In Bias Town, you must let the fabric hang up overnight to allow it to stretch itself out fully. I did know that. But I did not know that zippers in Bias Town require different treatment, so I blithely sewed the zipper in and it rippled like a snake, like a bad home ec. project, like homemade-not-in-a-good-way.
The rest of the skirt sewed together beautifully - the hem alone is worth wearing the skirt inside out so you can see my perfect hem lace.
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| Thanks to my husband for the photos! |
Well, that skirt stayed neglected in my closet for a full year and I just did not have any tan-ish bottoms and finally I needed that color so much that I got new directions and tried again.
I unpicked the zipper. I used my iron to shrink the stretched out bias. I applied interfacing down the seam lines. I sewed in the zipper again. It looked perfect and I started wearing the skirt triumphantly, but I see now, a month or so later, that it has started to sag into a little ripple again. Drat and blast.
In the meantime, I am trying to hold my waning interest in my winter wardrobe by wearing dark tights with my chestnut-colored Dansko sandals and the copper skirt.
But I'm planning sleeveless dresses in my daydreams.
10 comments:
I love that skirt on you! If I ever get my sewing machine out again (it's been ages!) I'll remember this post for future reference :)
I have never embraced sewing...I can do it...I just don't have the patience that it takes to "do it right"! I think your skirt looks great!
Margo, good for you that you tried to fix it, even if it did take a year or so - often, we need to leave things alone for that long!
Here - http://forums.threadsmagazine.com/gatherings/fitting/wavy-bumpy-zipper-bias
About three-eights (ha!) of the way down, somebody says to hang up the garment after removing the zipper, giving it more opportunity to stretch. I also saw in my Sandra Betzina book (I don't use these sewing books except when somebody else runs into a problem) she says she actually stretches the fabric - she presses it to lengthen it, thereby avoiding too much stretch, before sewing the pieces together.
You bring up something I hadn't thought of, since I've been looking for some nice plaid to make a flowy bias a-line skirt, and the zipper issue had not occurred to me.
Anyway, I don't think you should give up - your skirt is very nice.
I don't see HOW you could look frumpy in khakis!
I must have missed Bias Town (evident by my bedroom curtains' lining hanging JUST a bit longer that they should. Oh, well.
Zippers? Pffff...I use self adhesive velcro buttons. Needless to say, I don't sew much clothing with closures :)
I've never, ever gone to Bias Town and now I'm pretty sure that was a good choice for me :)
Beautiful skirt with such a nice drape. I'm liking your sandals too.
Thanks for all the compliments, dear readers!
Kim, closures are the bane of my clothing-sewing, I must say. In high school, I sewed a lot of elastic-waist skirts and pull-over shirts. I shudder to think how it looked, but I was enjoying the creative process.
I love your skirt Margo, and it looks beautiful on you.. Zipper still looks fine [hey..you have that beautiful sweater with it, and it doesn't show the zipper any way,ha]
I love your shoes..so pretty.. You look very pretty in the out fit..
I too am looking forward to spring and summer dresses. I pray
it comes soon..
I (perhaps foolishly) decided it looked like a nice enough spring day for a knee-length, sleeveless dress (with a light sweater for just in case). I've got spring wardrobe fever, too. We'll see how foolish this may or may not have been on the walk home.
I quite like your skirt. Its a shame if it has issues...they are certainly not noticeable in the photos. But, maybe they were taken before the issues presented themselves.
Hey, live and learn, right?!
You look pretty & happy, in spite of the zipper woes! zippers are the bane of my existence too, I hate dealing with them. Life would be better if I had a zipper foot but I sew them in by hand--I have finally figured out how to do this and have it not look insane.
In any event, I LOVE the skirt and am very fond of the shoes too. They are fun and comfy-looking (in a good way!).
Margo, I love your skirt! An A-line skirt is the best!
Want to know a good tip for skirts + tights? Wear a slip! As a child of the 70s I just always regarded slips as one more thing to oppress me. But you know what, a slip just really adds a little something to the way the skirt drapes. I do prefer a skirt with a nice built-in detached lining, but that doesn't always materialize!
Thanks for your sweet comment on my mudroom color post :)
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