All I wanted to do was make a “simple” layered skirt to go with the top I already had finished. I really thought it would be pretty easy… Sew a few layers together, add an elastic waist and voila!! It would be done…Uh…NO…
The first skirt I tried was SO ugly, I didn’t even take a picture of it. I made this skirt by adding the gathered up fabric strips to a piece of tulle. It was TOO gathered and was so puffy it looked ridiculous. I only had one fat quarter of this cherries fabric so I trimmed the fabric off of the first skirt and used it again….
…on SKIRT NUMBER 2!
This time I thought I had it figured out… Clearly I didn’t! The gathers were too far apart and by the time I gathered it up on the waistband it was so puffy again that I hated it…
I decided to start completely over and did a lot of thinking about how to make it just like I wanted…I just jumped in and began again…
…on SKIRT NUMBER 3!
I figured out something…the gathers had to be closer together and only about 12 inches long after it was gathered up. The problem is I wasn’t paying attention to how long I made each piece and so I’ll probably have to go through all this again when I make another one…UGH! What was I thinking? Clearly, I wasn’t!!
So here is how skirt #3 came along…
I took my fabric strips and sewed them to a piece of tulle that had a lower ruffle already gathered and sewn on… (You’ll see it better on the back side in a second…)
I added a fabric band at the waist this time…
I turned down a casing and ran some 1/4″ elastic through…
I serged the edges so they were even…
Here’s the back side…
Okay…now it’s working…
…and finally trying it on with the top…
In person, it’s very cute..and ruffled. I like it… my hubby liked it! I kept showing him my failed attempts… he noticed this one looked right! YAY!
So I have 7 pieces finished, but I’m only going to show you one new piece today…I didn’t have time to get any decent pictures, but you’re GOING TO LOVE THIS SET… I hope! :o)
Here’s a sneak peek at what’s to come!
Several of you asked for white shorts and I delivered! :o)
Have a wonderful Monday and I’ll keep sewing!
See you tomorrow,
Blessings, Jeanne
Oooohhhh!! Loving that skirt!! So cute, with all the layers. When you showed the first version, I thought, she needs to put one layer/ruffle down further, with a flatter top section–and that’s just what you did with the tulle! Makes all the difference!!
The shorts are darling, also!! Can’t wait to see all the pieces!
I do keep a sewing journal–not Everything gets written in there, but I usually try to take notes when I’m “winging it” like this. It doesn’t have to be a fancy notebook–and sometimes I’d just make notes on a piece of paper, and maybe transfer to my notebook when I have more time. Do you think you can backtrack enough to measure what’s finished and figure out how big the piece was when you started?! Just a thought….
Hi Charlotte,
Believe me…the next time I make one of these slips, I’ll record all the details. Smart cookie, you are!!!
I may be able to figure out with a flexible tape measure how long my pieces are… :o)
Thanks Charlotte,
Blessings, Jeanne
7 pieces? A white sun hat to match the shorts? A headband? Long pants? A jacket? That’s 7 but I’m just guessing.
The anniversary celebration for my parents was lots of fun. Family and friends watched the parade, ate large quantities of food and then visited and played games the rest of the afternoon.
Hi Julia,
You got a couple of guesses right!! You’ll see soon!!
I’m glad you all had a wonderful anniversary celebration for your parents!! I’m sure they were so blessed.
Thanks Julia,
Blessings, Jeanne
In the suburbs of St. Louis many decades ago, we called pants like the ones you made “pedal pushers” or Capri pants when they were just below the knee. Never saw any that were puffy, though. The British call them knickers. Cute. The skirt patterns on Pinterest for layered skirts show graduated lengths of fabric for each row. Your interpretation is just right and darling.
We’re fine here in Southern California. I suspect I may be about as far away as Joy is from the epicenter, 160+ miles straight south while Joy is north, but gives one pause when thinking what would happen if it had occurred in a highly populated area! It was reassuring to hear that roads and infrastructure held up. The glass jellyfish wind chimes on the patio were really swaying but nothing fell off the shelves. Very lucky this time. Bridges here are in the process of being retrofitted for stronger earthquakes.
Hi Susette,
We used to call the straight pants pedal pushers and the ones gathered to a cuff just below the knee knickers.
Poor Kristoffer had to endure wearing knickers when he was a toddler. I’ll have to see if I can find some pictures.
I am so glad you and Joy and any others in CA are safe…please be careful…
Thanks Susette,
Blessings, Jeanne
You get the “ stick-to-it” award for today! I always seem to make skirts too full and you found that just right place after so many tries.
Love the little white shorts. 7 pieces? That will be fun to see.
Hope you have a great week!
(How is your thumb?)
Thanks Kathie,
I “think” I can figure out just how full I made the skirt. I hope so…because I hate to think of going though this every time I make one of these skirts.
By tomorrow I’m hoping there will be MORE than 7 pieces.
My thumb is better…I guess “babying” my thumb helped! :o)
Thanks so much,
Blessings, Jeanne
Yes, how is your thumb?
The shorts look darling and the skirt is darling. A sailor hat to go with the shorts would be cute, since you’ve worked out the design. Tomorrow we should find out.
I really do like the skirt, and Charlotte’s idea off making sure that you have all the measurements for the skirt so you can re-create it is excellent. This is such a cute outfit already that I’m looking forward to tomorrow to see what happens next.
Hi Marilyn,
My thumb isn’t causing too much pain now. I can do my sewing without thinking too much about it.
I like seeing all the pieces laid out…and I still have more pieces to add…this is fun!
Thanks Marilyn,
Blessings, Jeanne
Ah, sweet success. Now I know why I’ve never done a similar skirt. Must leave that to an experienced seamstress to complete. I would never have thought to add an elastic waistband either. Makes it fit so well. It is very cute with the top, and I can hear Lian expressing relief and joy when viewing the finished outfit. And I see those white shorts. Yay. Can’t wait for everything to be complete.
Looks like Susette and I split the difference on this quake although we had no swaying at all. We definitely need to get the emergency pack ready that we keep putting off. Think we live in dreamland around here.
Sounds like your thumb is healing and the frustration over on this one. School days are not that far ahead now if you can believe. Hope you can enjoy every minute of summer fun.
Hi Joy,
Lian was thrilled when I finally got the skirt right.. She was tired of trying on ugly skirts. I was tired of making them!!
Rebecca told me I should start making school outfits pretty soon… I think I should listen to her and get started on them.
Thanks Joy,
Blessings, Jeanne
Dear Jeanne, Lian’s dress looks adorable! I love that the top is longer and makes an extra layer. She looks so sweet in the outfit; I think you are going to have to give her a cookie to get her to take it off (laugh).
Here is a bit of news from the doll world: the big Theriault’s doll auction is coming up on Monday, July 22.. The theme is “miles to go, promises to keep,” which celebrates a Robert Frost poem. I had to memorize that poem in 8th grade. I loved reciting poems. Most of the students hated having to stand in front of the class. I enjoy public speaking.
I am not going to bid on any of the dolls. They are totally out of my price range. It will be fun, though, to look at the dolls. and dream
Hi Dorothy,
It might take more than a cookie with this set…Lian really likes this one because she says “these are winter colors” and she looks good in them!
Thanks for the heads up on the doll auction.
You won’t be alone in not bidding on any of the dolls.
Blessings, Jeanne
Glad to hear everyone from California on the blog is doing ok.
Re the skirt, now I know why I use already created patterns. At times I have to tweak them but it’s still less complicated for me. I’ve always loved designing but I don’t know how to draft a pattern. I’ve often taken several patterns and did some picking and choosing (sleeves, neckline, collar, etc.) to find the look I wanted. This required some adjusting from time to time, but it worked fine. I couldn’t afford a whole lot of patterns when I was young, so that’s what I did so I wouldn’t have too much of the same in my wardrobe.
Can’t wait to see all the parts of Lian’s new outfit together. And I am quite a bit older than you. If you just turned 63, I’m nine and half years older than you. Sixty-three for me is but a distant memory. In truth, the crawling around is not really a problem for me. It’s the getting back up that’s the problem.
Hi Barbara,
I’m glad everyone seems to be okay in CA too. I can’t imagine how we would be feeling if we hadn’t heard from them…
Sometimes it’s easier to just buy a pattern but then sometimes you just have to try and figure one out on your own.
I’m not quite 63 yet…I have a few more weeks being 62 and plan to make the most of it…
Thanks Barbara,
Blessings, Jeanne