Boho Chic Skirt Tutorial

Thanks to Katy over at nobigdill.com for creating another amazing tutorial for the Boho Chic Skirt.  We love this skirt- we started our using our Boho Chic Ruffles but have now made the skirt with our 1" Cascading Ruffles and our 2" Ruffles.  We have made it in all sizes- women's and children's, short and long.  We have even used our Color Block Tutorial to piece two 1" Ruffles together and then followed the Boho Chic pattern.  You cannot go wrong with this fun and simple skirt!  And, Katy's directions are wonderful- so easy to follow!

Head over to nobigdill and enter to win Ruffle Fabric of your choice to make this fun skirt!

Thanks again, Katy!

Apron with Ruffle Fabric

Ruffle Fabric makes a darling, fun, and easy apron skirt.  We love to pair our RUFFLES with fun combinations of cotton fabrics for this tutorial.  This apron is design for 3-5T.  Length can be easily adjusted by adding or subtracting the number of ruffles you use or in the apron bib length.  You will need approximately ¾ yard of cotton fabrics and 1/3 – ½ yard RUFFLES.  We use ¼” seams.  We do not recommend pressing Ruffle Fabric.

From your cotton fabrics cut:

(2) trapezoid bibs – top length 6”, bottom length 11”, height 10.25”

(2) shoulder straps – 18” x 4”

(1) waist band – 19” x 4.5”

(2) waist ties – 22” x 4”

 

Cut your Ruffle Fabric for the apron skirt-  We use 12 1” ruffles (so your apron length can be easily adjusted if you would like it shorter or longer)  Cut fabric between ruffles, making sure to leave the knit fabric above the top ruffle intact.  We will sew our gathering stitches on the fabric above the top ruffle.  We use the full width of fabric.  Cut selvages off.

Mark Ruffle Fabric into quarters with a pin or tailor tack.

Gather the Ruffle Fabric at the top.  I can do this quickly by increasing my stitch length to a 4-5.

Mark waistband into quarters.

With right sides together, align quarter marks on waistband and Ruffle Fabric.  Make sure waistband extends ¼” past Ruffles for seam allowance on both short sides.  Make sure the waistband covers your gathering stitches.  Adjust gathers to be evenly spaced on waistband.  Pin and stitch in place.  *I have found it easiest to have your cotton fabric on the bottom and your ruffles on the top while stitching.  The ruffles have a line in the fabric where you can stitch to make sure your gathering stitches are covered.  If your seam allowance is wider here, don’t worry!  We have allowed a little extra.

Waist ties:

Fold waist tie in half lengthwise with right sides together.  Press.  Sew one long side and one short side of tie.  Turn right side out and press.  Topstitch along edges.  Repeat for other tie.

Match raw edge of waist tie to the raw edges of the waistband.  Pin ties to waistband, just above Ruffles, with ties toward the middle of the skirt.  Fold top of waistband over ties so they are sandwiched by the waistband.  Sew in place, stopping just at the RUFFLE skirt.  Open waistband and press top edge of waistband.

 

Shoulder straps:

Fold in ¼” on one short side.  Press.  Press each shoulder strap in half lengthwise, right sides out.  Open fold and fold both long raw edges into the center press mark.  Press again.  Finally, fold along original press line and press again.  Topstitch around each side.  Repeat for other strap.

Bib:

Pin shoulder straps to top of one apron bib, right sides together, raw edges together, ¼” from the sides of the apron bib.

Place second apron bib on top of shoulder straps with right sides together, the shoulder straps will be sandwiched between the apron bib pieces. 

Sew sides and top of apron.  Turn and press.  Topstitch the top and sides of the bib.

Place skirt front side down.  Place bib front side down.  Match centers of bib and waistband and align raw edges.  

Fold raw edges under along the waistband.  Pin in place.  Top stitch the waistband, making sure to catch the raw edges on the back of the waistband and apron pieces. Press the waistband again.

Finished!

Bubble Skirt Tutorial - using our Sherbet Tie-Dyed Tulle Roses

Bubble Skirt Tutorial - using our Sherbet Tie-Dyed Tulle Roses

We love this darling bubble skirt.  So easy and fun to make!  We've had so many questions about how we do it... what pattern do we follow?  We've discovered that no pattern is necessary- it just takes a few measurements!

Materials needed:  Sherbet Tie-Dyed Roses (also available in Red Tie-Dye!) by Ruffle Fabric, jersey knit for the underskirt, 1 ½” elastic waistband.   

Notes:  All seams are 1/4”
 

Start with two measurements:  your waist and finished skirt fabric length (not including the 1 1/2" elastic waistband)

Your waist measurement should be taken snug and ADD 1” to allow for seams.  Cut elastic to this length.

Take finished skirt length measurement.  This measurement is made up of two parts:  the width of the elastic and the length of the skirt material.  Deduct the width of your elastic (1 1/2" in this example) from your finished length to determine the length of the fabric of the skirt.

For example:  for our size 4T skirt the measurements were:

Waist- 19" (we cut the elastic 20")
Length of skirt- 11 1/2" TOTAL, including the elastic waistband.  So, we deducted the 1 1/2" to allow for the elastic width, leaving 10" for the skirt fabric length.  This is the length of the jersey knit- we cut it 10" long.  We added 3 1/2" to the Rose fabric, cutting at 13 1/2".  

Next, cut jersey to the length of the skirt (NOT including the elastic waistband measurement).

Take skirt fabric length measurement and add 3 1/2 inches.  This is the length of the Tied-Dyed Roses.  Cut Rose fabric.  You will use the full width of the fabric (or close to it).

Your items to complete your skirt are shown below:

Right sides together, pin together the bottom edges of both the knit and rose fabrics. 

Seam the bottom edges together.  We used our serger but it is not necessary.

Gather top edge of roses to desired fullness.  We used our serger but you can use any method you prefer.  Even zig-zagging over heavy thread (or dental floss, or fishing line) and pulling to desired fullness works great.

Gather top edge of jersey knit to same fullness as roses.

Gathered edge shown:

Gathered edge shown:

You will now be sewing one side seam.  Bringing right sides together, fold skirt in half, WIDTH wise- aligning the two side edges of skirt.  
 

Trim fabrics to be the same width.   Sew side seam, beginning at the Rose gathered edge down through the entire length of the skirt, finishing at the gathered edge of the jersey knit. 

 

Turn right side out and layer the two gathered edges.  Mark the elastic waistband in quarters.  Mark the top of skirt in quarters. 

Match the quarter marks on the skirt and adjust gathers to be even. 

Prepare the Elastic Waistband

We like to serge the ends of the elastic and apply a drop of Fray Check to the ends of the threads. Set it aside to dry. (optional step)

After fray check dries, trim the thread on the elastic.

Stitch elastic ends together, backstitching at both edges.

Stagger the ends to reduce bulk in finished elastic

Turn right side out, then stitch 1/4” from seam (stitching down the seam allowances), then again, 1/4” away from the first seam line.

First seam on right side of elastic

Second seam 1/4" away from the first

Finished elastic, wrong side showing

Finished elastic, right side showing

Mark elastic in quarters.  We like to place the elastic seam at the side rather than the back of the skirt.  Pin elastic in place. 

Top stitch the waistband to the skirt.  We love to use a twin/double needle for top-stitching.  You can also use a zig-zag stitch to allow for the elastic to stretch.

Finished!

Shirring with Ruffles & Ridges

Fluffy Ruffles Sundress

Shirring with Elastic Thread

 created and written by Susan Stewart

 

This is a great tutorial written by Susan Stewart of www.SusanStewartDesigns.com.  We love using our "Ruffles and Ridges" Fabric with elastic bobbin.  There are so many fun, easy things you can do.  We have made both women's and children's skirts and swim cover-ups with this same method.  Thank you, Susan!

This sweet little dress is easily made with Ruffle Fabric and elastic thread!  No pattern is required, just the desired dress length.  The stretchy bodice makes the fit very adaptable, so the dress can work as a tunic long after it is too short for a dress.  The dress shown was made from Ruffles and Ridges fabric, but Mini Ruffles will work, too.  You will need the length of the dress plus ¼ yard.

You will also need polyester sewing thread to match your fabric, a stretch or ballpoint sewing machine needle in size 75 or 80, and a spool of elastic thread.  You can probably find this thread displayed with other elastic, not threads.  It is usually wound on a long narrow tube.  You want elastic thread, not elastic cord, which is much heavier. 

GETTING STARTED AND TEST STITCHING

1.     The elastic thread is wound on the bobbin, not threaded through the needle of the machine; it is too heavy for that.  And it must be wound by hand, which really doesn’t take as long as you might think.  Wind the elastic thread on the bobbin with just enough tension so the thread lies smoothly in the bobbin.  Because you will need more than one bobbin of elastic thread, you may want to wind several to start.

2.     Check your machine manual, it may have instructions for using elastic thread or other heavy threads in the bobbin.

3.     Insert the stretch needle in the machine, and thread the machine with the matching poly thread.  Position the bobbin in the bobbin case of the machine as usual.  Pull up the elastic thread, and leave a tail of a couple of inches.

4.     Do some test stitching on samples of the same fabric you will be using for your dress.  Each machine will be different, so I can't give any absolute settings.  Start with a stitch length of 4mm.  Straight stitch on the right side of the fabric, so the elastic thread is on the wrong side.  For testing, stitch at least half an inch from the edge of the fabric, in the middle of the fabric under a ruffle, and stitch at least 4 or 5 inches.  The stitched fabric should gather up, yet still allow for the fabric to stretch to its full width when the elastic is stretched. 

a.     If the needle thread forms loops on the wrong side of the fabric, increase the needle tension.

b.     If the elastic thread is loopy on the wrong side, slightly increase the bobbin tension.

c.     If the fabric doesn’t gather at all, or very little, slightly increase the bobbin tension or increase the stitch length.

d.     If the elastic is very tight, with tight gathers that will not stretch out, decrease the bobbin tension. 

Note:  To change the bobbin tension, consult your machine manual.  Bobbin cases usually have a little screw that turns “lefty loosey, righty tighty.”  Before changing the bobbin tension, use a fine-tip permanent marker to mark the position of the tension screw, so it will be easier to return to the regular bobbin tension when you return to regular sewing.  Tighten or loosen the screw in small increments, no more than one-eighth turn at a time.  Some people like to buy a separate bobbin case just for bobbin work, so their main bobbin never gets altered.  Changing the tension on drop-in bobbins will vary by machine; check your manual.  Some machines have special bobbins for bobbin work.  On other machines, it may work best to completely avoid the bobbin tension mechanism.  Test, test, test, and use the settings that work best for you and the particular fabric you are using.

e.     Leave tails of several inches at the ends of the stitched row.  After stitching the first row satisfactorily, stitch consecutive rows, stitching in the middle of the fabric under each ruffle.  Stretch out previous rows as you are stitching, so you are always stitching on flat fabric.  Be careful not to catch the ruffles in the stitching.

f.      If you run out of bobbin elastic (and you will – the bobbins don’t hold enough to finish a project), leave tails of both elastic and thread about 2 or 3 inches long.  Pull the thread to the wrong side.  Insert a new, filled bobbin and continue stitching so just a couple of stitches overlap.  Make sure the tails don’t get caught in the stitching.  Pull the thread from the new stitching to the wrong side.  Securely tie together the elastic thread ends; likewise tie together the thread ends.  Cut off elastic and threads, leaving at least ¼ inch tails.

g.     After the stitching is completed, steam the shirred section. If one or more rows are not pulled up as much as the others, gently pull up the elastic thread, as if it were a regular gathering thread, and distribute the extra gathers, so that all rows are consistently taut. This is what it should look like on the wrong side:

 

SEWING THE DRESS

1.     Lay out Ruffles and Ridges fabric right side up, with ruffles lying flat.  For dress upper edge, cut between the first (uppermost) and second ruffle of a “Ruffles” segment.

 

1.     Measure down desired length, and cut lower edge between ruffles.  No hem is required!  If in doubt about length, cut fabric a little longer.  The dress can always be shortened after it is finished, simply by cutting off a few ruffles! 

2.     Stitch rows of elastic thread, as directed above, on the fabric between the top two ruffles.

3.     Stitch subsequent rows of elastic thread between the other ruffles in this top “Ruffles” section.

4.     In the “Ridges” segment, stitch right on the little knit-in ridges (perfect – no marking required!)  Because this part of the fabric is a little heavier than the fabric between the ruffles, you may need to increase the stitch length a bit, or tighten the bobbin tension a little, to make the shirring consistent.

5.     Stitch as many rows of elastic thread as desired for bodice of dress. 

6.     Steam the shirred section of fabric.

7.     Now it’s time to stitch the center back seam.  You need to hold the ruffles in place while you stitch, so they don’t get bunched up or flipped up in the seams.   I have “tamed” the ruffles in these different ways:

a.     Simply pin, pin, pin, and pin some more!

b.     Serge or zigzag along the edge of the fabric before seaming to hold the ruffles in place.  Stitch from top to bottom, in the direction the ruffles lay.

c.     Near the seamline, use a tiny bit of water-soluble glue stick under each ruffle to hold it in place.  After gluing, press lightly with a warm iron and press cloth to dry the glue so it won’t gum up your sewing machine needle.

Use blue painter’s tape about ¼ inch from the seamline to hold the ruffles in place.

 

1.     Fold the fabric right sides together, matching rows of ruffles in the skirt, and pin.

2.     While seams can be serged, I usually prefer to simply zigzag them.  Why?  Because if a ruffle is caught in a zigzagged seam, it’s easy to open a few stitches, release the ruffle, and re-stitch.  If it is caught in a serged seam, it may be cut off!  Zigzag (approx. W = 2.0, L = 2.0) on the seamline, and again about ¼ inch from the first stitching, within the seam allowance.  Trim seam allowance close to second stitching. 

3.     To help prevent the elastic thread from pulling out, press or simply fold the seam allowance to one side, and zigzag topstitch from the right side, through the bodice and seam allowances.  This stitching does not extend into the skirt, only on the elasticized bodice.

4.     Now it’s time to do the shoulder straps!  Cut a strip of Ruffles, cutting the upper edge as you did for the top of the dress, and the bottom edge below the lowermost ruffle in a strip (the cut strip will include 7 ruffles from the Ruffles and Ridges fabric.  If you are using mini Ruffles, cut a strip 2 to 3 inches wide.)  Stitch elastic thread between each row of ruffles, as you did for the dress.  Steam.

5.     Cut shoulder straps about 7 inches long for baby and toddler sized dresses, 8 inches for little girl sizes, and 9 to 10 inches for big girl sizes.  Remember, this stuff is very stretchy, so precise measurements are not necessary!

6.     Fold under about ½ inch on each cut end, then securely hand stitch straps to upper edge of bodice at desired locations, catching folded-under ends in stitching.  Hand stitching gives a much nicer look than machine stitching, and takes only a few minutes.

7.     Have a little girl try this on, and watch her twirl!

 
 

If you like these instructions, check out my Ruffles Idea Booklet, available on my website www.SusanStewartDesigns.com