Maxi Bustle Skirt Tutorial

Hi all! I shared this tutorial a couple of weeks ago on Me Sew Crazy. In case you missed it, here is how to make a maxi bustle skirt, perfect for moving from summer into fall...

It has been years since I have made an article of clothing for myself to wear. I mean, like, eight years. And even then, it was a maternity skirt. I have done more sewing in the last year than I have in the over a decade (ouch!)since I graduated with my Bachelor's Degree in Fashion Design. And most of that has been for my daughter and my customers.

But, a couple of weekends ago, I made myself not one but two skirts. They fit exactly what I was needing in my wardrobe, long skirts. Long skirts with extra fullness in the back to give them a little polish. And long skirts that slip on and are comfortable to wear.

Could you use such a skirt in your wardrobe? Well, I am about to show you how ridiculously easy it is.

You'll need 1 inch wide elastic, fabric and coordinating thread. I have made this skirt in both cotton and lightweight wool so it will take to a good range of fabric choices. You do, however, need to make sure that it is either 50 inches wide or more, or else make sure that it doesn't have a directional print. That way you can use the selvage edges for the top and bottom and the yardage for your width. Does that make sense?

You'll need a rectangle of fabric measuring 50-60 inches wide by the length you'll want your skirt to be plus inches for hem and your upper casing. To get that measurement, measure from above your belly button to where you want the front of the skirt to hit. Then add three inches for the top and three inches for the bottom.

Now that you have your fabric ready, let's get started. Take your two shorter ends and sew them together and finish them however you like. If you have a serger, use that. If you want to zig zag it, go for it. Personally, though I do own a serger, I use a french seam. If you have no idea what that is, follow along with me.

Sew your two shorter sides together WRONG sides together with a 1/4 inch seam allowance. I know, it will feel sacrilegious, but I promise it will be okay.

Next, turn it inside out and sew it again, RIGHT sides together this time, with a 1/2 inch seam allowance. This way you capture the raw edges inside and you have a lovely finished seam.

Now on to the waist. You'll want to finish your raw edge either by serger again, or by folding it over and sewing it down all the way around the skirt at a 1/4 inch. Next, fold the skirt in half to find the middle of the waist and lay it flat on the table. Measure 12 inches from the center on both sides and mark with a pin. Like so:

Fold the waist over an 1 1/2 inch and starting from one pin sew a casing along the back to the other pin, making sure to back tack at the start and at the end.

Cut yourself a length of elastic about 11 inches long. Or you can do the math. Ideally you want to match your waist measurement. The front of the skirt is 24 inches so subtract that from your waist measurement(keeping in mind that the skirt will sit high on your waist in the front)and you should know how long you want your elastic. Just be sure to add 1/2 an inch for seam allowance. Now thread your elastic through the casing you just made. (Be careful not to loose the end of it in the casing.)

Sew over the encased elastic at both ends, going over it a couple of times to ensure all is secure.

Next, sew down the front of the waist picking up where you left off at the elastic.

The last thing you need to do is hem it. You can do this however you like of course. My preferred method is to give it at least a two inch hem, as it looks more professional, and a double stitch line. And I use hemming lace. I do not mind hemming nearly so much since I have discovered this method.

Now try it on and see how the waist fits, if (like I did the first time) you need the waist to be tighter, use your seam ripper to open a small section in the center of the waist, pull the elastic out a bit and cut off the necessary amount, sew the ends of the newly cut elastic together, pop it back in and sew up the little opening.

And there you have it. I told you, it was ridiculously easy. And it leaves lots of room for embellishing. You can add a ruffle or two to the hem, you can add a sash that ties in the back and covers the elastic casing. You can make it not so maxi.

You can make it wild.

Or you can make it classic.

Make it your own. Most of all, have fun!

My First Little Baby is 8!

I can't believe it has been 8 years. Eight years full of joys and tears and memories and road trips. Eight incredible years. And we got to celebrate it with family. A lot of work went in to this little party for the seven of us. But, the important thing is He loved it and felt as special as he is.

This year, it was Super Mario Brothers. Let's start with the decorations shall we? There were Boo Balloons and Chain Chomps and lots of stars!

I made custom party hats, a different one for everyone. I found the inspiration for these here. The birthday boy was Mario of course...

And what's a Mario Bros. Party without mustaches?

I'm not generally a fan of mustaches, but I ask you, could this be any cuter?

I made a homemade pinata that looked like a question box and filled it with all of the little Mario Bros. trinkets and candy my mom and I could find.

And all of his presents we wrapped as question boxes as well...

We played Mario Bros. Bingo, which you can find and download for free here. We used gold coins for the markers. Appropriate, don't you think?

I also printed out Mario coloring pages for the boys. You can find those for free here.

And finally, the cake. Cute As A Fox Hosted a fabulous Mario party for her husband and she had a ton of wonderful ideas. We had pretty much everything on her menu and I definitely used her cake idea. It took 143 mini cupcakes, and there were only 7 of us, so as you can imagine, we have lots of leftovers, but it was worth it. He loved it!

I made three different kinds of cupcakes, but instead of mixing up different kinds of icings, I only mixed the tan for his skin by adding a tiny bit of brown coloring to cream cheese frosting. For his hair we used chocolate sprinkles. And we used colored sugar sprinkles for everything else. 

I like having something that I can reuse from their parties, and in this case the stars at the bottom of the cake are glow in the dark stars that he plans to put up in his room. It's a wonderful reminder of the party that was created and put on for him with love.

Happy birthday, my sweet Isaac!

Guest Posting on Me Sew Crazy

Do you remember this little sewing project?

I'm over at Me Sew Crazy today showing you how to make the Maxi Bustle Skirt for yourself! So head on over there and enjoy the tutorial!

Romantic Tweeds

Oh my gosh. Do you remember how I said a pair of shoes I made had a major malfunction and were basically trash? Well, I remade them for my incredibly gracious and patient customer and it could not have worked out better. The new pair have had several improvements and she is getting a way better shoe. She is getting my favorite shoe I have ever made.

I made a new pattern for my women's shoes and I love the shape of them so much!

It's subtle but the toe curves a little more. I also received a new insole material that makes my product that much more professional in quality. Yay!

But, mostly I love the look of them. I love the tweed with the new lace flower. They're romantic in every way that is good.

It looks like, somewhere in the midst of my ever increasing orders I need to find the time to make myself a pair. Thank you, Kellie! You were such a joy to work with.

Another Little Peep

This weekend was my birthday. The night before my birthday, since I knew I was going to get to sleep in, I stayed up until three in the morning finishing a rush order on a pair of shoes. I didn't necessarily need to stay up that late, my customer had agreed to pay for expedited shipping. But, I knew that if I got them shipped on Saturday they would get there a day early via Priority Mail, saving her $20. That's the kind of service I give when I can. And it so happened, I could. So I did. Coffee helped. Ha.

She wanted them for a photo shoot for her daughter this week. In exchange for the rushing, we have agreed that I get a pic from the shoot to use. I am so excited about this, because the idea for the shoot, the styling, is so adorable! I truly hope it works out.

They were made to match a ruffled romper she had also bought from Etsy. What a lucky little girl!

They are made from cream silk dupioni and my favorite turquoise silk fabric for the flowers. I will be so sad when that fabric finally runs out.

Hopefully, the next time we see them, they will be in an adorable photograph!

A Little Something Different

I had hoped to show you two pairs of shoes today. I was working on one pair for a client and since she is the same size as I am, I thought it would be a great time to try out a design I had been ruminating. But, last night, after three night's worth of work (and fours hours of working last night), after I put the soles on the shoes for my client, I saw that the fabric was pulling away at the seam. All of that hard work, fruitless! Apparently the tweed I was using, (and I was so in love with it) had a loose weave and just couldn't hold it together when the shoes were turned. Heartache.

However, the other shoe design I was working on turned out fine, and I have it to share with you today. I'm nervous, though. It's a departure, that's for sure. They're inspired by a lovely pair of heels I saw the other day. Oh boy, I should just get to it, huh? Here goes.

What do you think?

Simple, right? And conservative. But, then they don't have to be. You could wear them like this:

Definitely more dramatic. And this style would be adorable for a little girl. Very similar to a pair that I made a while ago and never showed you. (Because like a bad blogger, I forgot to take pics before I mailed them.) Luckily I have a snapshot of them on the little girl they were made for.

So, a design that can be worn two ways depending on the length of your ribbon and your mood. What do you think? Is it a keeper?

Sweet Sophistication

I have had a few requests for pink and purple shoes as I am sure you can imagine. Every time I get one, this is the design that pops into my head. I have yet t make them, until now. One of my dearest friends (I mean, seriously she is one of the most wonderful women that the Lord has blessed me with knowing and it literally kills me that we can't live in the same town and share some tea while our broods run around together) has a beautiful daughter, named Charis, who is having a birthday next month. Debbie's gift to her is a pair of shoes designed especially for her, and I am so honored to be able to create something beautiful for this daughter who shares the same lovely spirit her mother has.

I love the fabric these shoes are made from. It's a silk linen, it is SO soft. I used it years ago in my senior collection in college. For these shoes I willingly cut into the jacket I had made all of those years ago. You have to agree, it was the right choice.

The flower is made from a beautiful ribbon, pink with a cream stripe, that reminds me of a carnival, and all that is bright and lovely and innocent about childhood.

I think the two together create a shoe that is sophisticated without being overly serious or mature.

And for good measure there is a little matching flower for her hair.

I hope that she loves them, and I wish, how I wish, she knew better the woman who made them with love for her. Happy Birthday, Charis!