It's fabulous!!! Anything that can get sewing back into the mainstream is a brilliant idea as far as I'm concerned.
The first challenge the 8 contestants had this week was to make an A Line skirt. One person lined theirs. Another added homemade bias binding to decorate it. The skirts themselves were just three pieces of fabric, with darts and a concealed zip at the back.
Funnily enough, before the programme was aired, I was also making an A Line skirt with some corduroy discovered in a charity shop.
My skirt pattern also had darts. But it had just two main pieces of fabric, a waistband, side zip and a button closure.
Here is the end result
It fits beautifully and hangs like a dream. I love corduroy to soften curves. It's also so very tactile.
This is one of the darts I inserted. It really does help to shape the skirt. You start to sew from the widest to the smallest part leaving a tail of thread which you then knot to prevent the dart from falling out. Always remember to press darts after creating them.
The waistband was a new technique for me. The previous waistbands I have made have had raw edges inside. But this was handstitched on the inside. It makes it much more elegant (not that anyone knows that it's there, but *I* do!) and durable.
The side zip was relatively well concealed. Given the choice, I would probably make a back zip next time. If you don't get it right, side zips can pucker easily. And besides, it's always easier to sew something on the flat rather than round a curve!
I have an admission to make - I've not figured out how to make a buttonhole on my machine until now, either LOL! So this was a first (and so easy with a buttonhole foot - I really must do a post on sewing feet soon!)
As I was looking through my Janome instruction manual trying to find out how to make a buttonhole, I also figured out how best to use the blind hem stitch too. So this was what I used to complete the skirt hem.
What do you think?
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