…Especially if your taking Sonny and Scout’s Learn to Sew course!
Guess What!! Looks like you want to sew, well of course you do, sewing is super. Turns out, what I didn’t know, was that I actually enjoy teaching you how to sew. A big cheer to the current group that is being introduced to the world of sewing by Lucy Merchant AKA Sonny and Scout.
A recent and very by chance encounter, led to me saying, “Hey Lucy, if you ever need someone to help out with your teaching, let me know.”
Well Lucy did, and I’ve spent the past 3 weeks shadowing her class. Next week marks the end of my internship, with the class either sewing a simple elastic waist skirt or a pair of Pj shorts.
I decided to cement my teaching knowledge, as well as provide a handy dandy reference for those wishing to make said skirt. So here goes, this is how I, a home sewist, goes about sewing up a simple skirt, and chances are, if you take this course, you will be sewing up one of these skirts!
Step 1. Gather your tools.
AS with all good hobbies, there is a plethora of gear that can come in handy. You could even sew this skirt by hand, maybe, I don’t know, it would take a while, slow sewing but do-able.
Lights, Camera…SEWING! Its go time.
So Gather your essential Supplies:
- Sewing Machine
- Scissors
- Pins
- Thread
- Iron/ironing board
- Measuring Tape
- Thread Unpicker
- Elastic
- Safety Pin
- Rigid Ruler
Let’s look at each essential, then I’ll go over the optional extra’s.
Sewing Machine: Let’s be honest, there are so many variations, you could be sewing on grandmas’ old tread mill version, or the latest fandangle multi stitch machine. Either way, get out the manual… (if you have it). The manual is the bible of the sewing machine, it will help you trouble shoot the threading, winding the bobbin, basic maintenance and sew forth. Or google search. But take deep breaths.
Scissors: A good pair of scissors reduces frustration when cutting out your fabric, and as with sewing machines and fabric, there are many types with differing qualities. One rule though, that you and your family/friends should follow, is “DO NOT CUT” paper with your fabric scissors.
I got my sewing scissors for my 16th Birthday. That was many moons ago, and they are still going strong.
Pins: Pins are used to hold your fabric edges together, lots of different types out there, suitable for different projects. My 4yr old spotted these novelty neon head pins at Spotlight, honest, sometimes it's easier not to argue; so, I was a good sewing mum and made the purchase. Totally happy I did; they are super sharp and are my go-to pins.
Thread: Many options and brands here, I can only say, do not sew with cheap thread. Unless you get it on sale of course. You can sew with matching or contrast, users' choice. Cotton or polyester recycled plastic bottle thread, linen thread. Many options out there. For this project, I had a pretty matching cotton thread in my stash, a Guitterman Brand.
Iron/Ironing Board: These are pretty self-explanatory; you definitely need them. your finished garment will look much nicer after a press, each seam needs to be pressed and you get a crisp fold line on your hem and casing. Iron your fabric before you start cutting, it saves time in headaches later, you know then that you have a pretty good rectangle shape.
Measuring Tape: I have a couple- my kids like to play with them, and they can be found all over the house. When your measuring, be kind to yourself. It is what it is, take a deep breath. You are making clothes for yourself, and it is ok to be unhappy with that number, or happy; it's just a number that allows you to cut out the fabric to make yourself clothes.
Thread Un-picker: A quick unpick, a sewist best friend. You are going to make mistakes. That is ok. I even unpicked a short section when I was making my skirt. I get a bit surprised when I don’t need the unpick for my project. The internet is amazing, lots of resources on tips and tricks on how to use.
Elastic: I sound like a broken record. So many different types. Mine is from Lincraft, has this weird curve to it, it’s fairly rigid and 3cm wide. It was in my stash. I put the elastic around my body where I wanted the band of my skirt to sit, pulled it firm, so it felt how I would like it too, added 1cm to this and cut. You can also wait to cut your elastic till after you've seen the elastic casing, try the skirt on and then cut you desired size.
Safety Pin: I use a safety pin to thread my elastic through the waist band casing- the tube you sew at the top of the skirt.
Optional Extra Supplies
- Slide Ruler
- Cute labels
- Clips
- Thread snips
- Overlocker
- Loop Turner
- Rotary cutter and cutting mat
- Long clear acrylic ruler, as used in quilting
These are all super handy, and whilst I have them, when your first starting out, they are items to aspire to. I have a list of ‘things to purchase’, and I reckon your starting to create one as well.
Congratulations you’ve gathered these supplies, what’s next?
Step 2: Measurement Time Take your measurement around your ‘waist’, then times this by 1.5 to 2. The 1.5 to 2 will determine how much fullness your skirt has.
I measured where I wanted my skirt to sit, which may be above, on or below your natural waistline. Measuring yourself takes skill, and there is lots of info about this, a short google search away.
MY measurement is 91cm
My fabric is 110cm wide and was just under 100cm long.
I am using a scrap remnant, so it wasn’t squared off, so I did lose some cm when I made it all right angles.
*nb. There is quite a lot of geometry in sewing.
I want to use all my fabric, with minimal wastage.
91 x 2 = 182cm
The 182cm is the entire circumference of the skirt. My fabric is only 110cm wide, so I’m going to need 2 rectangles. I divide this number by 2… I’m back at the 91cm, which is less than the width or length of my fabric.
Length of your skirt: Now the length of the skirt is up to you, or your fabric. You just need to add cm to include the casing for your elastic, and for your hem.
Hem: The amount you include depends on how deep you want your hem and how much fabric you have. We are doing a fold over hem for this skirt. I generally do a 2cm hem, meaning I fold it up 1cm, then fold it again. (Although in this skirt, I used the selvedge edge as my hem, as I was limited for fabric length).
Elastic Casing: 1cm + the width of the elastic you have chosen. My elastic was 3cm.
Step 3: Seam finish Decision Time You will need to add a seam allowance or S/A to the fabric width. These are a varied measurement, ranging generally from 1cm to 1.5cm.
Decide what type of side seam you would like to do, this is often decided by how much fabric you have available, as well as your sewing machine and preference. I am doing a french seam*, so I added 3cm to the width of my fabric measurement.
- The 3cm is 1.5cm S/A on each edge of the fabric
-A french seam gives a fully enclosed seam, with no exposed edges
-Another finish is to trim the seam allowance with pinking shears. You can zig zag closed the edges, or you can overlock the edge. (There are many other types of finishes, but these are the main options).
-The aim is to prevent the edge of the fabric from fraying and the seam coming undone.
-The seam is the term used to describe how the fabric is joined together.
-I can use the 1.5cm S/A for french seam, or regular seam finishes like pinking shears etc. I could also use a 1cm S/A, however- this is generally too narrow to sew a french seam. But hey, give it a go if you want.
So, what does all that mean?
I want two rectangles that are:
91cm + 3cm seam allowance = 94cm wide
Length of your skirt + hem depth + casing depth
If I went into a shop, to recreate my skirt, I would purchase 1m of 110cm wide non directional fabric. If I wanted a directional print; I would purchase 1.1m of 110 cm wide fabric.
If my fabric was wider then 110cm, say 140cm wide fabric and non-directional: to recreate my skirt I would still purchase the 1m, and either create a skirt with more gathers, or use the extra bit of fabric to make a matching scrunchie, add some pockets, add a drawer string, and of course allow for shrinkage.
You should now know how much fabric to buy to make your skirt!!
The next part is the shopping part, which is so much fun. There are lots of online places to purchase from, as well as brick and mortar stores. I've popped a list of my favourite online fabric shops at the end of this post.
Not all fabric is created equally. Fabric is a whole topic in and of itself. Not only that, but it’s also an entire industry. Head into spotlight, Lincraft or your local quilting store, experiment, and practice. Just know that if you purchase cheap quality fabric, it will not last.
I thrift a lot of my fabrics, old sheets, doona's, tablecloths, old shirts. Nothing is safe and it is all suitable for something. The sustainability (and cost) of your new hobby is something that you will hear discussed on sewing posts and chats. Just know that if you are choosing to make your own clothes, you are stepping in the right direction.
I am a Fabric Hoarder:
A sewing hobby should not be confused with a fabric hoarding hobby, sure there is overlap, but its two totally different things. As you fall down this rabbit hole, you will in fact appreciate the clothes you wear, as you garner an understanding of the all the intricacies of the home sewists and clothing industry world. Phew, mind blown!! It’s a great hobby for a reason and has spanned the time of people.
Step 4: Purchase your fabric.
For this project, choose a medium to light weight fabric that isn’t too slippery, a nice cotton, with good drape- fabric with drape looks like it ripples well when you move it. It has a nice swooshiness to it. If in doubt, ask the server at Spotlight or Lincraft or the sewing/quilting shop where you are purchasing your fabric from.
I chose to use, for my skirt, a piece of cotton, ??? it was from the op shop, I would google search a ‘chambray’ to describe it. My fabric has a pattern that has no direction, meaning I could orientate my two rectangles in any direction.
So, you’ve brought your fabric home…
Step 5. Prepare your fabric:
Always wash your fabric. As soon as you buy it, wash it. Your fabric will shrink. If it doesn’t shrink… great, that’s awesome, but heck, if it does! You’ve just spent all that time, effort, energy, and love into creating a garment, that you now can’t wear. All because you skipped this step. Washing also removes some of the chemical finishes that are applied to fabric.
The fabric bolt you purchased from will have recommended instructions, (usually), take a photo and record.
Step 6. Cutting Your Fabric:
Your fabric is washed and pressed, you have a couple of options here, depending on your tools. I chose to fold my fabric in half, aligning the selvedge edge, and pressing along this ridge.
This created a crease line in my fabric, and I cut along this edge. You can also draw out your measurements onto butchers’ paper, and pin it down, cutting around the edge. Either way, you want to create either 1 rectangle, or 2 identical rectangles. The next step is to ensure that the corners of the rectangle are squared off, that is they are at right angles.
It is very important to make sure that the grainline runs straight, you may notice the garment twists or sews differently if the grainline is not ‘true’. The grainline generally runs parallel to the selvedge. You can often see the fibre lines when looking closely at the fabric. If this is confusing, please google, there are lots of good resources explaining this.
It's time to join your rectangle together to make a tube! I've outlined how to create a french seam, you can choose not to, just make sure you are putting the rectangles right sides together- french seams are done in the opposite way. Make note of which are your side seams, and which edge will be your elastic casing and which edge will be you hem.
Step 7. French Seam:
*If you’re using one rectangle, it’s the same process as the two rectangles, you’re only doing the one seam though.
- Place your rectangles, wrong side together, on top of each other, making sure if it’s a directional print, its going in the same direction.
- Pin both edges of the skirt to secure.
- Align the raw edge, or frayed edge with the 1cm marking spot on the plate of your sewing machine.
- Sew a 1cm seam, ensuring that you backstitch at the beginning and end of your seam. This will secure your stitches.
- Trim the raw edge of this seam down to 3mm.
- Press this seam, open the garment out, press the seam from both sides, the press the seam to one side.
- Turn the garment inside out, so the right sides of the fabric are touching.
- Now it's time to press again, you want the seam line edge to be straight and with no bits hanging over. This may take practice.
- Align this pressed seamed edge at the ¼ inch or 6mm line. I have a measuring tape that I have stuck on my machine, for just these situations.
- Sew this seam at 6mm, remembering to backstitch at the beginning and end of the seam.
- Press this seam to one side.
Voila, you have a french seam! There should be no frayed thread visible. And if there is, you can just trim them, no biggie, key point… you are learning!
If you are sewing a skirt and there are two side seams, you can do one seam at a time, or you can do each step to both sides of the skirt simultaneously (both at the same time).
Step 8: The Casing (My elastic is 3cm wide.)
- Back to the ironing board.
- Fold down the top of your skirt 0.5cm to 1cm, press. I use a 1cm fold, but if your good with an iron, use 0.5cm.
- Fold over again a bit wider than the width of your elastic, you don’t want the channel so wide that the elastic has a chance to twist.
- Starting at the side, sew along close to the fold line. I use my measuring tape to guide my fabric as the channel I’m sewing is wider than the markings on my sewing machine.
- Don’t forget to backstitch.
- Don’t fully close the casing, you’re going to leave an opening to insert your elastic through.
- Using your safety pin, pull your elastic through the casing, making sure not to pull the tail all the way through the casing.
- This is now a perfect time to try your skirt on and make any adjustments to your elastic length.
- Overlap the edge of the elastic and using a zig zag stich join the ends of the elastic together.
- Changing back to straight stitch, close off the skirts elastic channel.
EEEK!!! Your skirt has elastic!
Step 9: The Hem I used the selvedge edge as my hem. I used thrifted fabric, so I did not have many options re length of the skirt, and my selvedge edge was a nice finish.
To make a hem, it's the same process as making the elastic casing:
- Pin up your skirt to check the length.
- Press the edge.
- Fold the raw edge to the press line and press again.
- Sew along this fold line, you may want to lengthen your stitch a touch, to create a nice top stitch look
- Or you may want to hand hem for an invisible seam look
- Or you may just wish to fold up 1cm, then fold up again 1cm and hem that.
Whichever way you choose, don’t forget to backstitch at the beginning and end of you hem line stitching.
Congratulations, YAY, you have made a skirt!!
You can now add a cute label. I use the kylie and the Machine Labels.
I made up a little version for my Bae, using some fabric I thrifted. Her version was the one rectangle, and I did a 1cm S/A with an overlocked edge. I added some buttonholes for a drawer-string and some patch pockets. Save those scraps people, they come in handy!
As you continue to practice and play, there are so many options, you can even add some pockets to the side seams!
Just keep going, if in doubt, google it out. There are so many great resources, the Instagram, sewing community is so amazing and beautiful, full of great tips and sewing resources. Not to mention inspiration. If you keep trying, doing little bits and big bits. You'll be reaching your sewing goals in no time.
Online Fabric Shops That I Love:
The selvedge Society
The Fabric Store
Tessuti
Pitt Trading
Paper Scissors Frock
The Drapery
Ellie Whittaker
Doop Designs
Potter and Co
Fibresmith
Maai Design
The Next Stitch
Wattlehill
Hello Friends Fabric
Sewing Gem
Stitch Piece Loop
Sew Be
Drapers Fabrics
Smitten Cotton
Miss Maude Sewing
Weft and Warp Fabrics
Cloth Fabrics
The Sewing Lair
TTK collective
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