Friday, June 21, 2013

My new swinging circle skirt...

...or how I stole Miro´s fabric and learned how to make biastape.

So, last week, Miro picked this beautiful fabric. And I think I´ll always let him chose fabric in the future, because I usually by fabric I like on the bale, but then never know what to sew from it because it usually proves to be unwearable, while he chose a pattern that almost wanted to me made into something.

So, this lovely blue polka-dot fabric was chosen by Miro... who was so friendly to yield it to me and not insist on a new pyjama for himself. On the contrary, he even helped me:
The pattern of this skirt is a basic circle, so I folded the fabric into half, tied a piece of chalk to a stick, and Miro helped me holding said sick while I drew my circle outline. He really is a nice guy :)

Next step was folding again, and cutting off the tip to create a hole - pretty much like paper snowflakes.
Now it looked like this:
Slightly uneven, so I got down on my knees and cleaned it up - a bit is enough, you won´t really see it in the folds of the finished skirt.

Then I added the elastic. I guess you could just sew in regular elastic, too, but I happened to have this awesome, blue knitted fabric, and it took me about 10 minutes to attach it. Then I took some silly vanity photos of me with my new skirt...
...and decided it looked to plain and needed a trim.

I also happened to have some red bias tape. Like, 3 metres. So I returned to my good old Pfaff again...
...and hemmed my skirt. Only, you know, I´m really bad in math, and it didn´t occur to me that 3 metres is no way enough to go around this huge circle. Or that I could, well, measure before sewing? Pff, not me. So, halfway, I ran out of bias tape.Of course.
Still, I was determined to wear my new skirt the next day. So I rode to town, five minutes before closing time, to find they had run out of red cotton bias tape. What did I do?
Exactly. I cut some red cotton on the bias and made my own. I also got this little thing:
It´s a bias tape maker, which is supposed to help you pre-fold it before you iron it - but it didn´t work for me. It was a lot easier just ironing. Now I know that, too.
And some hours later (because I also had some trouble with my yarn...)

...I ended up with my finished skirt. I´m not sure why I look like a sad, old Litte Red Ridinghood on that pic.Eva took it, and Mehmet stood in the door and I was looking over to him - but I think you can really see the the terrific shape of this skirt. The circle shape is by far my favourite pattern - it swings so lovely, and it looks so feminine.

Music for the day:

I had this on repeat while sewing - it was pressing hot, and I liked the idea of having an oceaan, though, from what I get from the lyrics, he sounds pretty sad. But also like the sea, and that´s nice. So, I guess after my piano phase, and my To Kill A King/Bastille phase (which I still haven´t outlived!), I´m now in my dutch music phase :) Which is fitting, since I´ll spend my day tomorrow on the train to Amsterdam, where I´ll pick up our hostdaughter from Ecuador. So I guess I´m heading off to bed now - goodnight sweeties!

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