Catie’s First PJ’s: No Pattern Required

Here is very proud Caitlin wearing her second sewing project, a pair of PJ’s (the first was a pillowcase – several months ago).  At age 6, she’s pretty amazing with the sewing machine – motivated and already sewing with a plan.  It was her request to “make pajamas that are shorts and with a spaghetti strap top”.  She chose the fabric from my stash.  I cut and Cate could hardly wait to start. She eagerly sewed the seams and finished them with a zig-zag stitch using my vintage Bernina 707 with the speed on “slow”. Cate did all of the sewing except for the ruffles.  Total sewing time was about 2-1/2 hours, with a few interruptions.   Last of all she found some pre-made ribbon roses to embellish her new sleeping attire.  

After wearing the pj’s for the remainder of the day and through the night, Cate reported that they were “perfect”.   

If you’d like to work with your favorite girl to make these pj’s you don’t need to run out to the store for a pattern.  

Pajama Pants (PJ’s) Tutorial:

1. Measure the child’s hips (22″ for Cate)
2. Find an existing pair of shorts, pants or leggings.
3. Turn the pants inside-out and lay the pants on top of the fabric with the center front facing you.
4. Cut along the edges of the crotch front. 
5. Cut along the side, adding width to the side to assure that there will be at least 6″ of wearing ease plus 1/2″ seam allowances.  For Cate, 28″ was the total circumference of the pants with the finished width of the front of 13-1/2″ and the back width of 14-1/2″. There’s no need to fuss about the size as loose PJ bottoms are needed for comfort.  
6. The length is your choice but the inseam should be at least 2″ plus the amount you need for a hem.
7. Turn the pants so the center back is now facing you.
8. Repeat steps 4 and 5.
9. Sew the seams as you would any other pair of pants.  Note:  for the ruffles, I added them after the side seams but before the inseams were sewn.
10. Add elastic for the waist.

Oh so, easy!

PJ Top or Pillowcase dress

Here is the pillowcase dress pattern I used.  If this one doesn’t work for you, there are many other free pillowcase dress patterns on the web and YouTube has lots of video tutorials as well.  Cate, Mira and I watched one of the videos.  Mira noted that the woman put her fingers “too close” to the sewing machine needle.  I learn so much when teaching Cate and Mira to sew.

As you can imagine, these pj’s have been a hit – suitable for bedtime or playtime.   Give it a try with your favorite child and let me know what you learn.

DIY Travel Shirt / Adventure Shirt / Technical Shirt

When traveling, one of my staples is a travel/adventure/technical shirt.  Typically they are made from lightweight quick-drying fabric.  In recent years, some fabrics include sun protection.  Typical features of these shirts are zippered pockets and vents.  They are especially good for layering over a t-shirt or top, and because of the long sleeves they provide sun protection.  The good and the bad is that these shirts are durable and thus they never wear out.  Because I have always owned two, my travel photos are pretty boring – either I’m wearing the red shirt or the blue shirt.  Now you know where this is going……

Travel Shirt Tutorial

Starting with Vogue 8689, I made a few modifications and now have a shirt I’m really pleased with.  In the future, I’d like to make another (or two?)

Three major changes to the pattern made this shirt very functional as a travel shirt:  a vented back yoke, front zippered pocket and zippered side vents/pockets.  Following is a tutorial for each change.

Additional Supplies:

• 1/2 yard of mesh or other breathable fabric
• 3 invisible zippers – I used long zippers and cut them to the desired length.

Back Vent:

RTW technical/adventure shirts often have a vented yoke like this:

To make this change in your pattern you will cut:  a) one yoke from mesh fabric and b) one yoke from the fashion fabric, extending the length by 1″.

1.  Cut one yoke front he fashion fabric, extending the length by 2″ as in the following photo (I extended it by 3″ but ended up cutting off 1″).

2. Cut a back yoke from mesh fabric.

3.  Cut a diagonal from the upper part of the yoke, like this

4. Serge or zig-zag the diagonal edges.  

5. Sew the mesh to the lower back piece with the right side of the mesh against the wrong side of the lower back piece.

6. Top stitch close to the seam-line.

You are now ready to attach the fashion fabric yoke.

1. Finish the lower part of the fashion fabric yoke by turning the hem twice (1/2 to 5/8″ rolled hem).

2. With the shirt back and the yoke wrong side down, lay the yoke on top of the mesh, matching the edges.  Pin in place.

3.  Top stitch the yoke at each end (about 1″ of stitching) and at the middle (1.5 to 2″).  The remained of the yoke will not be attached to the lower back, allowing air to flow (i.e. venting).  The arrows on the following show the top-stitched areas.

Arrows show top-stitching position for back yoke

Front Zippered Pocket

1. When sewing the front yoke to the front bottom pieces, insert an invisible zipper into the seam.  The zipper should be ~1″ from each edge.  On a size 16 shirt, this made a 5″ opening for the pocket.

Note:  If you want more pockets, you could do this on both sides of the front.

2. Working on the wrong side of the fabric (to make the underside of the pocket), sew a 5-1/2″ by 5-1/2″ piece of mesh, to the bottom of the zipper tape.

3.  To make the upper pocket piece, sew a 5-1/2″ by 6-1/2″ piece of mesh to the upper zipper tape or seam allowance.  I zig-zagged the edges together.

4.  Pin the pocket pieces together.  Sew edges as in the following photo.  You will notice that on the pocket sides you are unable to sew all the way to the top however this won’t alter the functionality of the pocket.

5. Serge or finish the edges to your liking (I didn’t but if would look better if I’d taken the time to do it.

Zippered Side Vent and Pocket

1. Before sewing the side seam, place an invisible zipper into the seam, starting at least 1″ from the arms-eye.  At the lower edge, leave at least 4″.  (My zipper was 10″ long)

2. Sew the seam above and below the zipper.

3. Using a 10″ wide by 12″ long piece of mesh, sew each side of the mesh side to each side of the zipper tape to form a single piece which will become a vent and a pocket.

4.  Fold the vent/pocket toward the shirt front.

5.  Sew the front seam and the bottom seam of the vent/pocket.  Finish edges if desired.

6.  Run one more stitch approximately 4″ from the top of the vent/pocket.  I’m not sure if this is needed but my thought was that this line of stitching would form the pocket.

7.  Hand stitch the top and bottom edge of the vent/pocket to the front princess seam to keep it in place.

One more note:  Inadvertently, I placed one zipper with the pull at the top and one with the pull at the bottom.  When wearing the shirt I realized that both directions have advantages, so I’ll leave that choice to you.

Finished - combined vent/pocket

Of course, what does it matter if the garment isn’t functional.  This shirt worked so well that I wore it all the time, as you can see in the following photos (oh yes, and we had fun too).

Now, I need your feedback.

The World’s Most Comfortable Travel Skirt

Just having returned from several weeks in Spain, I’m still in the mode of thinking about travel clothing – what worked and what didn’t.  In the coming weeks I’ll share some tips on making travel clothes but for now I need to tell you about this travel skirt which is sooo comfortable.  

Initially I made it for our 2 month trip to Central America where it got a lot of wear. I liked it so much that although faded and somewhat worn, I took it on this trip to Spain.  Honestly, it’s the most comfortable skirt I’ve ever owned.  The inspiration came from a travel skirt on an internet site I can no longer find.   Essentially it is made of 6 panels with ruching on each side of the seams, made from woven cotton/poly with lycra.  This photo is a little better at showing the detail.

Materials:

• 1-1/2 to 2 yards of 45″ fabric or 1 yard of 60″ woven mid-weight fabric with lycra
• 1 yard of 1-1/4″ wide elastic
• 4-6 yards of 1/4″ elastic depending on skirt length
• Twill tie if desired

Tutorial:

1.  Before cutting or sewing, do a test with the elastic and a fabric scrap to determine the ration of elastic to fabric needed to create the desired ruching effect.  

2.  Cut six pieces of fabric 9-10″ longer than the finished length (mine was 30″ for a 20″ skirt).  For the width, use the following formula.

• Divide hip size by 6.
• For each piece, add 1-1/2″ for the seams and 1″ to create the puffy effect.
• If desired, you can flare slightly, making the lower part of the skirt wider.
• For 40″ hips, my panels were 30″ long by 10″ wide at the top and 11″ at the bottom.

Cut panels. Middle panel has elastic applied.

3.  Cut 12 pieces of elastic based on what you learned when you ran your test.  (My elastic pieces were about 18″ long)

4.  Serge or zig-zag edges to reduce raveling.

5.  Starting 2′ from the waist edge, stretch fabric while sewing to each side of panels, one inch from each edge.

Note:  You start 2″ from the top as ruching in the waistband makes it too bulky.

6.  Sew panels together with a 5/8 to 3/4″ seam.  Press the seams open although this is somewhat useless as the seams don’t lay flat.

7.  Repeat for all panels.

8.  Turn waistband over and sew 1-1/2″ from the edge.

9.  Insert elastic to desired length.

Note:  I also put a twill tie in the waistband but it’s not necessary.

10.  Turn over 5/8″ at the bottom edge for a hem.  Machine sew with a straight stitch.

11.  Because there aren’t pockets in this skirt, to have a secure place for my passport, add a travel security pocket on the inside.

You are done!  Roll it up and put it in your suitcase.

Sometime it’s the Little Things

Several years ago when our daughter Megan lived in Japan, even with all of the adorable Japanese clothing,  the cutest clothing items she wore were on her feet. Socks of all types:  socks with toes, split socks for thong sandals, unusual designs, bright colors, etc.  Of all of her footwear, the item I coveted was low-cut lace slipper socks or footies to be worn under casual or dressy shoes; an alternative to peds or some other ugly footy that in the USA, you can only purchase in the drug store. The advantage is obvious – if a part of the sock shows, it’s lace and not nude colored lycra.

from Ebay seller

In the US, I searched everywhere but wasn’t able to come up with anything close to these lace footies.  Nope, not even the Dollar Store.  How about Ebay?  There was/is one who likely imports the item from Asia.  They were dirt cheap and looked like the real deal so I hit the “buy” key.  I got them in a few days however they were sized for Cinderella — surely not for my feet.  The sewer’s creed, “I can make that” came to the rescue and the following is the result.

Low-cut Slipper Socks Tutorial and Slipper Socks pattern (pdf)

Materials:

• Two 9″x9″ pieces of stretch lace:  Stretch should be at least 25% across the grain.  I chose black and off-white/ecru.
• Lightweight lingerie type elastic.   Approximately 28″ for each pair of slipper socks.
• Slipper Socks pattern (this pattern is for an American shoe size of 8-9)

Instructions:

1. Cut slipper socks on the fold.  (Note, stretch goes lengthwise on the foot)

2. Cut two 14″ pieces of elastic

3.  Serge or zig-zag the front and back seam.  The seam should be narrow  (Zig-zag of 2.5 or serger knife set at 6-6.5).  Roll your fingers over the seam to assure that the entire seam is stitched.

4.  You are now ready to add the elastic.  Mark the elastic at 6″ and 12″  (the other 2″ is a handle to make sewing easier.  It will be cut off and discarded)

5. Starting at the heel and using a zig-zag stitch, sew the elastic to the slipper sock.  Apply more “pull” on the elastic in the area closer to the heel and to the center front area.  Use 6″ for each the right and the left side of the slipper sock.

6.  At the heel, secure the elastic by stitching back and forth a few times.  Cut off the 2″ tag.

Oh so cute and comfy, even if they peak out of your shoes.

Inside Pocket for Safe Travel

Over the years Kevin and I have had the good fortune of traveling to quite a few countries.  In terms of personal safety, I’d say we’ve experienced most segments of the continuum.  Or is safety a misconception?  Travel to any large city makes one a target for pick-pockets and other petty crime.  We’ve heard about it, witnessed it and more disturbingly, have been the victim of a skilled pick-pocket and have been robbed at gunpoint.

Our Central American trip earlier this year consisted primarily of countries that are wonderful to visit but on the low end of the personal safety continuum, so we had the opportunity to acquire vast knowledge on keeping valuables (passport, credit/debit cards, cash) safe during travel.  When gathering with seasoned travelers or staying in hostels, safety was consistently a topic of conversation as there was always someone who had a personal story or two.  While sparing you the details, I think we all agree that it’s important to keep one’s passport safe when traveling.

Money belts: Pro’s and Con’s

During our Central American trip both Kevin and I wore a lightweight money belt where we carried our passport, an extra credit card and most of the cash from the most recent ATM visit and a small amount in American dollars.  While  this is much safer than carrying these items in a small bag or purse (can be left behind) or in a wallet (eeks – easy target for a pick-pocket), we learned of another option.  The downside is that pick-pockets and thieves know that travelers wear money belts. On a few occasions we heard about travelers whose pockets and money belts were emptied.

Inside Travel Safety Pocket

The Alternative: Inside Safety Pocket

Joe T., whom we met in Guatemala and traveled with for a few days, fits into a category of his own.  For 40 years he’s traveled in Central and South America for 2-3 months each year, staying in hostels and lower end hotels.  When on the go, he keeps a low profile, carries few items of value and he doesn’t wear a money belt.  Instead for 40 years he’s had “an inner pocket” sewn into each of the pants he wears on the trip.  This is such a simple option.  After telling us about the pockets and learning that I sew, one evening he brought me a pair of his jeans so I could check it out.  

Pattern and Tutorial:

Materials:

• 7″x21″ strip of cotton or mesh fabric.
• 8″ strip of narrow elastic

1.  On one of the narrow ends, turn over 3/4″ of fabric to make a casing for the elastic.

2. Run one line of stitching to form the casing.  Note:  If using fabric which ravels, you may need to zig-zag or serge the edge. In these photos I use one fabric of each type to demonstrate the differences. 

3. Slip the elastic into the casing.

Making the elastic casing

4.  Stitch back and forth several times across the elastic to keep it in place.

5.  Pull on the unsecured end of the elastic to form a gather as in the next photo.  (Elastic should be 1″ shorter than the width of the pocket).

6.  Secure the second end of the elastic by stitching back and forth several times.

7.  Fold the fabric to form a pocket about 7-8″ long.

8.  Stitch the sides of the pocket, backstitching on both ends of the seam.  Note:  Very important to back-stitch to prevent the stitches from letting go on the first wearing!

9.  You are now ready to hand-sew the pocket into a pair of pants or a skirt.

Pocket Placement

The pocket should be on the inside of the existing front pocket of the pants (or skirt) and at least several inches from the waist of the pants.  When in public the pocket will not be accessible to either the wearer or a would-be thief. 

Hand-sewing the Pocket into Pants or Skirt

1.  Fold over 3/4″ on the top edge.

2.  Pin in place

3. Hand sew with a double-strand of thread using small stitches.

You are done!  Travel safe.

Ruffled Skirt Tutorial

In response to the posts on how to sew with pre-ruffled fabric, I’ve gotten questions about which pattern works for sewing a ruffled skirt.  The good news is that you don’t need a pattern.  This fits into the “it’s so easy that it’s hard” category. 

Starting with the End in Mind:

Sorry, my model lives miles away from me :)

1.  With pre-ruffled knit fabric in hand, cut one piece.  

• Width – equal to the wearer’s hip size (remember this is really stretchy fabric so no ease is needed).  
• Length – slightly longer than desired (it’s easy to cut off an extra ruffle or two after the garment is finished).

40" wide by 26" long (fabric is folded in half)

2.  Position the ruffles at the seamline.  Pin in place.

3.   Machine baste the seam.  You can see the extra pieces of ruffle sticking out.  They can be cut off however serging will also do it for you.

4. If the ruffles are all in place, you are ready to serge the seam.  

5. Cut a piece of wide elastic plus 1″ for overlapping the seam. This should be the length of the wearer’s waist or slightly larger if it will be worn below the natural waist.  

6. Sew elastic into a circle by overlapping 1/2″.

7. Mark the 4 quarters of the elastic and the corresponding quarters at the top edge of the skirt.  

8.  Pin the elastic to the skirt.  Note:  For a clean look, bottom of elastic should meet up with the top of a ruffle.

9.  Machine baste the elastic while stretching to fit the skirt.  Missing this important step isn’t worth it.  It’s really tough to remove stitches as it destroys the fabric edges.

9.  Zig-zag or coverstitch the elastic onto the skirt, stitching very close to the bottom edge of the elastic.

10.  If desired, adjust the hem length by cutting off one or more ruffles.  

You are done.  Wasn’t that easy?

Sewing with Pre-ruffled Fabric: Part 2

IKEA Fabric for Valances and Pillows

In the two weeks since my last post, Kevin and I took a road trip to Wisconsin and Minnesota where we visited family and friends, and we saw Megan and Chris’s new home.  All of those miles traveled and I didn’t visit a single fabric store.  Well, just one.  However Megan and I did purchase fabric for window valances at IKEA.  Though the supply is limited, they have great fabric.

More tips for sewing with pre-ruffled fabric:

As I mentioned in the last post, sewing with pre-ruffled fabric was more challenging than I anticipated.  I stopped with tip #7, “Plan for where the ruffles will land on the garment”.  When cutting the black and white tank, I laid the pattern on the center front of the neck so that the entire ruffle would be visible.  That was the correct way to cut, unlike Deb’s tank where I cut in the middle of the ruffle.

Ruffle at center front of neckline is positioned correctly

In the following, I didn’t plan well and cut through the ruffle.  Fortunately I was able to recover by adding a piece of ruffle to the neckline before binding the edge.

Center front ruffle was cut away. Oops, but a little patch fixed it.

8.  Like with other stretchy garments, sew a small piece of stretch fabric or clear elastic into the shoulder seam.  Because the fabric is so lightweight and to avoid bulk, I didn’t extend the stabilizing fabric to the edges.  My choice was a small strip of cotton jersey.

9.  To bind the edges, use a very light weight fabric.  Again, I used cotton jersey with 4-way stretch.  BTW, white looked awful on the black and white fabric.

Sewing a strip of neck binding

Turn the binding over and topstitch

Another binding: 1" wide fabric was folded and serged onto the dress. No topstitching.

When the garments we sew are worn, we always learn more about our creations.  And thus a few more tips:

10.  When planning for an adult skirt, cut the fabric width approximately the same size as the wearer’s hip measurement.  Children don’t mind having a little extra bulk on their hips but it’s not as flattering for adults.  (I am now making this adjustment to Angela’s and Megan’s skirts).

11. Last of all, I learned that some of these fabrics may not work for children’s clothes.  At age 5, Catie proudly wore her new skirt to the playground.  After she went down the slide a few times the edge of the ruffles started to ravel (or unravel if you chose).  I don’t know if this would occur with the more commonly available poly or poly/nylon pre-ruffled fabric (i.e. black and white tank).  The grey ruffles feel like they are made from rayon, are softer and less stable.  It’s hard to be sad about the skirt as it was fun to sew it.   I’ll make her a new one from the yet unused black fabric.

Did I mention that  I paid $8.00 for all of the fabric for these garments.  It was great fun to find such cute fabric for such a bargain and to plan for the garments; but it was frustrating at times until I learned the nuances of working with pre-ruffled fabric.  

What are your experiences in working with this fabric?

Jalie 2806: One Pattern, Many Looks

Guess I went a little crazy in building a wardrobe of short-sleeved tops.  The drive for this was the Pattern Review contest titled “One Pattern, Many Looks”.  Now you know my philosophy – never underestimate the power of a tried and true (TNT) pattern, or “you can’t have too much of a good thing”.  Here goes:

Top #1: Lacy Tee

  

Beautiful London Textiles lightweight cotton 4-way stretch jersey with lace inserts and sleeves.  Sleeves were hemmed with a narrow rolled hem.  After the top was constructed, gathered gross-grain and lace half-circles were hand-stitched.

Sewing Tips and Instructions:

1. Cut the entire pattern from the main fabric.

2.  Cut the lace and sew onto the main fabric.

3.  Sew the main fabric and lace as one.

4.  Now cut away the main fabric under the lace inserts, cutting close to the seams 

For the embellishment, cut an 18″ x 2″ strip of lace.  Place a mark to divide by thirds.  Hand sew and gather each third (2 are gathered on one side of the lace and one segment of gathering on the other side of the lace) to create a shell design.  I also placed 2″ grossgrain ribbon under the lace and added a pearl to the center of each half-shell.

Top 2: Tucks and Pinches

Two-way stretch lightweight cotton-poly (Jomar’s in Philadelphia) is an Anthro-inspired top.  Because of the stretch factor, this version was cut a size larger.  Embellishment was completed by tucking and pinching a long strip of self-fabric to make a design that’s pretty similar to the RTW I was copying.

Instructions and Tips:

1. Cut  a 4″ x 4-5″ strip of fabric along the length of the fabric.  I had to piece the strip of fabric – just hid the seams in the folds of the design.

2. Using a decorative stitch and either a contrasting or the same color thread (I used chartreuse), sew a line about 3/4″ from the each edge of the strip of fabric.

3.  Beginning at the center back, in a “zig-zag fashion, pinch and tuck to form the desired design.  Stretch the fabric and fold the edges under to hide the raw edges.   Pin in place.

4.  When you are happy with the look, hand tack the design into place.  (I think the Anthro was machine sewn but I couldn’t figure out how to do it).

5. Place two 8″ strips under the design and tack. They will hang freely.

Top 3:  RTW Knock-off

Made from cotton 4-way stretch pointelle (Mood), this is an exact copy of a well-worn Talbots top I wore to work until I should have been embarrassed to wear it.  This pattern was the perfect pattern to make a copy.  Instead of a stretch band, 5/8” scalloped lace was used as the band.

Instructions and Tips:

1.  Instead of cutting fabric for a band, use a 5/8″ piece of scalloped embroidered lace.  For a size 12, I cut a piece 32″ long, which includes enough for overlapping at the start/end.

2.  Gather the front as if you are using a stretchy neck-band.

3.  Using a 1/4″ seam line, sew the straight edge of the lace onto the wrong side of the fabric.  (wrong side of lace must face the wrong side of the fabric).

4.  Trim the seam very close to the seam line without cutting into the lace.

5.  Fold the lace over onto the right side and baste into place.

Sew straight edge of lace onto the wrong side of the fabric

6.  Following the edge of the scallop, machine stitch the lace to the front of the top.  As you can see by the following photo of the wrong side, you will form a scalloped design.

Top 4: Teal Leopard?

Small black and self-fabric petals were sewed together and added for embellishment on this top which is made from 4-way rayon jersey from London Textiles.

Instructions and Tips:

1.  Cut dozens of small petals of the desired color or colors.

2.  Sew together with a gathering stitch.  I overlapped the black and teal petals.

3.  Gather the strips of petals

4.  Sew onto the top using a narrow zig-zag stitch.

Top 5:  From Etsy with Love

Embellished with an applique I found on Etsy (this seller has amazing items for sale), this is my favorite of the tops.

Instructions and Tips:

1.  This was straight-forward.  I made the top and then hand-sewed the applique onto the top.

2.  Only one caveat – so the front gathers would fall symmetrically from the applique, I made an additional row of gathering as shown in the following photo.

Top 6: Japanese Screen Print

Also purchased from London Textiles, this top was made from a 2-way stretch cotton with a Japanese-influence screen print.  It has small stitch lines and sequins that are also screen printed – quite unique.  To add color, a silk “smushed” flower was added to the top.

This was taken from Tip Junkie.  Because of the sequins all of the color going on, this fabric was very difficult to machine hem. (Couldn’t get it to look straight) so the sleeves were hand-stitched with seed beads – a nice finishing touch.

Whew!  That’s it for now.

Cute is Always a Hit

Cute  adj

 1. a. clever or shrewd often in an underhanded manner

b.  impertinent, smart alecky,  <don’t get cute with me>

2.  attractive or pretty especially in a childish, youthful, or delicate way

This is Megan is wearing her new “cherry skirt” I sewed for her.  The fabric is a lovely (cute) pindot cotton organza with embroidered cherries. I found it all gnarled and wrinkled in the bins at London Textiles.  Since this skirt was such a hit with my daughter, I thought you might like the pattern and instructions for this very easy drop-waist skirt.

Free Drop-waist skirt pattern pdf

You will need:

• 1.5 yards of fabric (more if you’d like more gathering or a longer skirt length)
• 1/4 yard of interfacing
• 7-9″ zipper

Cut:

• Yoke: 4 pieces.  Here’s the Drop-waist skirt pattern - one for the front, one for the back and one facing piece for each the front and back.  I used scrap fabric for the facing but a self facing would work as well.  This pattern is 33″ at the waist and 37″ at the bottom of the yoke.  If you need a different size, add to the fold line or the at the side of the yoke pattern.
• Interfacing: 2 pieces – same size as the yoke pieces.
• Skirt: 2 pieces.  I used a 20″ length of by 54″ wide.  Note:  Cut the length equal to the  finished skirt from waist to the skirt bottom, as it will allow a sufficient length for the hem.   If you would like more gathering, use more fabric.

Construction

1. Fuse or hand baste the interfacing to the front and back yoke (not the facing).

2. Sew one of the side seams of both the yoke (with interfacing applied) and the facing.  Leave the other open for the zipper.

3.  Sew one side seam of the skirt.  This will be the right side.  Leave left side open for now.

4. Gather the top of the joined skirt pieces.  If you are lining the skirt, gather the lining and skirt as one piece.

5. With right sides together, sew the gathered skirt to the yoke.  

6.  Sew yoke facing to the yoke at the waist.  Clip seams and press.

7.  Insert zipper  (I hand-picked an invisible zipper).  Instructions are here.

8.  Hand or machine stitch the bottom of the facing, to hide the gathered edge of the skirt.

9.   Sew the left side seam below the zipper.

10.  Hem the skirt.

Hopefully only two hours later and you have a new cute skirt.

Why Would Anyone Sew a Backpack?

After just having completed a backpack, I think the only reasonable answer to that question is: “Because he/she can.”  There’s just not another rational answer to the question.

Several weeks ago there was a sewing listserv discussion about the best pattern to use for a backpack, where to get the hardware, etc.  I watched the discussion and thought, “why in the world would anyone sew a backpack?”.  Even for a small backpack, availability of zippers in the correct size could be a limiting factor. In addition, some of the other hardware and needed supplies are difficult if not impossible to find.

The story starts with Kevin and me taking a day trip to NY. The Bolt and Megabus drop-off’s are nearly in the heart of the fabric district and truth be told and in case you’re wondering, I only stopped at one store.  Interestingly it was to buy zippers but not for this project.  Otherwise we passed right on by the fashion district.  Kevin really liked his old worn drawstring daypack for a short trip such as this but like most drawstring daypacks, it was deficient of the often needed water bottle pocket.

Well loved and used string daypack

Several days later at Jomar’s in Philly, I was lured by these really unusual but fashionable 7″ zippers at $.50 each) and fabric to match off the $1 rack.  Impulsive and thinking, “I don’t often sew for Kevin”.  Maybe I could knock off his old Nike daypack, and while I’m at it, add some features he would like such as a water bottle holder and straps instead of strings but still without too much hardware.  With fabric in hand, that’s what I set out to do, forgetting that only several weeks prior, I thought this a pretty dumb idea.

The idea got out of hand.  

How about putting together a tutorial for my blog?  I created a pattern from the old Nike daypack and took the obligatory photos to share every step with you.  Then came the two lower pockets and at that point my only desire was to finish, abandoning all good intentions to create a tutorial.  Without those two very useful small pockets with a miter at each corner, the bag wasn’t all that difficult – how naive I was.  Without previous experience with this type of bag, I messed up on sequencing – like do you put the big pocket on before the small ones?  And when do you sew the straps to the body?  Oh, and how do you not put the clasp on backward?

Why is there a flap covering a navy zipper?  Surely not to keep the rain out.  The reason is that the silver zippers only came in a 7″ length so for the larger pocket I used a navy zipper and hid the it under a flap.  (Pretty clever, huh?)

Strap anchor - part of it got sewn into the miter at the bottom of the pack

Why is part of the strap anchor sewn into the bottom seam of the bag?  Oops. Because I didn’t think ahead when inserting the strap anchor.

Water bottle holder - nice and tall but not quite enough real estate

Why was the water bottle pocket sewn onto one of those precious difficult to sew pockets?  Again, I had an idea without a plan, leaving experience as the teacher.

Back of the pack - straps inserted with anchors at the bottom and into the seam at the top

In the end……

Despite all of the challenges, I felt very proud that I could complete this bag.  If use is a measure of love, my seam ripper was well-loved during this project.  But in the end, I am really proud of how well this turned out.

If you are interested in the pattern and directions, the photos are waiting.  Just let me know.