Sham's Tablecloth Skirt
Another moment of planets aligning! Toward the end of November, I was given the task of making seven "simple" skirts for a group of girls to wear in a presentation at our church. I agreed to do it even though I am not thrilled with the thought of making seven of anything, but then I was given the fabric and nearly fainted. Polyester organza, people. Just about my least favourite. And the girls who were to wear the skirts are roughly 10 or 11 years old (larger than any of the child models I have running around my house) and not at all the same size. Ack! This project went from simple to not-so-simple in the blink of an eye.
Then I stumbled across Sham's Tablecloth Skirt tutorial. Actually, I think I followed a link to it from Myrna's blog. Anyway, the simplicity of the rectangles appealed to me and my loathing of laying poly organza out for cutting. I asked a friend if I could borrow her serger, which I thought would make the process easier. This was my first time using a serger and I did appreciate not having to finish the seams.
Here is one of the finished skirts backstage. I couldn't get a decent shot of all eight on stage together. As it turned out, I ended up making eight skirts. There were two skirts made from pink squares, two from navy blue squares, two from forest green squares, and two from light blue squares. The pink fabric shredded when you looked at it funny (certainly when young people are struggling into their clothing during a quick scene change), so there were repairs that needed to be made after the first rehearsal to the ones with pink. I used a very wide black elastic for the waistbands, which helped them to blend in with the black t-shirts and pants the kids wear during the performances.
The girls loved their skirts and so did the director. They were easy to make - so easy that I didn't bat an eye over making an eighth one the night before the opening performance.
I've actually torn the fabric to make myself one of these skirts. Mine will be a linen-rayon-lycra blend.
Here is the serger I have borrowed. It's a Pfaff Hobbylock 2.0. I made a few other things with it (posts forthcoming) and have enjoyed having it around, but I am ready to send it back.
Then I stumbled across Sham's Tablecloth Skirt tutorial. Actually, I think I followed a link to it from Myrna's blog. Anyway, the simplicity of the rectangles appealed to me and my loathing of laying poly organza out for cutting. I asked a friend if I could borrow her serger, which I thought would make the process easier. This was my first time using a serger and I did appreciate not having to finish the seams.
Here is one of the finished skirts backstage. I couldn't get a decent shot of all eight on stage together. As it turned out, I ended up making eight skirts. There were two skirts made from pink squares, two from navy blue squares, two from forest green squares, and two from light blue squares. The pink fabric shredded when you looked at it funny (certainly when young people are struggling into their clothing during a quick scene change), so there were repairs that needed to be made after the first rehearsal to the ones with pink. I used a very wide black elastic for the waistbands, which helped them to blend in with the black t-shirts and pants the kids wear during the performances.
The girls loved their skirts and so did the director. They were easy to make - so easy that I didn't bat an eye over making an eighth one the night before the opening performance.
I've actually torn the fabric to make myself one of these skirts. Mine will be a linen-rayon-lycra blend.
Here is the serger I have borrowed. It's a Pfaff Hobbylock 2.0. I made a few other things with it (posts forthcoming) and have enjoyed having it around, but I am ready to send it back.
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