Civil War Skirt Tutorial

EHow has two simple Civil War skirt tutorials available. The first set of instructions is for a skirt with a waist band, and the second is for a draw string skirt. No pictures or video are included, but the instructions are simple enough.

Hoop Skirt Tutorials

I found an ingenious hoop skirt tutorial at OneWalking. No need for expensive boning from the fabric store. This hoop skirt uses water tubing from the hardware store. Awesome idea.



Also found this awesome tutorial for a cage hoop skirt at TheDreamstress.com. I'm not sure what pattern I'm planning to use for our upcoming event, but either of these will do nicely.

After looking a little longer at patterns I ran across a step by step flash tutorial by Yiji at DeviantArt.com . Her tutorial is possibly the best, but since it is flash you can only view one page at a time.

Corset Tutorial from ThreadBanger

Looking for a quick easy corset pattern? This video from ThreadBanger may help. Step by step instructions can be found here, but the link to the pattern instructions is missing from the ThreadBanger post. Some basic instructions on making a pattern can be found at this link.



I dug a little deeper, and found a site that generates a corset pattern/instructions based on measurement inputs. The corset pattern generator can be found on ElizabethanCostume.net.

Rolled Hem Tutorial

I found a wonderful tutorial by Vanessa over at Little Big Girl Studio, that details how to use a Brother 1034D to sew a rolled hem. It is great to find someone that is actually using the same machine that I am. The other tutorials I've seen have been some what helpful, but her tutorial showed me the exact settings I needed for my machine. It worked wonderfully. I'm so happy I found this.

The tutorial can be found here.

My First Ruffler Foot

The ruffler foot for my sewing machine came today. If you happen buy one of these, you may want to watch a lot of videos before you decide to tell the seller it is the wrong one.

The foot I received looked completely different than the one that I ordered. It looked more like the attachment for slant shank machines, and the darn thing didn’t seem to fit. It kept hitting the pin that is used to tighten the needle. So I promptly emailed the seller, to tell them they sent the wrong one. Why wouldn’t I think that? After all, it doesn’t look like the one in the picture at all.

Needless to say, it does in fact fit my machine. The little part that kept “getting in the way”, that’s what makes it work. Apparently it is suppose to go “around” pin, not under it. That is how the foot knows when to make the pleat.

I’m not saying it “is” the right attachment for my sewing machine, because it is very hard to get it to fit right. However, it does in fact work.

I also found that rather than cutting fabric piece after fabric piece to practice with, it is easier to just pull each end to break the thread. Remove the loose threads, and start over.

Although the ruffle foot seems more like a torture device than a sewing machine attachment at first, once you get the hang of it is pretty cool.

Shirred Smocking Tutorial

I haven't been able to find the video I was looking for tonight. I wanted to find the Sewing with Nancy episode that showed how to create smocking with a serger/over lock machine. It is a great episode, and the guest shows all kinds of great stitches that can be created with a serger.

I did however find this great tutorial on YouTube that shows how to create smocking with a regular sewing machine. Marking this one now, so I can find it later.

T shirt Bikini Sewing Project

I finished my t shirt bikini. I didn't exactly follow any of the tutorials, but mixed bits and pieces of them, along with tips found in forum posts.

Some tidbits...t-shirts stretch, and of course they also become a little transparent when wet. To solve this issue, I used a lined both the top and bottom with another material. I was going to go with the swimsuit fabric at JoAnn. It is 90% polyester and 10% spandex. Since I really didn't need a lot of stretch, I went with the 100% polyester, at one third the price of the swimsuit fabric. I also used this for the ties.

Now on to the cover up, because I sure am not wearing a bikini without covering it up. Not until I'm a few shades darker anyway. I would hate to blind someone.

List of Swimsuit Tutorials

I'm thinking of making my own swimsuit this year. I've already purchased one, but since all of my old ones are too big this year, I figure I'll need a few more. This is a collection of the tutorials and patterns that I've found for DIY swimsuits.

Tie One On: DIY Swimsuits, at MarthaStewart.com.

Rockabilly Summer Swimsuit from Threadbanger.com.

T-shirt Bikini from Threadbanger.com. You'll find the tutorial in the second half of the video at 5min.com.

Bikini Top and Micro Mini Swim Skirt also at 5min.com

Free Swimsuit pattern from BurdaStyle.com.

Swimsuit from Cutting Edge Stitches & Seams.

Bow-tie Bikini from Weekend Designer.

T-shirt into a one piece from GiannyL on Instructables.com.

My First Blind Hem

Woo hoo! I sewed my first blind hem! No more hemming pleated skirts by hand for me. Maybe my daughter's uniforms will actually be altered in time for school to start on Monday. The pictures in the tutorial at Threadbanger.com made it so easy. I didn't have the correct foot for my sewing machine, but I was still able to get it done without it.

What's next for me? I think I would like to try this ballet slipper tutorial by Shaggy Raggy Roses.I think they would make great Christmas gifts this year.