Midnight Garden - Skirt - Part II

A Major "Duh" Moment

I realize you haven't seen much of the skirt, but I am working on it. While I'm waiting for the silk to arrive (won't be today as it's Columbus Day, but maybe tomorrow!), I've been quilting the skirt. Since the skirt is fairly straight with little shaping it's not too bad. I've been lining everything up with my usual method - see this post and things seemed to be going well.

Once I had completed the front and one of the backs, I did a quick try on, but just wrapping the skirt around my body, like it will be actually worn. The skirt seemed really big, especially the back. I didn't think too much about it since I did add to the circumference in the hip area.

The next morning, while prepping the second back piece (remember, this is a wrap style skirt in which the backs overlap), it hit me why the back and the skirt overall was too big. Take a look at the picture below with the muslin overlapping the actual skirt:

Yes, I cut the whole thing too big, quilted it and didn't even realize it. I converted what was a deep pleat to a wrap style and didn't fold on the correct line! As you can see from the photo below, I was 6" off, and I even allowed myself a 1" seam allowance on the opening edge. This is a simple, silly mistake, but I was happy to find it. It is making that other back piece easier to quilt knowing that it is smaller! Think about it, 40 or so lines of quilting times 6", let's see that approximately 240" less inches of stitching to do!


Needless to say, I did have smile while drawing in the quilting lines for the other back. You can see that process below. This back was a little more tricky to work with. The lines must match at the side seam, just below the hip where the seam doesn't curve and must match at the opening. Thankfully everything matched! I was thrilled, as I was apprehensive about getting everything to match just right. The jacket was particularly difficult, and is almost perfectly matched. I have to remind myself that not everything will match all the time!

Tonight, I'll be finishing all the rows in one direction, hopefully starting work on my new blouse and going to ensemble practice!

Q/A: Mary in AR, posted this question: "What great tables to be able to spread everything out! I am very interested in how and what you use to trace your patterns -- would you mind showing us that part too?" Sure, I usually use plain of gift tissue for tracing patterns. It suits my purposes as it is cheap and thin enough to see through. I rarely make the same pattern twice, so durability isn't a factor for me, but oddly enough the tissue is pretty tough. Just don't get it wet! Some people prefer to use Swedish tracing paper, which I have used in the past. It is easy to work with and can be sewn through to use as a fitting muslin. I then use a pencil and ruler to trace the outline of the pattern and any markings. I need to get a dressmaker's curve so that I can do curves precisely, but I have found I have had no trouble just going slowly while tracing the curves. I then label the piece with the piece name and number, style number, magazine issue and size.

She added: "Also visited Manchester in July for the Knit & Crochet show and just fell in love with the area. I told my husband I want to retire there!" I'm glad you like our state! You should visit every time of the year; each season is special!

Parting Shot: Kiwi! I was trying to get a close-up of her with her eyes open, but she shut them everytime due to the flash!