Skirts - The Shorter One

The skirt that should be worn over this one.
It's a circle skirt as well as the other one. I folded the fabric to get two layers. I calculated the perimeter in the old way: o=2*pi*r, when o is the girth.
So I got the perimeter and I drew one fourth of the circle to the corner. You mustn't forget to add a seam allowance to the free edges of the skirt and as well one centimeter to the circle (upwards).
Then I measured from the little circle the lenghts I had measured on myself. Added seam allowance again. I joined the points with a spline and got the shape.

The waist part was made easily - a tunnel with an elastic.
Then I drew a curve thirty centimeters from the lower edge - I didn't want the skirt to be shorter then this at any point.
I drew a random curve in this area that should mark the hem.

I double-folded the lower edge and sewed.
At the most curved places I helped myself with basting, the rest was only ironed before sewing.

Done.

Skirts - The Longer One

This should be a costume for renaissance village dance. It's more like a fantasy costume, so don't beat me up that this isn't a renaissance dress:-)
I started with a waistband pattern. I needed a fitted one as I have quite a big lordosis and I usually have a lot of free space between my back and a straight waistband:-(
I took a rectangle of paper and made little tucks with pins at the hips and some other places. Then I put this on and changed their size along my body. This is what I got.

I retraced half of the waistband on a pattern paper and altered the fractures into nice curves (the green is the final pattern).

I put this one on again and measured the distance between the lower edge of the waistband and the ground at several places (in fact at the former tucks).
When I drew the pattern for the skirt, which is full circle, this helped me to get the hemline.

I cut two front and two back waistbands, each one with some extra length at the sides, for the fastening. I ironed vlieselin on one of them and sewed each two similar pieces together - at the sides and the upper edge.

I turned the waistbands over.
Here I already have the skirt cut. I laid one of the two front waistband edges to the front waist edge of the skirt. I sewed the band on.

Then I raised the waistband to the position it should be in, I folded the edge of the other front waistband inside and sewed there with a whip stitch, so that it would be almost invisible.

This is the finished waistband. I folded the hem, so now I have the orange skirt done for now, except for the fastening, which I'm too lazy to solve now :-P

Striped Bag

I've been thinking about this bag for a while (about a year, since I've seen it somewhere on the net:-) ).

Now I tried to make it. I'm not sure if the process is correct. Better to say I'm sure it's not :-D

I cut these pieces: a handle, two side panels and two center squares.

For the lining - two rectangles in the size of the bag and a pocket.

And I needed a zipper.

First I sewed one side panel with the handle rectangle. This part was easy.

(Then I did the same on the other side and I found out I had no way to finish (turn over) the handle. So some ripping comes.)

Next I sewed the handle and turned it over. The black piece you can see is woolen fabric. I inserted it in the middle of the handle for it to be more comfortable.
Sewing the other side panel to it was horrible. It must have been some other way in the directions.

I sewed the zipper to the lining I had prepared. At first I made a small pocket and sewed it on one half of the lining, then I sewed the zipper on. In the end I sewed the lining together (right sides in).

I put the lining to the inside of the bag a sewed there on at the fastener area.

The end :-)

As far as the pros and cons, the bag is very comfortable to wear. But it has a small opening compared to its size. I can easily carry A4 books inside, but I have difficulties getting them in.