skirt – Sew Beach Life

Sage Top and Cinder Skirt

An Easy, Breezy Summer Outfit

A fitted strappy top or crop (with an optional shelf bra!) is the perfect complement to a light breezy skirt. I love it when Stitch Upon A Time brings an on-trend look to life!

About a month ago, I was sitting at the beach with family and friends and noticed the skirt a woman walking by was wearing. I know people watching is a common “sport”, but garment sewists, we tend to clothing watch. 🙂 Whenever I see a cute dress, top, skirt, or outfit, I start thinking: do I have a pattern for that? Anyways, the maxi length skirt she was wearing was made of a white gauzy fabric, had overlapping sides, and an elasticated waistband. It looked so cute, but I had never seen a pattern like it. About a week later, the testing call for the Cinder Skirt popped up and I was so excited to sign up for it! The Sage Top was also being tested, and I couldn’t resist the opportunity for a cute new summer outfit.

The design of the Cinder Skirt is perfect, with beautiful, clean finishes. There are no exposed raw edges, all the seams are enclosed. With quality finishes like this, no matter how many times you wash and wear this woven skirt, it won’t fray. The secret to the hem on the curved sides is the facing. My best tip for the facing is to serge along the inner curve with a four thread overlock, then press that inner curve to the wrong side of the fabric. This will make it easier to press, and keep your fabric from fraying inside the hem, even when using fabric that tends to fray a lot, like linen.

The facing is pinned to the skirt panel right sides together. See how smoothly that inner curve lays? And how badly the linen fabric (along the outer cuve) frays before serging?

When serging the facing to the skirt panel, up the differential to 1.3 or even 1.5 when serging the outer curves. This will help the curved seam lay flat when the facing is flipped to the inside and pressed. Just don’t forget to put it back on N for the straight sections!

I love the beautiful details of the elasticated waistband and overlapped panels on the sides of the skirt!

The waistband calls for either two rows of 1″ elastic, or one row of 2″ elastic, stitched in the middle. The directions call for top-stitching the upper edge of the waistband, inserting the elastic, then top-stitching below the elastic, and inserting the second row of elastic. I followed the rules on my first test version, but decided to try using my coverstitch and a different method on my second skirt.

I thought it might be easier to leave an opening for elastic, stitch the waistband, then insert the two pieces of elastic. To prepare the waistband for this, I serged along both short ends to finish them. Then I sewed the short ends together 1/4″ past the halfway fold of the waistband. I stitched the bottom 1/2″ of the short ends together too. This left me an opening for the elastic on the inside of the waistband. I pressed the seam open and stitched along the opening to finish it.

Notice how the bottom of the waistband is serged and pre-pressed? This will make it easier to do the final top/cover-stitching on the waistband.

Since even a narrow coverstitch is wider than a single row of top stitching, I had to make small changes. Rather than top-stitching 1/2″ from the upper edge of the (folded in half) waistband, I coverstitched 1/4″ from the upper edge. Leaving 1″ of room for the 1″ wide elastic, I ran the next row of coverstitching. As per the pattern tutorial, the raw edge of the waistband was serged onto the gathered skirt. The pre-pressed bottom of the waistband was folded over the serged waist seam, carefully pinned in place, then coverstitched.

It’s important to stitch slowly, and pause to remove pins to avoid breaking a needle or damaging your machine.

I love the beautiful clean finish on the waistband, and the professional look of coverstitching. I will admit though, that it took a bit of work to get both pieces of 1″ elastic threaded evenly through the waistband with this lightweight fabric! It’s such a fun skirt though! And I love that there are three length options- mini (which is what I made), knee, and maxi length. I still need to find some white gauzy fabric to duplicate the maxi skirt that I saw at the beach!

Here’s what the inside of the waistband looks like before adding the skirt and elastic. I could have hand-stitched the openings closed after adding my elastic, but because I finished the edges, I don’t feel the need to get out a needle and thread! Also, my cat obviously likes to hang around and requires petting while I am sewing! 🙂

The Sage Top is such a great companion to the Cinder Skirt! Being a fitted tank, it skims the body and works well with the gathered skirt. I love that it has a built-in shelf bra so that I don’t have to wear an uncomfortable strapless bra.

The shelf bra is surprisingly supportive and comfortable.

The Sage Top with shelf bra is not designed to wear as workout top (unless of course your bust doesn’t really need support for exercise). But for casual wear, it provides adequate support to wear comfortably. Because I have a larger cup size, and have a “grandma” bust, I always use powernet in every bra/shelf bra/swimwear/workout top I make.

The main fabric I used is a lighter weight nylon/spandex circular knit. It is super soft and comfortable, but doesn’t have as much recovery as say an athletic or swim knit. So I used a nylon/spandex swim fabric, and a layer of powernet for the shelf bra. And, I snuck some clear elastic in on the strap section of my binding.

I love that it’s so easy to thread 1/4″ clear elastic through the presser foot of my machine, and it feeds evenly as it’s serged into the seam.

This photo makes it obvious that I didn’t follow the pattern tutorial and do a double folded binding. When doing binding on a knit garment, I just find it easier to use 1/4″ seam allowances, and use the faux binding method. Should I be advising people to not follow the tutorial and go rogue? Possibly not, but it’s what works best for me, and gives such beautiful results that I’m unlikely to change my faux binding habit! 🙂 To accommodate the method, I cut the binding strips at 1-1/4″ wide, instead of the called for 2″. (1/4″ seam allowance + 1/2″ wide binding + 1/2″ folded under).

To prep my binding strips, I serge along one long edge of the binding, using a four thread overlock with a stitch width of M, and a stitch length of 2, upping my differential to 1.3 to add stability to the straps. Then I serge the binding to the garment right sides together, and press the binding up. Then I fold the binding around to the back until the raw serged edge aligns to cover the seam. Use plenty of pins to keep the binding in place, and coverstitch.

I love finding random designs, sandcastles, and messages left by beach-goers. I don’t know who drew this cool design in the sand, but I admire the precision and time it must have taken! It added an interesting background for my photos. So, thank you to whoever made it!

The design of the Sage Top and Crop is so elegantly simple- a seam up the center back, and binding. Easy breezy! Center back seams are great for shaping. In for the waist, and curving out to fit smoothly over the bum.

Yoga has given me some rather serious lat muscles 😉 even if this isn’t the most flattering photo. We were losing the light and it was a cloudy evening, so Dan (my sweet accommodating husband) just took a quick snap.

I’ll wear my Sage Tops with shorts to go skating. It’ll be nice to not have to wear a bra on hot, muggy Florida days. Since we’re busy working on a home updating project, I haven’t had time to skate in weeks. It’s killing me to miss out on my normal Wednesday morning skate around the neighborhood, but such is the life of avid DIYers! It’s also taken away pretty much all of my sewing time, which is why I don’t have any more of these outfits made yet.

The wind didn’t blow the overlapped sides on the skirt open. So there is enough modesty for general wear. Along with knee and maxi lengths if mini length isn’t your style.

So, I’ll have to content myself with this cute outfit until I get some more sewing time! I’d also like to hack the Sage Top, by cutting the crop length, and adding either the Max Top and Dress skirt, or the Wylde Dress skirt. Ah, so many possibilities!

The details:

The Sage Top and Cinder Skirt are new patterns from Stitch Upon A Time.

I used nylon/spandex circular knit, nylon/spandex tricot swim knit, and powernet from Phee Fabrics for the Sage Top.

The 1″ wide knit elastic for the shelf bra in the top and the waistband of the skirt was purchased at Wawak, along with the MaxiLock serger thread used for construction.

The navy lyocell twill fabric for the skirt was a surprise clearance section find at JoAnn Fabrics. I would definitely buy it again, as it was the perfect weight and drape for this skirt.

Thank you for reading and sharing my love of creating, sewing, patterns, patterns, fabric, and making beautiful, well-fitting garments! ❤

The links to Stitch Upon A Time may be affiliate links, which means that at no extra cost to you, I may receive a few pennies if you purchase through my link. As always, I only give my honest opinion. After all, it is my blog, which represents me!

Are You Ready For A Treasure Hunt?

The Stitch Upon A Time Treasure Hunt Skirt, Options, Sewing Tips, And Upcycling!

I went on a treasure hunt as soon as I was notified that I was chosen to be a pattern tester for the Treasure Hunt Skirt. My husband has recently commented that I don’t really need to make myself anymore clothes, since my closet is pretty full. Well! OK, it may actually be pretty full, but it’s too full of ready to wear clothes that I rarely wear, and not full enough of comfortable, well-fitting clothes that I’ve made myself! So, it was off to treasure hunting!

Throwing away clothes that you don’t like, or that no longer fit is wasteful. I’ve donated many bags of clothes over the years, but I thought it would be more fun to upcycle a few things. The Stitch Upon A Time Treasure Hunt Skirt has SO many options! There’s a pencil skirt with or without a flounce, a hi-low pencil skirt with flounce, an A-line skirt, a hi-low A-line, and a pleated skirt! There are maternity options as well. So, where to start? I thought the hi-low pencil skirt with flounce sounded fun (and sexy), so that was my first make.

I upcycled an old swing dress that had a pretty print, but never got worn because the polyester spandex “scuba” fabric was a little too stiff to drape nicely as a dress. It may not have been flattering as a dress, but wow! It sure made for a fun skirt!

My husband’s reaction to this skirt? “Whoa baby, that looks **good**!” 🙂

The skirt is figure hugging, but not tight, the hi-low flounce adds a little bit of sexy sass, and is husband approved! 😉

The shaping over the booty is just right.

It makes me feel fancy, and looks great with heels. The hi-low hem is made a bit subtle with the fun flounce. As with most flounces, it’s basically a little circle skirt. You might dread hemming circle skirts, and I guess if your fabric doesn’t fray or curl, you could leave it unhemmed. But that is not how I roll. I like nice finishes, and the quality look you get from a nice hem. Here’s how I make it easy. I serge along the bottom hem of a circle skirt with the fabric right side up, using a 4 thread overlock, with a stitch width of M, a stitch length of 2 to 2.25, and the differential up to 1.3 or 1.5. This slightly “gathers” the edge so that when you turn it under there isn’t any excess fabric to cause lumps or folds in the fabric. I always use plenty of pins and my hem gauge to get perfectly even pretty hems.

You can see the inside of the pretty hem in this stance.

Since this upcycled fabric didn’t have as much recovery as I would have liked, and because I was working with limited fabric, I used a scrap from my stash for the waistband. Although the scrap matched quite well, it had a tendency to curl, badly. Ugh! I also wanted to ensure that if my granddaughter pulled on my skirt while playing, that she didn’t pull it down! So I decided to add elastic to my waistband.

To test my elastic length, I wrapped it around my low waist where the waistband would end up, and pulled it comfortably snug. This means that it felt tight enough to stay up, but not so tight that it gave me a “muffin top”. I made sure to exercise my elastic before testing the length (stretching it out 10-15 times). The length worked out to be 1-1/2″ to 2″ shorter than the suggested waistband length. Different brands and types of elastic have more or less stretch, so I always like trying the elastic on my body before sewing it into my garment. I overlapped the elastic by 1/2″ or so, and zigzagged all around the overlap. I also cut my waistband 1-1/2″ shorter so that the elastic and band would be the same length.

Having the curling fabric and elastic all perfectly aligned with a basting zigzag made is so much easier when I serged the waistband onto the skirt.

Then I folded the waistband over the elastic and ran a wide zigzag (length 2.5, width 3.0) along the raw edge of the waistband. I made sure that the elastic was 1/4″ inside the edge of the fabric so that it would be caught in the zigzag, but not cut when the waistband was serged on the skirt. This gave me a perfectly fitting waistband that will keep my skirt from being pulled down while playing with a rambuctious 3 year old!

With all the options the Treasure Hunt Skirt offers, I thought it would be fun to try a different style. Since the hi-low speaks to me, the A-line hi-low was it. I found an old maxi skirt in my closet and it had enough fabric to make my skirt and a cute top for my granddaughter. The polyester spandex ITY made such a fun, swishy skirt!

The A-line is full enough to flow and drape nicely over the body.

I made a slight change to the waistband on this skirt, by adding 2″ to the height. This made it 1″ taller than the original band. I played with a french tuck to show off the waistband.

Do I look like a flamingo in this pose? The fabric kind of makes me think of a Lilly Pulitzer flamingo print!

From the back the skirt just looks like a simple A-line.

But from the side you can really see the pretty hi-low effect.

Even though it’s a flowy skirt, the hi-low gives it a little bit of a sexy look.

I loved the look so much, that the next day, I made another hi-low A-line skirt. It was another upcycle, this time out of a jersey knit.

I love that the hi-low is shorter in front, but not **too** short.

I wasn’t sure that I’d like the jersey knit as much as the drapey ITY, but honestly, this might be my favorite skirt!

The cut of this skirt just gives such a pretty drape!

It seriously looks good from every angle!

It sure makes me feel pretty! And isn’t a pattern that flatters your body and makes you feel pretty a treasure in and of itself?

Are you ready to go on a treasure hunt and make yourself a new Treasure Hunt Skirt? It’s such a quick, yet satisfying sew! And with all the options available in one pattern, you can make yourself a variety of fun, comfortable skirts.

The details: These are affiliate links to the Stitch Upon A Time site and the Treasure Hunt Skirt. This means that at no extra cost to you, I may receive a small commission if you purchase through my link. As always, I only give my honest opinion. After all, it is my blog, which represents me! 🙂

The white top is a Titania Tunic tied in a knot. It’s my favorite way to wear this top! It also looks good with my Legend Leggings blogged here.

Thank you for reading and sharing my love of creating, sewing, patterns, fabric, and making beautiful well-fitting garments! ❤

Love You “Two” The Moon Birthday Girl!

Can you believe that my beautiful granddaughter just turned two? I planned to write a post about her birthday party, and thought I would include photos of the decorations and snacks and treats, along with her birthday dress like last year. But it was a super busy day, and somehow I didn’t take many photos! So there aren’t any close-up photos of the cute star cookies (you can barely see them on the table behind her), the astronaut ice cream, or moon cheese, chosen for her space themed birthday party.

There wasn’t much doubt that Lila would choose space as a theme, since “moon” was one of her first words, shortly after “Mama” and “Daddy”. She likes to spot airplanes and helicopters, and “Look at stars!” and “See fireflies”. Her vocabulary is out of this world, if I am allowed to brag a bit, about all the phrases and sentences she says these days. She mimics and picks up new words and phrases daily. Possibly even ones she shouldn’t, such as “OK, girlfriend”, which she learned from yours truly! 🙂 It is sort of funny though, since she inserts it appropriately into conversation!

Her birthday dress was made using the free Sew A Little Seam Birthday Dress pattern. I muslined it using some chevron foil print purple knit I found on the clearance rack at JoAnn Fabrics a couple years ago. It looked cute and proportionate, although I couldn’t try it on her since she lives in another state.

Finding fabric that looked like galaxies was a little challenging, since I didn’t have time or the budget to order a custom fabric. But I found some hand-printed cotton at my local fabric store (that has a ton of quilting fabric, and very little knit, which seems common in Florida) that looked pretty and sort of galaxy like. The pattern tutorial calls for a zipper if the dress is made with woven fabric, although it’s only supposed be in the bodice. After installing the zipper in the completely lined and finished bodice, it made no sense to me to not have it extend into the skirt. Since there isn’t a back seam in the skirt (which would have been the easiest solution) I just snipped down the center back of the skirt about 3 inches, and folded the snipped edges under. Attaching the skirt was a bit challenging, since I needed the edges to line up perfectly in order to continue sewing on the zipper. It isn’t the prettiest zipper I’ve ever done, but it was installed and worked perfectly.

To up the “space” and sparkle factor, I added some metallic trimmed satin and chiffon ribbon to the bottom edge of the tulle underskirt. A simple zig zag stitch through the chiffon layer worked perfectly, and it took every single inch of the 3 yard spool of ribbon! I also made the hair bow, by following a tutorial on YouTube. Fortunately, the dress fit perfectly, and Lila wore it all day long from playing in the garden, to learning to ride her birthday scooter.

Last year, she just leaned forward in her high chair and nibbled her cupcake. This year, she decided it was too sticky to hold herself, and wanted Mama to hold it for her! Can you tell that she only gets sugary treats on rare occasions?

The birthday party flew by, with kids, neighbors, family, friends, noise, presents, and the general bedlam that one expects at a children’s birthday party. And it really only ended after it grew dark, and all of the neighbor children finished playing with bikes, scooters, balls, being pulled in wagons, and the adults gathered them inside for their dinners and evening baths.

On her actual birthday, we tagged along on a trip to a local farm. Lila got to see all the animals, go on a wagon ride, wander through a maze, and look at pumpkins, although she didn’t pick one out to take home.

And she got a shoulder ride from Grandpa, just like her Mama used to when she was little!

She also opened her present of Grandma made clothes. She wore her Petite Stitchery Sweetie Leggings (another free pattern) made from a floral double brushed polyester scrap and her Patterns for Pirates Tiny Tulip (also a free pattern), made from pieced together scraps of rayon spandex ribbing from Phee Fabrics the next day. The leggings are a looser fit like joggers, and the 24 months size fits well. The dropped shoulders of the Tiny Tulip make the size 2 a little bit big on her. I had to roll up the sleeves to keep them out of her way.

I made the skirt out of some star printed vintage cotton woven my Mom gave me when cleaning out her house. It’s just two pieces of fabric 12″ high by 22″ wide sewn together, and gathered with swim elastic. Swim elastic works best because it’s soft, and stretches enough to gather a wide opening small enough to fit on a simple rayon spandex waistband.

I hadn’t tried the free (with code in their Facebook group) Halla Leggings pattern before, but gave them a try because the rise is higher in the front than some of the other kids leggings patterns. Toddlers have round little bellies, and I dislike low rise leggings with a baby belly and diaper sticking out of the top! There was a big enough scrap of Polartech Powerstretch left in my stash to make the size 2/3 years. The Patterns for Pirates Buried Treasure Tunic in size 2 was the basis for the other two tops I made.

The sweater knit hacci was part of a panel and I didn’t have enough scraps to make long sleeves. So I cut them as long as I could, added seam allowances, and cut the rest of the sleeves, neckband, and gathered ruffle on the bottom out of Phee Fabrics rayon spandex. The floral print was a scrap of rayon spandex from JoAnn Fabrics. Since the fabric was quite thin, and didn’t have the greatest recovery, I decided to use some white rayon spandex from Phee as the neckband.

It makes for a cute outfit that is comfortable for her to run and play in. She also likes adding the 5 Out Of 4 Girls’ Eleanor Cardigan I made her last year when she is preparing to go play outside. If Phee Fabrics gets any more Polartech Powerwool in this winter, I will definitely have to make her another cardigan!

We had so much fun hanging out with the birthday girl! The 13-1/2 hour drive each way was brutal, but worth it to be able to visit our sweet, fun, loving, adorable, hilarious granddaughter. We can’t wait to visit again for Thanksgiving, but we’ve decided we’re going to fly next time!

This post may contain affiliate links. This means that at no extra cost to you, I may receive a small commission/credit if you purchase through my links. As always, I only give my honest opinion. After all, it is my blog, which represents me! 🙂 Thank you for reading and sharing my love of sewing, patterns, fabric, and pattern hacking. ❤

The Aushui Tank Transformation

Transforming The Stitch Upon A Time Aushui Tank Into A Dress

I bought the Stitch Upon A Time Aushui Tank pattern because who doesn’t need a unique tank top in their lives? The square cut neckline was a new look for me, and I love tanks with straps that completely cover your bra. The pattern is a pretty quick sew, and the facings really help the tank keep it’s unique shape. It also has options for a button placket and a tie front, which will totally change the look!

Rayon spandex from Phee Fabrics made for a soft, comfortable tank, with excellent drape. I added two inches to the length because I am tall and like longer tanks. But I certainly could have stuck to the pattern length and been just fine.

Once I made the tank I started thinking that it would be fun to make the Aushui into a dress. Not only are dresses a summer time staple, they also make it easy to get ready in the morning. Wanting to keep the lines of the dress clean, a gathered seam at the waistline was out. A simple fit and flare design fit the bill, so I pulled out the Stitch Upon A Time Calista pattern. The skirt portion of the Calista flares out nicely, without being too full.

The hardest part of this pattern mash was determining where the skirt should start! Fit and flare dresses look best when they are fitted through the bust area and flare out at or just above the natural waist. A novice sewist may be surprised to learn that your natural waist isn’t necessarily at your belly button. Tie a string, strip of fabric, or piece of elastic around your waist, and bend side to side several times. The elastic will settle at your natural waist which may be above your belly button.

Lay the Calista skirt pattern on top of the Aushui Tank front, with the center folds aligned. Slide the top of the skirt up to the bustline marking. With the patterns taped together, cut out the front of your dress. Align the Calista skirt the same way on the tank back, and cut out the dress back. There will be a little area where the tank and skirt pieces intersect at a sharp angle. Gently curve this area (where the purple arrow is pointing in the second photo) when you cut out your dress.

Then follow the pattern tutorial for construction of view A. The only difference will be the length of your side seams. Take your time and use plenty of pins when folding up the hem. That way you’ll get a nice even hem when you finish your dress. Pro tip: sewing a line of stitches down the center of the back facing before construction will make it easy to tell the front from the back when you’re hanging up laundry or getting dressed. If you have a vinyl cutting machine, a cute little HTV design would make a good “tag”

I used Phee Fabrics Tricot for my dress and absolutely love the drape and swing of my Aushui Calista pattern mash! It’s a fun, flirty length, without being too short. It only took two yards of fabric, and I have large enough scraps that I can probably make another swimsuit. 😉 You can read about my Water Faery and Scrundlewear bikini here.

I need more of these dresses in my life! I’m so glad I played around with the patterns, and that my dress turned out even cuter than I imagined! There’s no reason to be afraid of trying something new, and hacking and mashing your patterns. You might just end up with a new favorite dress, or other cute clothing in your wardrobe!

*This post may contain affiliate links. This means that at no extra cost to you, I may receive a small commission if you purchase through my links. As always, I only give my honest opinion. After all, it is my blog, which represents me! Thank you for reading and sharing my love of sewing, patterns, fabric, and pattern hacking. 😉

Swimwear Shenanigans and Escapades

Hacking The 5oo4 Shenanigans And Escapade Into Fun Swimwear

Since I’ve decided that this is going to be the summer for swimwear sewing, I’m having fun combining and hacking my patterns to make some fun suits! I like using all the fun colors of Tricot from Phee Fabrics, and always use their Powernet in my swimwear, bras and workout wear for extra support.

The 5 Out Of 4 Shenanigans Skort seemed like the perfect basis for a swim skirt. Since the Escapade Top and Dress pattern has a drawstring front, I thought it would be fun to add drawstrings on the sides of the Shenanigans. That way my booty could be covered while walking out to the beach, then I can shorten the skirt as much as I want while playing on the beach.

You can use the shorts included with the pattern, or your favorite briefs pattern for underneath. If you use a different pattern for the briefs, make them first, without sewing the waistband. Since my brief pattern has a lower rise, I traced the Sporty Spice length in my measured size for the skirt, and cut on the low rise line. I didn’t want the sides to flare out too much, so I curved the side seam of the bottom of the skirt front in to the next smaller size. When I lay the skirt front pattern on top of the brief pattern, you can see that the front waistline curve is the same, and that it’s a couple of inches wider than the brief.

You need that extra width to make your drawstring casing, and for your skirt to have a little bit of ease. The skirt back should also match the curve of your briefs and have the same extra width. Because I’m tall and have a booty, I added a little extra length to the center back of my skirt, tapering up to the side length. It’s just enough to cover my bum when the skirt isn’t gathered up on the sides. Sew the skirt front and back right sides together with a 1″ seam. Make drawstrings by cutting four 1-1/2″ wide strips of fabric twice as long as the side seam of your skirt. Fold each strip right sides together and using a stretch stitch sew with a 3/8″ seam allowance. Use a safety pin or bodkin to turn the strips right side out.

Fold the skirt side seam allowances under 3/8″ and pin in place. Stitch in place using a 1/2″ seam allowance to form the casings for your drawstrings.

Fold the bottom hem under 1/2″ and use a zig zig or other stretch stitch to hem. On the right side of your skirt, make a small horizontal slit in each casing, about 3/8″ above the hem. Thread a drawstring in each casing and tack the drawstring in place at the top.

Align the center front, center back, and side seams of your brief and skirt and pin or clip in place. Try it on to ensure everything feels comfortable and lines up nicely. This is your opportunity to trim the rise a little bit if needed for better alignment. Easing the skirt to fit the brief, baste them together. Then sew on your waistband and elastic and you’ve got a new swim skirt!

I’ve hacked the 5oo4 Escapade into a workout top before, so I knew it would make a great bikini top. I thought it would be cute to have a little cut-out in the back, although due to changes I made after basting the side seams and trying it on, the cut-out is smaller than I’d originally planned. I used Tricot as the main and lining fabric, with a layer of powernet basted to my main fabric so that it will end up sandwiched between the layers. (Following the pattern tutorial and basting it to the lining fabric will save you from having to snip through two layers when making your opening for the drawstring!)

Because adding an underbust band to accomplish the cut-out added length to the top, I ended up shortening and altering my front and back pattern pieces to show a little more skin. I wanted the back bodice to end up 3″ high, so my pattern piece ended up 3-3/4″ high, with a 3/8″ seam allowance at the top and bottom. (I did not have my strap drawstring go through the bodice back. If you want yours to go all the way through, add 3/8″ to the height, since the top will be folded under 3/4″ to form the casing per the pattern tutorial.) Simply fold up the bottom corner of your pattern piece along the center back fold line to get the triangular cut-out.

I cut the front bodice on the C/D cutline, because according to the measurement chart, that’s where I should cut. I definitely need the extra length in the center front, but not so much at the sides. So I ended up tapering my bodice height starting 3-1/2″ away from the center front angling up to the necessary side height of 4-1/8″ to match up to my bodice back.

To make my straps, I followed this blogpost from Emerald Erin. Basically, you cut your fabric four times the width of your elastic, (in this case 1-1/2″ wide). Fold the straps in half right sides together. Place the 3/8″ elastic flush with the cut edges, then zig-zag the elastic, right at the inner edge of the elastic. Then turn your straps right side out. Take your time when stitching on the elastic, and the straps will end up nice and flat.

Sew the bodice front per the pattern tutorial until you reach the point where you are supposed to sew the front to the back at the side seams. This is when I tacked my straps at the side seams, rather than having one long strap run through the entire top of the bodice. Note: in the photo below, I had not yet made the tapered cut at the bottom sides of my top.

Lay the bodice backs right sides together, and stitch along the top using a 3/8″ seam allowance. Stitch along the triangle cut-out. Sew elastic to these seam allowances, keeping the elastic taut, but not pulling on it. This will give these seams stability, and help keep the top of your suit in place. It might seem intimidating to sew elastic, but it’s not as scary as you may think. In fact, 5 Out Of 4 Patterns has several blog post videos showing how to add elastic in their Sewing School series. In the photo below, you can see where I added the elastic. Note: The bottom of the back hadn’t been trimmed to it’s shorter height yet.

You’ll need to poke one side of the back through the narrow space at center back to turn the back right sides out. Then it’s time to sew your side seams. I hate bulky side seams, and with the straps, and elastic, and layers of fabric and powernet the seam could get bulky! So I do it a little differently than you may have seen. Since the front strap casing is folded down at the top front, my normal method of sewing the main front to main back, and lining front to lining back, lining up the top seam isn’t going to work.

So I folded the back bodice over the front bodice, aligning the seam with the top edge of the front bodice, making sure that the main fabric front matched up with the main fabric back, and the two lining fabrics were together. Stitch down 3/4″ until reaching the casing stitch line. Then pin the main fabric front to the main fabric back and the lining front to the lining back and stitch each of the pinned seams together.

Then clip the seam allowances so that you can press them open. I also clip the top corner at an angle to help reduce the bulk. Repeat these steps on the other side seam.

Cut a band the same width as your bikini top, adding in a seam allowance. If you use 3/4″ elastic, the band should be 2-1/4″ high (twice the width of the elastic plus the seam allowance). Sew the short ends of your band together, and aligning the seam with one of the side seams, place the band over the bodice right sides together. Pin the band to the bodice bottom, then stitch.

Use pins to mark the center front and back, along with the quarter points. Overlapping the ends of your elastic 1″, zig zag together, then mark the quarter points with pins. With the band still folded up on the bodice, pin the elastic to the seam allowance, aligning the quarter point pins. The edge of the elastic should line up with the seamline, and hang down below the bikini top. Then wrap the band down around the elastic and overlapping up to the inside and pin in place. Stitch around the bodice bottom using a zig zag set at 2.5 stitch length and 3.0 stitch width. At the triangle cut-out opening, stitch across the band at the top and trim away the excess fabric.

You can either tie the straps at the neck halter style, or have someone help you pin them in a comfortable spot and tack the straps in place, cutting off the excess strap length. Now you have a cute new swimsuit! I love being able to adjust the drawstrings to make the skirt as short or long, and the top as high or low as I want.

Because it’s boring and awkward to try and look sexy, I decided to have fun doing cartwheels instead. 🙂

Being able to laugh at yourself and act silly keeps you young, right? 😉 There is no need to be afraid of sewing swimwear. Have fun with it and mash and hack away! It’s just another pattern and some colorful fabric, customized to fit YOU! Does sewing your own swimwear give you super powers? Maybe not. But it does give you the confidence to see if you can still do cartwheels! So sew away and then hit the pool, lake, or beach.

Pace Skirt

Tips For Pretty Pleats

Like many (most?) sewists, I like looking through patterns, and thinking about new clothing I can add to my wardrobe. I have eyed the GreenStyle Pace Skirt several times, and even when I’ve made bulk pattern purchases to get the discount, I’ve hesitated on the Pace Skirt because of the pleats. Pleats may seem intimidating, but you really can sew pretty pleats! I want to share some tips for making pleats, so you won’t be afraid to try this fun pattern.

The Pace Skirt has a plain front and pleated back, with optional attached briefs, or shorts with pockets! 🙂 Secret hidden pockets to carry your keys and phone? Not having to worry that a big gust of wind will come along, or that you’ll have to perform some kind of quick un-lady-like move while chasing a little one around? Sign me up please!

The pattern is drafted for a stretch woven skirt, with a stretch knit waistband and briefs/shorts. Since it can be challenging to find a stretch woven fabric, GreenStyle has a note in the directions that you can use a stretch knit by sizing the skirt portion down a size. I have learned to trust the extensive testing and excellent pattern drafting, follow my measurements, and make the recommended sizes. I like to print and tape a master copy of my patterns and trace out my size on parchment paper. That way I’ve always got my master pattern to go back to, even if my pattern pieces get torn or a bit crinkled up from use.

So here is my first tip: pay attention when you are tracing your pattern pieces. Because I was using a stretch knit, I had to remember to trace a smaller size for the skirt front, back, and upper back pieces, while using my measured size for the waistband and shorts pieces. This is also the time to lengthen or shorten the pattern pieces as needed. I am tall, so I added 1-3/8″ to the skirt length. I also used the high rise waistband pieces rather than the standard pieces. Can I just add here that I love that both rises are included in the pattern? I didn’t have to worry about adjusting the pattern to add to the rise, and those that prefer a shorter rise also have the appropriate pattern pieces.

Tip #2: Make sure that you are laying out your pattern perfectly on the grain. Grainlines and direction of greatest stretch lines are included on patterns for a very important reason. They help you line up the pattern with the fabric so that your garment will hang properly on the body. This is super important on the skirt back piece, because you will want to reference the grainline when pressing your pleats. If you cut it out on grain, it will make it so much easier to get perfect pleats. If you cut it out crooked, you will get crooked pleats if you follow the grainline while pressing.

Tip #3: Mark the pleat lines on the skirt back. The pattern piece is clearly marked with how to fold your pleats, so they go from the center outwards. You could use tracing paper or a disappearing pen, but I found it easy enough to use pins and clips. I placed pins along the top of the skirt at the pleat marks. And where each pleat folded over, and the next pleat started, I also added a clip. That was my reminder of where the pleat ended. In the photo below, I’ve already pressed all the pleats on the right outward toward the right side of the skirt. (I used the metal hem guides to help hold my pleats in place while I made the folds to pleat the other half of the skirt back. You could also just use pins or clips to accomplish this.) Since I had made sure that I cut my pattern piece on the grainline, it was easy to follow the grainline to press the entire length of the pleat down to the hemline. And obviously, I need to clean my iron, because little white specks of build-up have flaked out of the steam ports! 🙂

Tip #4: When pattern directions suggest that you baste, take the time to baste! The small amount of time that it takes to baste, will save you so much more time when you are sewing your pieces together. Once all of your pleats are pressed, pin them in place so that you can baste them down before sewing on the upper back piece. Check out those pretty, pressed pleats!

By following the pattern directions, you will end up with a fun, flirty, pleated skirt! It can be casual everyday wear when paired with a simple tank top. In this case, a rayon spandex GreenStyle Staple Tank.

You can use the built-in briefs option if you prefer it when playing tennis or golf. If you’re like me and want pockets to hold your stuff while power-walking, I recommend the shorts. I love the “secret” pockets!

I also love that you can change the vibe and wear the Pace Skirt for dressier occasions by wearing a chiffon top, or adding a jacket or cardigan. This RTW top had been languishing in my closet because I didn’t really have anything to wear it with.

I am very happy with my new skirt. My husband complimented me on it, and said that he loves the pleats. ❤ Even with the built-in shorts, I don’t feel overheated because I used Phee Fabrics circular knit which is moisture-wicking and super comfortable. There’s no need to feel intimidated by pleats. If you have any questions about sewing or pleats, feel free to comment and I will try to help you out. Take your time, use my tips, follow the pattern directions, and add some cute new skirts to your closet!