Turning it on its side

Last week I showed you some of the fabrics and patterns from my stepmother. One of the fabrics not shown was this one - it was already in my sewing room getting cut up into a project.

It's a pretty print, no?



The colors and the cute little motifs remind me of some of today's Japanese imports. Traditional, but with flair. And it's quilted. *sigh*



But look what magic happens when you turn the striped fabric on its bias and make a bias-cut skirt.



The A-line shape was easy to draft, starting with a rectangle and then slashing and spreading to get the flared bottom. It took some creativity to get the pattern pieces placed and cut out of my small bit of fabric, but the quilted lines helped by marking the bias grain for me. Then it was just a matter of sewing side seams, using bias binding for the hem and waistline, and installing an invisible zipper.

The challenge for me on this project was getting the invisible zipper in right. I had never installed an invisible zipper before and the instructions from the zipper foot package were less than helpful. And the stupid plastic foot wouldn't fit any of the sewing machines in the house. There was much cursing after my first attempt ended up with the zipper in backwards.

In the end I emerged victorious and made a few "Woo! Woo!" victory laps around the house, skirt in hand, feeling the sewing power. "I don't need no stinkin' plastic crappy foot!"

It fits Liv to a tee and looks far cuter on my little model than it does hanging from a clotheshanger. I'll take pictures of her wearing it tomorrow when we've got good light.


Toodles,