Polka Dot Pintuck Skirt Tutuorial

Supplies -Around 2 yards of fabric (if you want it less big then mine, then so less fabric) *make sure it is a more flowy or light weight/thin fabric because if it is heavy or stiff it will be very hard to gather or it will be way too fluffy looking. *optional - lining fabric or buy extra to add underneath. I just wore a slip -sewing machine -thread that matches -scissors -elastic (or zipper if you want to add a waist band with the fabric instead) Instructions: 1. Measure how far you down from your waist (where you want the skirt to sit) to where you want the first pintuck to start and make sure you add an inch for the elastic (All together mine was 8 inches form the waist to the first pintuck). 2. Mark this with a fabric pen, or if you are like me and you don't have one, then mark it with pins. 3. Then start marking your pintucks. Choose how big you want your pintucks ( I choose an inch), the double it (for me 2 inches), then mark that with pins or a fabric marker. So....in my case 8 inches down plus 2 more inches.

4a. Iron or just sew depending on what you are more in the mood for. If you iron, match up the pins or the fabric pen markings (This is why I feel pins are WAY more helpful) then Iron down a crease. Keep the pins in to make it your guide to sewing the pintuck, unless you marked it then that will be your guide. OR 4b.

4b. Because I have a lack of a big ironing board I decided just to sew and bypass the whole iron thing till the end. So, This is where I matched up the pins between my fingers then added another pin to keep it perfect. If you also marked, then you can take out the 2 pins and just keep the one pin.

5. Time for pintuck #2...and the rest! So, space the pintucks out however much you want. I decided to make the pintucks and inch long and the space between an inch long as well. So, I measured an inch from the first pintuck and marked it, then measured 2 more inches below that (because my pinctucks are an inch long, then you have to double it). Then sew by using either 4a or 4b. Then continue with as many pintucks as you want. I did 7 all together.

6. Now time to hem! Under your last pintuck, cut down the fabric short enough so it can't be seen. Mine was about a quarter inch. Here you can serge or finish it off by zig zag stitching the edges like a serge. Make sure the thread matches. I didn't have matching thread so I ripped the fabric short so it would curl inwards. But that won't prevent the fraying.

7a. How to add the elastic is super easy. The first way you can do it, shown below, involves stretching the elastic as you sew. The more you stretch the more gathered it will be. I put it on a very long straight stitch because it will give more room to stretch and the stitch will be tiny when unstretched. If you want the fabric to be stretched equally around the elastic band, then mark the elastic band in quarters as well as the skirt's un-gathered waist. 7b. This isn't shown, but it is the method I used. If you are using lots of fabric or you want it very gathered and need it to fit in an elastic band, but the stretching isn't getting all the fabric gathered then you will have to gather the fabric before hand with a basting stitch or ruffling or gathering foot. When the waistband of the skirt is all gathered to exactly your waist size, add the elastic without any stretching at all, but make sure to zig zag stitch this time. when you have finished, pull the waistband to hear lots of stitches popping, which is the basting stitch. Then at this point the zig zag stitch will be holding it up.

8. Sew the two ends together putting right sides together. pin the pintucks and elastic band together before hand to make sure they line up perfectly. 9. Iron the gathered part of the waist band to de-fruff it and iron down the pintucks!! DONE! If you feel the skirt is very big, then wash is to soften

Joyful Upcycled: Summer Dress Tutorial

Posted by Joy | under Sewing . Tutorials | 41 Comments A couple of weeks a go I showed you one of my first upcyled dress for this summer. Well I though I should share the tutorial in case any of you would like to make one for yourself! I know finding a 6x t-shirt is not an easy task but if you happen to find one, here is how I transform mine into this cute dress.

As I told you on my post, I started with a 6XL mens shirt, this one to be exact:

THE PROCESS:
[Click Images to Enlarge]

A- First you need to disassemble the shirt (I named what part of the dress we will use with each part of the shirt) I un-sew the front pockets (you can always sew them back to your dress if you want), cut the body of the shirt and the sleeves.

B- Next up is to disassemble the top, cut out the sewing lines of the back and neck so you will end up with something like the picture. remember that normally the back of the shirt has a double layer (cut them to rectangles because we will use those pieces for the ruffles on the front of the dress)

C- Cut the front of the shirt like shown in the picture, I made sure to measure my bust from under my arm to the other side and use that measurement for the width of this piece to fit me better.

D- Now open both sleeves and cut one like this picture (that piece will be the back of the dress) and with the other sleeve cut two stripes of 2inches width (those will be the straps of the dress)

E-to make the straps for the dress fold the 2inch stripes in half and sew along the edge, to turn them inside out I always use a big safety pin. 1- secure the end of your strap with the safety pin. 2- turn the front to the inside of your strap. 3- pull trough the inside of your strap. 4- reach the other side and pull the safety pin out. 5- keep until all you turned the whole strap. 6- strap ready, just press to finish.

F- Out of the back piece I named waist stripes, cut 2 pieces of 3inches wide each and half the length of your waist measurement + 3 inches, (in the second image) to have an even pattern in the front I cut one of those stripes in half and added to the end en begging of the other one, the 3 pieces together must be the your waist measurement. Put pins to mark you bust measurement on the final stripe, leaving an extra inch for comfort. Make another piece just like this one out of ribbon, shirt or anything you can use (if you have enough leftover you can make it with the shirt in my case my left overs were not enough)

G- Ruffle the bottom of your dress, by sewing with the widest stich your machine has and then pulling on one of the ends of the threat, center your waist stripe and make sure the ruffles are the same width as the measurement under your bust marked in the waist stripe.

H- Pin to secure the ruffles, remember right side of the fabrics had to be facing each other. Grab the other piece you made and place it on top of the ruffles, with the wrong side facing out.

I Sew the sandwich made out of the 2 waist pieces with the ruffles in between.

J- Turn the fabrics up and this is how it should look.

K- Ruffle the back pieces of the shirt and fold and sew the edge to prevent fraying. Cut 2 small pieces out of your shirt leftovers to cover the edge under the arms of the front of your dress.

L- Protect the edge of the underarm. 1-Sew the stripe to the back of your tops arm. 2- Fold and sew on top of the fold for a clean finish.

M- Repeat the same process for each side and it should look like this picture.

N- Attach the ruffles to the back of the front, with the wrong side facing out. 1- Secure the edge of the straps in between the ruffles and the front. Sew them together. 2- Turn the ruffle to the front.

K- Sew the edge of the ruffle to prevent the to fall back.

O- Add the back piece on both ends, if you want you can add elastic to the edge. (the sleeves already have the old so you just need to pass the elastic trough it and secure it on both ends)

P- Pin and center both pieces together, remember to sew on the dress piece because we will fold the other fabrics waist stripe to cover and make the inside clean.

Q- Once everything is centered, sew it.

R- Now fold the other fabric, and pin to secure it.

S- Sew all the way around, I did it double because I like the look.

T- Add an extra button hole or pin to the waist so it fits better and doesnt open in that part. I added some lace to the bottom of mine but its just because I love lace! and you are done!

I added a simple yellow sash to my dress to spice it up See more pics of this dress HERE. Let me know if you make it I will love to see, Happy Sewing!
* This tutorial is provided for personal, non-commercial use only. Check the Site policy at the bottom for further information, Thank you!