Another Skirt to Top

This is the last of the skirts we bought and I did it each a little different since I did not want identical tops plus it was fun to play with. I cut off the elastic and this time we decided to go straight across with only a small part sewed so that the top would act expose the tank top underneath.

To make sure that it would not dip in the center folded down the excess to make sure it was straight.

 Very nice look the sides are open and drape almost to the waist but with a tank top underneath it looks good and as you can see very slimming. That's my mom peeking around the background. The shoulder seam was only 3 inches long.

Skirt to Drape Vest

I love this skirt but it has been a long time since it fit anyone. The material is almost a chiffon with a sheer liner beautiful material but a pain in the caboose to work with. My first thought was some kind of top but the skirt was like a large and I am more a 4x kind of woman so I decided to take it apart first and see if inspiration fit.

I took off the top including the darts then opened up both the liner and the skirt at the slit on the side. I decided to use the pinking shears to reduce the fraying of the edges as I worked. I had recently done a vest from an idea on Pinterest which I will post later. Decided that this would work. First thing was to take the solid slip material folded it and cut in two pieces length wise. Then sewed each piece to one side of the patterned material.

I folded the material in half the skirt part would be the back and sides as you can see. I found a tank top pattern. If you look closely you can see that the back part of the pattern is up against the fold. Once it is pinned then pin the front making sure that the sides line up   properly. Now cut out by following the neck, up around the shoulder, down and around the armhole back up to the front shoulder and along the front neck. Remember you are NOT cutting the sides just the armhole.

Okay here I ran into a problem that I fixed pretty easily and you might too. As you can see you will have a lot of material extended past the edge of the patter this will be your drape. the problem I had was the front neckline.

You can see that I figured that I would just cut straight to as if the neckline just extended out in a straight line. WRONG!!. The Drape would not work. Luckily the skirt was long enough that I laid it out again and this time. I bypassed the front neck and cut straight across from the top front shoulder. The reason for the curve is that the skirt had a curve but I was not worried since it really would not be noticed.

The drape worked well. I left it that long because I wanted my sister to be able to wear it as well and she is taller then me with a larger bust.

 

I think it came out pretty well. You can let it hang as a narrow drape or as I did and spread it pack a little. Not bad considering I did it one night so that I would have something to dress up a plain black dress.

DIY Sewing Dummy

I need to sew in short increments due to back and hip problems and it can be hard on the model since I cannot exactly interrupt them every time I need them. It doesn't help that some of my work is done late in the night or early in the morning depending on when I feel like it. I have seen lots of tutorials out there on how to do this and thought it was worth a shot.

Couple of mistakes I made that I did better in my niece's was be sure to make the neck all the way up. It makes it easier to judge for tops. Bring the bottom down to mid thigh it makes it easier to judge fit for skirts and dresses. We were not afraid to make it tighter as well since there will be some stretch when you get ready to stuff it. 

Someday I will probably redo my sisters.The hanger was just to give a way to hold it not really for hanging. I kept all the smaller scraps and used that as well as fiber to fill them then sewed the ends shut. At the bottom I cut a piece of cardboard to fit so that it would sit up easier.While the form was on them I drew lines for centers and waist and bust marks.

Usually I will set it on a small folding table since it works the best for skirts and longer shirts.

It is so much easier to do the rough fittings and changes on these then try them on the people when I am close to fitting. It does not take as many rolls of tape as you would think. Just make sure the shirt is long enough and use plastic wrap around the neck and arms as needed. Before cutting the back I placed marks so that once I got it off I could tape it back together accurately.
To find how to videos and instructions type in how to make a duct tape dummy there are hundreds and any will work.

Necessity Blah Blah 2

You know they say that a stupid idea that works is not a stupid idea. I could not find the stand that holds the spool and needed to sew something that night. First I put the spool in a cup and after moving it around found that it worked but if the cup moved I had to reconfigure its placement again. Then I thought if only the bobbin winder were taller. Hmmm!!!

You have to use good straws not the cheap flimsy ones. I found these at HEB nice thick ones. I made a small cut then forced the straw down letting the little hook force the cut deeper so it would be secure. Took a couple of tries.

Wind the thread like normal and it works. The only time the straw came loose was when I was sewing a long piece really fast and that may be because my table shakes when that happens. Otherwise unless I knock it down when I am changing threads it works perfectly.  Of course when I need to wind a bobbin I need to remove it. I never did find my spool holder. Oh well.