All Things Pattern Making & Sewing…
This little fabric bag is strong and versatile! Use it as a gift bag, a shoe bag, a book bag, I keep my passport in a bright orange one so I can find it easily.
Download my free template or simply follow the guidelines on the template to create your own template to your own set of measurements.
As always I love to see pictures of your makes so let me know how you get on.
Nicola
In part 1 of this project we covered drafting the panel piece you need to make an 8 panelled skirt. In part 2 we look at the methods you can use to sew the skirt together and some tips on how to change the look and design of the skirt.
If you missed part one, drafting of the pattern, take a look here and draft yourself a skirt pattern that fits your individual body measurements perfectly.
Most medium weight fabrics would be suitable for this style, even a soft denim would also work well, or a light weight chiffon would also give a lovely fluid hem, this is a very versatile style and as you experiment with different fabrics you will find they all give you a slightly different look.
You will need to purchase twice the length of your panel if the fabric is 125 cm or less in width, or why not take the panel to the fabric shop and ask them to help you calculate. You will also need ¼ meter of medium weight fusible interfacing and a 20 cm zip, and some matching thread of course.
You will need some bias binding if you choose to bind the inside of the skirt facing or the hemline (you can calculate this by measuring the hem of the facing panels and skirt hem) or make your own binding – I have a handy template and guide to making your own bias binding here on my blog page (see below for the link).
You will also need a hook and eye fastener to finish the top of the zip.
A facing gives a lovely clean finish and the technique can be used on any garment hem edge, it’s particularly good for finishing armholes and necklines too!
If you are using the single facing piece, i.e. the one we made a pattern for in part 1, then you will need to cut out the pattern piece 8 times in fabric and fusible interfacing. Fuse the fabric pieces to give them some strength and then sew them together as illustrated below – Press the seams open and set the facing aside for now. If you want to know more about fusible interfacing take a look at my blog post on the best way to apply fusing at home.
An alternative method for creating your facing involves a little extra pattern drafting, but it will save you sewing time, so it may be worth a try…
If you want a lovely neat finish on the inside of your skirt, you can bind the hem of your facing, this looks fantastic! Your local fabric shop will have a wide selection of ready made bias binding, or you can look here for a free guide and template to making and applying your own home make binding. I absolutely love making my own!
Take all 8 skirt panels and stitch them together, placing each piece with right sides together, leave one seam open at the top by 20 cm – this is for the zip insertion. Press the seams open and neaten with your chosen method, this may be a zig zag stitch or if you have an overlocker then this is perfect. Or why not go mad and bind all the seams.
Many people are afraid of inserting a zip, if you follow these simple steps, and take your time, then your zip will be perfect!
Now you can finish the waist line by placing the facing piece to the skirt waist line with right sides together, fold the facing back at the zip seam or overlap by 1 cm each side and sew along the waist line.
Now flip the facing inside the skirt and press, you have a lovely waist finish! You can either hand sew, or machine stitch the ends of the facing overlaps by folding them in and securing them to the edge of the zip tape, just be careful not to catch the zip teeth.
Now all you need to do is hem the skirt, A very small hem is best for this style, press the hem up gently and pin in position, you will need to ease the hem as you sew it, try not to drag the hem along and cause ripples, I always prefer a hand sewn hem.
Now you have made one skirt, why not experiment with length and flair and create as many different versions as you like! If you would like to make this in a soft jersey fabric then take a look at my next post where I show you how.
If you have any questions or comments then just leave me a message, I would love to see some pictures of your makes!
Don’t forget to read my next post for some more ideas for developing this skirt into a jersey version.
Nicola x
For those of you that read my monthly magazine article in the French Publication DSM, here is a more detailed run through of the latest project. For everyone else, why not give this a try!
Part 1 – Designing and Making Your Bespoke Flared Skirt
Have you ever wanted to make something that fits you perfectly? Here is your chance to learn how to create the pattern for this versatile 8 panel skirt, it is as simple as making 1 panel and cutting it out 8 times in fabric!
In part 2 of this project I will cover the skills you need to sew the skirt.
Step 1 – Fill in your measurements on the handy chart below.
For this example I have inserted the average measurements for a size 12 in PINK for you to follow, you will of course have to substitute your own measurements for the pink ones!
Measure your waist and add some extra for movement, it you want a fitted skirt add approximately 2 cm extra. If you want a looser skirt you can add a little more. If you want to use a knitted fabric no extra above your actual body measurement is needed. Now divide this total by 8 as illustrated above.
Do the same for your top hip, this lies at 10 cm below your waist and the same for your hip which lies at 21 cm below your waist line. Decide on the skirt length you would like – we now have all the measurements we need for you to make your pattern!
Step 2 – draw a vertical line on a large sheet of paper, the line needs to be slightly longer than the skirt length you have chosen. At the top of the line draw a horizontal line to represent the waist – each side of this line you can place the measurement you calculated for your waist (4.6 for my example placed equally each side of the centre). Ten centimeters below the waist level do the same for the top hip and again for the full hip. You can square down from the hip until you hit the line extended out for the length of skirt. Make the skirt long for an elegant evening version, or shorter for a flouncy summer skirt!
Step 3 – Now to add some flare! Decide where you would like the flare to ‘flare’ from. This can be as high up as the hip if you want. Place a horizontal line at this level to mark the flare line. Cut up the centre of the panel and to the side of the flare line and spread the pieces as illustrated below. You can open then as much or as little as you like, so long as they are opened equally each side.
Step 4 – place the pieces on a new sheet of paper and trace the shape you have created. The waist can be shaped gently by extending the waist line up by 0.5 cm each side and gently curving at the centre.
Step 5 – all you need to do now is add some seam allowance and your main pattern piece is complete!
Step 6 – the waist can be finished in several ways, the simplest way is to cut an exact copy of the top of the skirt at a depth of 6 cm from the waist line, this will be your facing panel and you will also cut the pattern piece 8 times in fabric.
You now have your pattern – in part 2 I will show you how to sew this lovely skirt and then we can take a look at how to develop the skirt for a knit fabric with an elasticated waist!
See you next month for part 2 – sewing the paneled skirt.
Nicola x
Here is your monthly free sewing project, it’s more complex than it looks, as the shape of the curves are quite difficult to sew, but it’s great practice and a fun way to use up odd pieces of fabric!
Simply subscribe to gain access to the subscribers free content area for your free ‘Cheeky Monster’ pattern and step by step making instructions – as featured in my monthly craft project in the French Magazine DSM!
All my free pattern and information can be printed at home on your A4 printer and compiled to form a whole pattern piece – as always if you have any questions or comments then please get in touch.
Nicola X
Download your free pattern by clicking the link below – simply print the pages on your regular printer and stick together to form the bag pattern!
Free pdf evening bag pattern 4 x A4
This is a lovely project, not as simple as it first appears, for the free PDF pattern please download the file from the link above.
The pattern piece can be cut as one whole piece as pictured here on the lining fabric, I chose to have a seam on the main bag piece as I wanted to place the print of the fabric in the best position I could. The main bag pattern piece can be cut in the same way as the lining if you are using a plain fabric.
We will start with the lining – place the right sides of the lining together and stitch the side seams taking 1 cm seam allowance.
Pop the lining to the side for now and we will work on the main bag.
The first step is to place your zipper foot on the machine.
The straps are very much up to you. You could use cord, or ribbon, or contrast fabric.
I chose to make straps in the bag fabric and pull some wadded filament through to pad the strap.
The bag opening needs to be completed before attaching the lining to the main bag
Now follow the same steps you took to sew the lining, sew the side seams and the base. You may not be able to sew right to the top of the bag as the straps are quite bulky if you padded them, but this can be completed by hand if you want to.
Now all that remains is to attach the lining to the bag at the zip seam allowance. Most of this can be done by machine, but you will need to leave a gap to turn the bag through and that can be finished by hand.
Firstly place the lining inside the bag as it would lie when finished, pop a couple of pins there to hold it in place.
My completed bag! – they are ideal as gifts or lovely as a wedding or special occasion bag.
Why not add some design details such as a lovely fabric flower, keep posted and I will show you how!
Make sure you subscribe for more free projects.
Any questions or comments then please let me know.
If you are inspired by making this bag then this is another lovely bag to make!
Click this link to go to the pattern on Etsy!
Nicola x
