Posted on 07/01/2014 12:41:22 PM PDT by Roos_Girl
Welcome everyone to the weekly Thread Thread, a once weekly post of all things sewing. Join us to discuss, ask questions and learn everything you've ever wanted to talk about, ask or discover about sewing. We include anything you can make with fabric, needle and thread.
Share with us some or you designs and ideas on how to become more self-sufficient by making your own clothing, home decor or anything else
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OK I’ll jump in, just please don’t put me on a ping list. I have been sewing for 50 years or so. Done lots of quilting, clothes, household items. I like your skirts. I just did 2 dresses for my grandniece who is only 1 and just walking. If you take a prebought or garage sale tshirt, using a serger you can cut the tshirt off just above the waist and add a cotton print bottom gathered skirt and make a little dress. They are great for hot days when you just want to have something cover a little one instead of letting them run around in a diaper. I added 3 tiny yoyos along the neckline matching the skirt fabric. Because the tshirt is already done it takes almost no time. I also love yoyos, have done regular size and tiny ones. I had 2 quilts accepted for a show in Grand Rapids this fall and my first real quilt about 27 years ago was published in a quilting book. My Polish mother taught me how to sew.
As far as your question about elastic, I usually finish off the raw edge with my serger. cut the elastic and sew the ends together for the waist or sleeve, and then fold over the neckline or sleeve or pant bottoms while inside out and use a regular machine to fold the fabric over and sew on the end, stretching the elastic as I go.
Those skirts are so cute!
I’ve seen the cutest dresses made from t-shirts, but haven’t had the courage to try. Any tips, hints about problems you have run into? Should the t-shirt be the current size, or a little bigger, maybe? do you zig zag or serge the cutoff bottom? How full did you make the skirt, and what type of fabric?
the PBS show Sewing With Nancy used to have videos on the internet, don’t know if they are still there, since I don’t think the program is still on. I watched her on Sat morning for years, she covered EVERYTHING there is to know about sewing. I miss those programs, that’s how I used to start off my weekend on Sat mornings.
#1 don’t stretch the tshirt when you attach the skirt material. Cut the tshirt off just above the waist line. Cut a rectangle of cotton calico or floral fabric, cotton really works best. Cut the rectangle whatever length you want and when folded in half it will be about 4 inches wider than the tshirt. Use the serger to sew the skirt side seam. Then I serge the bottom and use a regular machine to fold over the serged end and just sew it flat with a straight stitch. Turn the skirt and tshirt inside out and serge together, keeping the tshirt material from stretching and gathering the skirt material as you go. The collar can be decorated or no. This is a great way to reuse garage sale tshirts that are still in good condition. I wish I had a picture!
You want to sew it directly onto the sleeve and not in casing, like covered with hem tape or inside a hem?
Thanks! I wish you had a pic too. As the guys on here always say, “this thread is worthless without pictures”!! (just kidding). I have never learned how to post pics, because until now, I never wanted to.
That sounds like me, but the gardening thread has me hooked and I’ve posted some pics there. Using photobucket is pretty easy, once you upload the pics, you pick from your online library and it gives you the html code. So when you post to the thread you copy and paste the code along with the text. It’s not that hard.
I had not done any sewing for several years, but now that I am retired I am excited about it. I have been buying fabric galore. I don’t think I will use it all before Jesus comes, but I will have fun looking at all the pretty material.
Today I sewed a lounger out of inexpensive material, pretty much to try out a new pattern. I found out that I am now three sizes in one, going from top to bottom... large, larger, and largest. LOL! I can see that I have to do quite a bit of adjusting. The neckline is so large I’m going back and adding elastic to take it up. It is true that the really good seamstress is one who can hide her mistakes. Looks like I will get a lot of practice before I get there.
I always make a casing for my elastic. Make sure that you don’t pull it tight. the elastic should comfortably fit around the body part, not stretched.
There are 2 ways to make the casing. The most common is what you did on the skirt.
The second way is to sew a strip, a little wider than the width of the elastic to the wrong side of the (for example) sleeve, where you want the gathering.
Insert the elastic and then sew the elastic into the seam.
I can’t seem to find a YouTube video for this - maybe I will do one and post it to you.
Hope this makes some sense. Tough to explain with no illustrations.
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