First one... EVER

[moonshadow]

Well, been wanting to do this for a few months now, and tonight was the night.

Got me a pattern today with my Christmas money, some fabric, thread, elastic, etc and when I got home tonight, started assembling my first homemade skirt.

Well, here's how it went... I saw some patterns that specified they were "for beginners"... and I was like pffft... I can do this... so I selected one that looks a little tricky. Actually, to those who are good at sewing, the pattern probably is quite easy, and the fact that this first timer managed to somewhat pull it off also speaks for it's experience level. Believe me, if I can do it ANYONE CAN! My wife picked out a very pretty green fabric that I looks pretty cool to me. When I got it home and began using it, I found that it was somewhat of a pain in the a_s to work with. It's somewhat stretchy and the ends kept curling while I was trying to run it through the machine, making for some somewhat sloppy seams. It's also somewhat heavy, which is perfect for this time of year, yet it also made it a little cumbersome to negotiate with my little basic sewing machine, that up until this point has only be used for some quick hems, and minor clothing repairs..... never the full deal.

Finally the skirt itself was put together, all I had to do now was just add the waist section with the elastic. This was the most tricky of the whole project, and I screwed up a time or two, on these steps, but I don't think it's much that any casual observer would notice.... save for maybe some sewing experts, but hey... a sewing expert I am not. And considering that I have absolutely NO training in this, never watched anyone do it growing up, and otherwise have had ZERO exposure to the world of sewing, I don't think this first garment is half bad if I do say so myself. Shoot, I didn't even watch any youtube tutorials! I just read the manual that came with the machine, and read the instructions on the pattern, then just starting putting pieces together!

Anyway, upon fastening the elastic thingamabob to the rest of the skirt, I realized that I had made one HUGE mistake.... no matter, I bent the laws of physics a little, and discreetly "took care of it"..... (don't ask) Thankfully this fabric is dark, and the texture of it is VERY forgiving to little mistakes. To put it more bluntly, your nose would have to be mere inches from my crotch to see this blunder.

Anyway... on a scale of 1-10, with 10 being something of store bought quality, and 1 being something... well... downright horrible... I'd give my first go a 3.5. It's got somewhat of a strange shape, and some even stranger seams.... but it does fit! And you know what.... this skirt now holds a special place in my heart. Although it may not be five star quality... it's something I made with my own hands, and I'll be proud to wear it out somewhere.

Now of course it's at rest in the photo, but you know any homemade skirt of mine will "open wide" at the hem. Suffice it to say... it's very roomy.

Homemade Skirt by Moon Shadow, on Flickr

[pelmut]

It looks fine in the photograph - and stretchy fabric is a real pain to work with, so you have done really well to produce something as good as that at the first attempt. You will now find yourself looking at skirts on passers-by in a different way: instead of thinking "Where did she buy that?" you will find yourself thinking "How was that made ...could I make one like that?"

Welcome to the makers' club.

[Elisabetta]

Well, been wanting to do this for a few months now, and tonight was the night.

Got me a pattern today with my Christmas money, some fabric, thread, elastic, etc and when I got home tonight, started assembling my first homemade skirt.

Well, here's how it went... I saw some patterns that specified they were "for beginners"... and I was like pffft... I can do this... so I selected one that looks a little tricky. Actually, to those who are good at sewing, the pattern probably is quite easy, and the fact that this first timer managed to somewhat pull it off also speaks for it's experience level. Believe me, if I can do it ANYONE CAN! My wife picked out a very pretty green fabric that I looks pretty cool to me. When I got it home and began using it, I found that it was somewhat of a pain in the a_s to work with. It's somewhat stretchy and the ends kept curling while I was trying to run it through the machine, making for some somewhat sloppy seams. It's also somewhat heavy, which is perfect for this time of year, yet it also made it a little cumbersome to negotiate with my little basic sewing machine, that up until this point has only be used for some quick hems, and minor clothing repairs..... never the full deal.

Finally the skirt itself was put together, all I had to do now was just add the waist section with the elastic. This was the most tricky of the whole project, and I screwed up a time or two, on these steps, but I don't think it's much that any casual observer would notice.... save for maybe some sewing experts, but hey... a sewing expert I am not. And considering that I have absolutely NO training in this, never watched anyone do it growing up, and otherwise have had ZERO exposure to the world of sewing, I don't think this first garment is half bad if I do say so myself. Shoot, I didn't even watch any youtube tutorials! I just read the manual that came with the machine, and read the instructions on the pattern, then just starting putting pieces together!

Anyway, upon fastening the elastic thingamabob to the rest of the skirt, I realized that I had made one HUGE mistake.... no matter, I bent the laws of physics a little, and discreetly "took care of it"..... (don't ask) Thankfully this fabric is dark, and the texture of it is VERY forgiving to little mistakes. To put it more bluntly, your nose would have to be mere inches from my crotch to see this blunder.

Anyway... on a scale of 1-10, with 10 being something of store bought quality, and 1 being something... well... downright horrible... I'd give my first go a 3.5. It's got somewhat of a strange shape, and some even stranger seams.... but it does fit! And you know what.... this skirt now holds a special place in my heart. Although it may not be five star quality... it's something I made with my own hands, and I'll be proud to wear it out somewhere.

Now of course it's at rest in the photo, but you know any homemade skirt of mine will "open wide" at the hem. Suffice it to say... it's very roomy.

Homemade Skirt by Moon Shadow, on Flickr

I absolutely love it. Not bad for a first time handmade skirt. I do love the fabric even though it was a pain to use. Well done Honey Well done!

[moonshadow]

Thanks everyone. I look forward to making another. And I do plan to use this pattern, there were mistakes made but now I know my errors, and plan to continue practicing. This isn't something I'm probably going to do every weekend, but as I'm still trying to learn, I will probably churn out a few more before the winter is done. It really is a nice project to do at home when it's cold out.

I'm also learning a little able how garments are pieced together, and that may come in handy for when some of my existing skirts get damaged.... or when I find a thrift store skirt that I just LOVE but is maybe just a little to large. I'm already reasonably confident I can now take a skirt that's a size or two to big, and make it fit. I know the sewing machine found it's way out of the laundry room last month, and earned a central place in the house as I had a few goodwill skirts that had some minor damage I didn't realize when I purchased it. One green one I really liked.... the elastic waist was coming off on the side. I took the sewing machine out... wiped the 5 years of dust off of it.... spent about an hour locating the petal for it, and some thread, and stitched it back on! No problem!

One thing I like about this.... is the creativity aspect of it. I kind of dig "patchwork" garments. Once I get a decent collection of various fabric scraps.... don't be surprised if I don't create a "skirt of many colors".

[Uncle Al]

As a suggestion, for practice/training material, try a few flat sheets.
Queen or Double would be about the right size for you get most, if
not all, of the 'parts' cut out of the material. The sheets are cheep
and easy to work with. Then progress to different types of fabric.
Yes, eventually, you'll need to get matching thread for the material.
But a basic white or other solid color sheet will work wonders for
your learning skills.

These 'practice' skirts are your 'crawling' stage. Soon you'll be
standing up and 'walking'(better material and outcome). Then
you'll be up and 'running' with fantastic fabrics along with greatly
improved sewing skills :

OK - Just my $.02 worth

Uncle Al