The Gray Skirt, Part I
... Or alternately titled an exercise in Dressmaking Professionalism.Since I got my Brother sewing machine back, I wanted to put to rest the grey cloth I'd cut and set aside for the past empty month. It looked so forlorn, all cut up and dim. Considering its material and color, I felt it was time to do it justice and make something respectable out of it.
No more ratty hems. No more mismatched thread color. No more bramble sewing-machine accidents. It would be professional, and by george, I'll see to it, even if it drives me stark raving mad.
The aimed result: A simple, pleated skirt, perfect for semi-formal events and family reunions. I was going for Audrey Hepburn's brand of grace in Roman Holiday. (Well, a girl can dream, can't she?)
So, we start with the basics: hemming. Instead of zig-zagging over the raw edges, I decided to fold them twice over and pin them securely. I discovered that as long as you folded straight and evenly, this assured you of a clean edge, and best of all: no fraying.
I remembered a tip I read from Fatshionista blog entry (bless the community), and I quote: "As Burda says, well-pressed is half-sewn." I pressed the hems evenly with a hot iron, taking care not to give the cloth a burnt, shiny sheen that comes with idling.
Burda was right. It was already half-sewn.
The hems, post-iron. See how flat they run?
View from above, still very flat.
Both finished pieces, with Char, Champion of the Bed. With that, the skirt was just dying to be sewn.
Next: Basic construction, putting the pieces together.
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