6 of Spades ♠︎ - #9

ruffling the skirt waist

Finally tackled the dreaded gathering (even though it's now much less of a burden, after i got the gathering foot), but still avoiding the tulle monster...

But, before that, I made a thin hand sewn rolled hem. I did it with an invisible stitch. I'm not a hand sewing masochist, but I thought top stitching the satin wouldn't look nice, and it didn't take that long to do it. It looks neater this way.

Then I pressed the hem and the skirt, before adding the waistband. 

After machine gathering the waist, I measured my waist, divided the measurement by 2, and measured it at my waistband. Pinned half of the waistband to the back half of the skirt, and then measured half of my waist measure on the partially stretched recycled elastic. Pinned the front of the waistband to the skirt, leaving it loosely gathered. Sewed the waistband shut at the sides and, starting with the back, folded it twice and hand sewed it shut with an invisible stitch. Before I started closing the front of the waistband, I sewed the elastic to the waistband's side seams. Then, shuffling the waistband over the elastic, so it stays straight where I'm sewing, I also folded twice and sewed shut the waistband at the front half. This way, I have a half straight, half gathered waistband, for comfort and ease of wear. Usually the elastic part is at the back, but because most of it is hidden by the apron at the front, I decided to put the elastic at the front, and the visible straight waistband at the back. I didn't insert any kind of interfacing at the waist, mostly because all my wider grosgrain ribbon, which I normally use for these things, is at the new house, and I wasn't in the mood to cut a bit of twill instead. Maybe I'll add one later, if I'm unhappy with it.

the finished skirt

As the skirt has three panels, none of the seams could be at the sides, so two of them are partially at the back, and there is one at the middle front. Again, I decided this because it will be hidden by the apron on top.

+ Apart from the hand sewn hem, I could have made this skirt in one day. But I procrastinated...

- The dreaded gathering... At least now I have a gathering foot.

THE CUNNING PLAN

Yeah... the tulle petticoat. And sewing the stockings to skin coloured shorts, which hopefully I'll find tomorrow, together with sillicone shoe patches.