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.

Chemise Finished

I had to catch the neck lining to the chemise so that it wouldn't move and wouldn't be visible from the right side at the same time.

I used a herringbone stitch. I pin the whole lining on the chemise's wrong side. I bend the edge at where I'd like the line of the stitches to be. Every time I make one little stitch at the chemise, I only catch one thread, and the other at the lining in the fold.

The last thing to do is the fastening at the neck. Button and a loop. I sewed the button on the left side. I attached two cords in their halves to the right side and handwoven the loop. You just take two cords to the left hand, two to the right. Twist each pair counterclockwise, then take the middle two cords and turn this pair clockwise. Repeat until loop.

The fastening. I used a shell button.

And the completed chemise:-)

Chemise's Neckline

As the neckline was quite narrow, I had to make a slit. I copied the shape of the neckline and added twice the width of one welt and prolonged the lining in the center front to a bit more than the future split.

I ironed a fusible interfacing around the slit. Then I sewed the prepared lining in the desired distance from the slit (right sides together).

I made a small Y-shaped cut at the end of the slit, it must end up exactly at the last stitches (and not damage them!).

I turned the welts over and I turned the little triangle inside. I basted the end of the split together..

..down to the end.

I sewed the little triangle at its base. It's important to sew as close to the split as possible, other way you can have holes in the corners of the spilt. The triangle has been sewn to the seam allowances of the welts.

Having the neckline prepared, I put the collar as it should finally lay on it and the neck lining on it right side down.

Basted a cm from the neckline.

I sewed along the basting, cut the seam allowance to half a cm and made small cuts at the curves.

I turned the neck lining in and ironed.

Chemise's Collar

I made a pattern for the collar to this chemise. In fact I made about four of them. This one fitted the best. I basted it in the neckline, arranged the lace on a half of it and marked the outline according to it.

According to the pattern I got, I cut two collars, the lower was cut on the bias and sewed from two halves, the upper was cut normally and had fusible interfacing ironed on.
I folded the seam allowance in and ironed. That wasn't necessary at the lower collar..

You already know the principals of pinning in quarters:-)

Each arch was divided in thirds, I drew them on the collar with chalk.

I sewed the pleats with a sewing thread instead of the basting one, I'll let those stitches there inside the collar.

The lace has been carefully ironed.

I had to make the corners in the lace. I sewed them diagonally..

..cut the allowance and pressed flat..

..zig-zag stitched and draged the threads under the stitches.

I finished the whole lace. I turned it inside and put the lower collar on the upper one (right sides together). I sewed in the seamline, except for the corners, then I turned it over and sewed the corners in hand.

I cut the lower collar in the neckline edge a bit more than the upper one was.

That made the final shape of the collar, it shouldn't be flat. I arranged the neckline edges to the same level and sewed them together so that the stitches would stay in the seam allowance.

Velvet Standards - Getting Lillies Together

I sewed the flags in the middle. I had to baste them carefully and I used a walking foot. I ironed the seam and I also folded the lower edge near the seam up.

Sometimes, I'm really desperate about velvet. I basted the three free sides of the square. I often made a backstitch to hold the fabric more tightly in place.

I used my walking foot again. You can see that I stitched near the line I made before when sewing fringe on.

And when I finished? I moved half a cm. If you had any advice on how to sew with velvet, I'd be pleased to hear.

I'll try to finish this piece as if it was sewn OK and see what it will turn into. I'm considering sewing the next flag in hand :¨-(

Yellow-Brown Dress - Done

The last thing to be done - the lacing. I used dark metal grommets and an ordinary cotton cord. I neatened the ends as at the fire skirt, so that they could easily go through the grommets.

Now she can take the dress home:-) It can be worn like this or with the sleeves rolled up, but we agreed that this way is better due to the colour of the petticoat.
Suits her :)

Velvet Standards - Lillies Finished

Some more pictures from the embroidery. Here you can see how I join the curves. I learned to make a peak - I hold the fabric with only one hand while the other's turning the stitch width wheel slowly down to zero. Then it's easy to cover this end with another line.

I also try to keep the order of layers - the last to be embroidered at every lilly is the center. It's the uppest layer and just before doing it, I cut all the threads and the last line of stitches will hide them.

Now, I have the two parts of the flag prepared. This was the easier work:-)

I bought red fringe, sewed it on one of the parts, on the right side, facing inside. I didn't sew to the corners, a cm before them I sewed in 45° angle.

Completing the flag is what I'm not looking forward to:-/