more volume, of course, but if you need to economize, 4x works, too! My pieces are 5 yards long and 54" wide.
- Cut as many pieces of tulle as you want layers in your tutu. 2 works but can be a little anemic. 3 is better, and 4 gives you pretty good opacity, depending on the color you use.
- Fold your tulle in half lengthwise so each piece is 4-5x the waist ribbon length and the desired length of the tutu, double layered.
(I like to use our 54" tulle because I can leave the fold in it just as it comes, there's a good color range, and the length is good for an adult tutu. If you want to take a shortcut and don't mind wasting a little bit, you can do the same for a child, maintaining the center fold and just trimming the length.)

Once all your layers are cut...

-Mark the center and quarter points on your ribbon.

-Mark the same points on each of your tulle pieces. I use a Sharpie at the fold line, as it will be hidden by the waist band in the finished garment.
-Gather your first layer of tulle to match the marks on the waist ribbon, using your gathering method of choice. I like to use a plain old needle and thread, gathering with a running stitch and machine stitching down one quarter of the waist band as I go. I have incredibly bad luck with ruffler feet and tulle (I always end up shredding the tulle to pieces), but your mileage may vary.

-Once your first layer of tulle is stitched, repeat the gathering process with the second layer, and the third and fourth of you have them!

-Try on your tutu and check the fluffiness levels. Adjust as needed. I like getting a feline opinion. (Ozzel approves.)

 

-Once your tutu skirt meets your requirements for voluminous glee, cut a piece of grosgrain ribbon that is 2x the length of your waist ribbon, plus 2-3"
-Stitch the grosgrain down the inside of your previous ribbon. I make 3 rows of stitching to compress all that gathered tulle as much as possible.

 
-Trim any pieces of gathered tulle that are sticking up past the top edge of your grosgrain waistband.

-Take the long remaining portion of the grosgrain ribbon and fold it to the front side of the waistband to encase the original ribbon entirely. Stitch it at the top and bottom edge, folding in and extra so no raw edges show.
-Sew a series of snaps or pieces of velcro  to the waistband to close your tutu. I used a scrap of snap tape I had lying in a drawer. (You should have some overlap, so you can adjust the waist slightly if needed on future wearings.)

That's it! Your tutu is fluffy and dreamy and ready for twirling - plus, it can expand if you eat too much candy corn!

 

Hello, readers! Who doesn't love to win prizes? We sure hope you do, because every weekday from now through October 15, 2010, we'll be giving away great books to build up your sewing library!

Today, we're giving away signed copies of Anna Maria Horner's Handmade Beginnings to FIVE lucky winners.

 

THE WINNERS FOR THIS ROUND ARE:

Commenter: taralyn1104

This looks like a great book. I'm usually a knitter, but have recently dug out my sewing machine and am looking to sew some things for my kids.

Commenter: Sourkraut

Lately I've gotten into giving handmade gifts. I'm afraid that some of my friends have gotten experimental projects before I'd honed my skills so their bags and aprons aren't as nice as the ones I eventually made for myself but I don't hear them complaining.

Commenter: Abby K

I have a two year old and a new baby niece that I can't wait to use this book and sew goodies for! Thank you!

Commenter: ANDREA B.

I love to give handmade gifts and they usually always include personalization of some sort. Even the young ones seem to enjoy them. It is always from the heart :)

Commenter: rilojane

I make handmade gifts for people I know well. I try to suit their needs and not just satisfy my craving to do a specific project. I like things to be used- so I tend to avoid heirloomy stuff, unless it's family. Otherwise, I'm giving a diaper cake! (I guess that counts as handmade, too, though eh?)

TO ENTER:

Leave a comment on this post and share your sewing insights! Talk about this book, tell one of your favorite stitching tales, or answer this question: Do you usually give handmade gifts? If so, what kind?

The deadline for entries is today, October 11, 2010 at MIDNIGHT ET.

Winner will be picked at random and announced sometime Tuesday, October 12, 2010.

PLEASE NOTE: To be qualified, you must create a user name if you haven't already. Anonymous posts cannot be considered for entry.  One entry per person, please.  Duplicate entries or multiple entries from the same user may be deleted.  Thanks! 

*If you experience technical difficulties posting your comment, you may email your comment to blog(at)fabric.com to be included in the random selection process.

It's a staple of a Victorian wardrobe, but it can also be used for all kinds of dress up fun: the bustle skirt! Fairies, princesses and even fancy female pirates can all use a good skirt with some pouf to it. And the best part? This is a shockingly easy project!

 This is a great project for all kinds of fabrics. I used a striped home dec fabric, but silks and taffetas are also fantastic. Whatever you love that has a bit of body to it. I would not recommend this projects for lightweight or sheer fabrics.

The cutting:

You will need to cut three identical pieces for the skirt front and skirt sides, similar to the diagram below.

Line 1 = ¼ your waist measurement

Line 2 = the distance from your waist to the floor, plus 5"

Line 3 = 3x the length of line 1.

The 4^th piece you need to cut (which will form the bustle) is a simple rectangle. I used the full 60' width of my fabric, 2 yds long. If you would like a less ample bustle, you may reduce the measurements to suit your taste.

 

The stitching:

-          Sew your three front and side pieces together. Since they are all identical, order is of no concern.

-          To attach bustle, stitch it flat to the side pieces 5" down from the waist, and 12" up from the bottom, leaving the rest of the seam open for now. You should have a longer amount of the bustle piece left loose than you do the side piece. (I had a remaining side length of 24" on my skirt side, and 56" of bustle left.)

-          Pleat or gather the remaining bustle fabric into the seam. I like to use binder clips to hold the pleats while I test for placement. Once you have things the way you like, stitch 'em down!

-          Repeat pleating on opposite side of bustle, matching pleats/gathers to the first side.

Turn your skirt right side out. You're probably thinking "I made a big wadded up tube!" and to some degree you're right. But now we will sculpt said tube into skirty awesomeness!

-          Leaving your three skirt front and side sections flat, pleat the bustle in at the waist to reduce it to the size of your waist, leaving approximately 9" unpleated and loose at center back. This is a time when a dress form or similarly-sized friend is indispensable. Again, my love of binder clips shows.

-          Baste waist pleats into place.

-          Cut a waistband out of any scrap of fabric long enough to encircle the entire waist of your skirt. I used a scrap of satin cut about 3.5" wide.

-          Use this waistband scrap to encase the waistband. Stitch the waistband to the the skirt, right sides together, all the way around the circle of the waist opening. (For a nice, clean finish, fold in the raw edge of the waistband where you start stitching. )

-          Flip the remaining waistband fabric to the inside of the skirt and hand or machine stitch it in place.

 

-          At the center back of the waist, sew in a heavy-duty hook and eye. Yes, you'll still have 9" of waist fabric flapping around with no tether.

 

-          Fold remaining waistband fabric to form two even pleats across center back. Sew skirt hooks onto waistband to secure pleats. Now you can put on your skirt and it won't fall off!

 

To form the bustle - (here's where patience and play meet):

 

-          Sew 3 30" pieces of grosgrain ribbon at the waistband of the skirt so they dangle free inside the skirt. Attach one at each skirt hook, and one on either side of the center back closure.

-          Using safety pins, tack your skirt fabric to the grosgrain ribbon to create the bustle shape. Fold and billow your fabric however you like - there are no hard and fast rules for this!

-          Once you have your fabric bustled to your ribbon, be sure to put it on a dress form or friend to check the shape and placement. What looks good flat on a table doesn't always translate on a body. If you're like me, it will take several passes to get things where you want them.

-         

       If you like the ways things are looking, lock it down! Stitch the fabric to the grosgrain and remove all safety pins. Cut any excess ribbon that dangles past your last bustle point.

Try on your skirt to check the length, then hem either by machine or by hand.

Voila! A Bustle Skirt!

 

There are many places you can go from here. Add trim if you like. I cut about 300" of 7" wide bias and pleated it to make the two rows of ruffles pictured on the sample garment. Trim is always a fun way to really customize a piece like this one. You should also feel free to change the method of bustling if another makes more sense to you. Make a shorter version for a less formal feel. Remember, this is your creation - have a ball!

 

 

 

Ahhhhh... the corset. So many people have so many opinions about corsets. Just in the time it took for our photographer to snap shots of today's sample pieces, numerous staffers walked by and shared their thoughts, everything from "Hmmmmm.... I don't know," to "I love this!"

I could wax rhapsodic about corsets for days. I love reading books on the history of corsetry. I love seeing antique corsets. I love the way the proper foundation corset makes the difference between a good historical costume and a great one. The back support is pretty fab, too. I would like to dispel the notion that corsets are uncomfortable garments made to coerce one's form into distorted shape. True, there are certainly corsets out there of that nature and they have their enthusiasts, but for the average person, a well-fitted corset should support the body and clothing worn over it, rather than distort it.

I delight in making corsets - everything from steel-boned Victorian affairs to modern poly-boned bodices that are more fashion than foundation. And I firmly believe that every costume collection should have at least 1 (or 10). Wear one over a tee for a funky party look any time of year, wear one under a blazer for a more dressed-up look, or top off a skirt and add accessories for an insta-costume. Versatile and fun, corsets are here to stay, and I couldn't be more delighted.

Most people will probably not want to jump right into making a steel-boned corset, and since Halloween is sooner rather than later, I wanted to offer a few tips on a relatively fast and easy way to get some of the support and all of the style of a boned corset. Vinyl, here we come! Vinyl is usually stable enough that it will give you support and structure without having to mess with boning.

-          When selecting a bodice pattern (this Kwik Sew is a gem), choose one with simple lines. Vinyl is tricky to sew fussy seams on, and you really don't have many chances to pick and re-stitch a seam with most vinyl fabrics.

-          Choose your vinyl wisely. The stiffer it is, the more structure it will offer, but the more difficult it will be to work with. Just know what you're getting into.

-          I highly recommend tracing your pattern pieces to the back side of the vinyl and then cutting along your tracing lines (remember to reverse when you need to cut two of something!). This is about 1000 times easier than trying to keep the vinyl and the pattern paper aligned properly during cutting.

-          In lieu of boning, you can stitch grosgrain ribbon to the lining fabric at seams or in any position you wish to fortify.

-          Some vinyls will happily accept grommets without tearing. If you choose to set grommets into your corset, I highly recommend using an awl instead of a punch to create the holes.  It makes wiggling the grommet into place more difficult, but the fabric retains more strength.

-          If you choose to use vinyl to bind the edges of your corset, I highly recommend gluing the back edge in place rather than stitching it. It will add another dimension of strength and will prevent the frustration of trying to hand stitch or stitch-in-the-ditch, which can be tricky.

-          If every you find yourself at a point where you have to stitch something with the shiny fashions side of the vinyl against either your presser foot or the throat plate, know how to combat the grip effect! Cover the shiny vinyl with a piece of tissue paper. It will prevent drag while you're stitching, and can be easily torn away without damaging the seam.

If you've got a costume in mind this year that will involve a fitted garment like this, especially out of a fabric that can have some tricky elements as vinyl can, I encourage you to go for it, take your time, and remember - this is supposed to be fun! In your most frustrated moments, take a break and relax - you're making art. Sometimes it's a struggle, but in the end, it's worth it!

Here are two samples of corsets I made, using Sparkle Vinyl and Faux Leather. Enjoy!