Welcome to the Hippy Chick Skirt sew-along. I want to remind everyone that I am not a "professional" seamstress, nor was I formally taught. I'm just a girl who loves fabric, sewing, and pretty much everything related to those two things. If you have any questions, suggestions, or tips to share; please make sure to post them on our Facebook group.
Please read the Hippy Chick Skirt Instructions all the way through before you begin. We will be going over how to make the Option #2 - Classic Style skirt in this sew-along. It's probably a good idea to read through this lesson once before you begin.
I also want to remind everyone that if you would like to see any of the images posted in this blog larger, just click on them. It might be helpful in some steps. Let's begin now.
Day 1 - Planning Out Your Skirt and Cutting Your Fabrics
1. The first thing you need to do is decide where you want each fabric on your skirt. Turn to page 5 of your instructions. At the top it should say Option #2 Classic Style and shows the layout of the fabric panels for the skirt we will be creating. You will need to assign a number to each fabric you have so when you go to cut out your fabric you will know what to cut for that particular print. I suggest playing with your fabric and deciding which prints you would like to have next to each other. Take into consideration colors and scale of the prints.
2. Using a marking instrument label each fabric with the Fabric Number (not strip number) along the selvage. I used a Sharpie. If you use a Sharpie, make sure it doesn't bleed through onto anything else.
3. Now, turn to page 2 of the pattern instructions. You will need to decide which size will fit you best. Measure your waist with a non-stretchable measuring tape at the narrowest point between the bottom of your ribcage and your hip bones. Tension should be firm but not pulled so tightly as to compress the tissue underneath. Measure your hips at the widest point around your buttocks.
Note: If you do not have a measuring tape, you can use a piece of non-stretchable string. Carefully, mark on the string and then lay it out flat on a yard stick or cutting ruler to get your measurements.
4. Using the measurement chart on page 2, determine which size will fit you best. If your waist is one size and your hip is another, it's usually best to go with your hip measurement. You can always adjust your elastic length to fit your waist.
Note: For the perfect fit, take your hip measurement and add two inches. Cut your dropwaist band to this amount. Thus, if your hips measured 40", cut your dropwaist band 21" on the fold, which creates a 42" wide dropwaist band.5. The last thing we are going to do today is cut out all of our fabric strips for the skirt. Turn to the last page of your instructions, and find your size under the Classic Skirt at the bottom of the page. If you have printed out your instructions, go ahead and highlight the all of the measurements for your size; this will help you stay on track. If you are doing a custom sized dropwaist band, write in exactly what you need to cut it too.
6. Carefully, cut off the selvages that you labeled. Leave a little bit of the print on these so that you can remember which fabric is which. Using a rotary cutter, mat, and quilting ruler will make cutting much easier. You could also tear your fabric if you feel confident doing so. Note though that the seam allowances for this skirt are just ¼", so be careful you don't end up with too wide of a frayed edge.
8. Now, using the cutting guide for the Classic Skirt, begin to cut your fabrics. Be very careful to make straight cuts both lengthwise and crosswise. Plan out your cuts beforehand and make sure you are taking the direction of your fabric into consideration. Remember to measure twice and cut once. You might want to measure three times! This is honestly the hardest part of the skirt. Take your time and think it through.
Note: The dropwaist band and the two hemband pieces are all cut on the fold. This means to fold your fabric so that the width will be doubled. For instance, if your dropwaist band measurement says 17" wide, when unfolded your waistband should be twice that (34" wide total.)
9. When you have finished cutting all of your fabrics, you should end up with the following.
- 2 each of fabric 1, 4, and 5
- 4 each of fabric 2 and 6
- 4 of fabric 3
- 1 dropwaist band
- 2 hembands
We are done with our first lesson. Hope you had fun! Check back here tomorrow for lesson two.
* If you would like to enter the prize drawing, please make sure you submit a picture of your completed lesson one to the Facebook Album by 12:00 noon CT, Wednesday, July 30th. Also, if you have any questions the Facebook Group is a great place to ask.
Thanks for sewing with me,
Danielle Storm
www.whimsicalfabric.com
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