... Sham's Tablecloth Skirt done differently. Because my figure type is widest at the hip and I prefer to play up rather than downplay my smaller waist, I wanted to see if...
... I could eliminate some of the bulk present in this original version while maintaining the pointed elements of the hemline. The weight of the two fabrics used is similar. The print is a linen blend and the black is a lightweight faux suede. One just looks heavier than the other.
In Sham's instructions, you cut a 44" square and four 15" x 44" rectangles that are seamed to each side of the square. Each side is hemmed separately before sewing the short edges together. A circle is cut from the center of the square and a waistband is sewn on and elastic inserted. There is a total of four long, four short, and one waistband seam. In my adapted version, each side is also hemmed separately and there are either four long seams that turn or four curved and four short seams along with a folded down casing for the waistband.
Since my goal was to eliminate the bulk on the hips, I started by looking at the original shape differently and divided the square into four triangles. Each triangle is...
... the height of half the square, or 22" in this case, with a base the length of the square, or 44" in this case. There are mathematical ways to calculate the length of the other sides only it wasn't necessary for me to know.
Next, measure your waist and determine how much ease you would like in the waistband. Add the waist and ease measurements together and insert that number into the circumference section of this calculator and click solve others. Take the number that appears in the diameter section and divide it by two. Be as precise as possible because even a small difference can make for a substantially larger opening. In my case, the diameter is 12.5" and half that number is 6.25".
The following instructions might get confusing because I drafted my pattern on fold but hopefully I can explain it correctly.
The short horizontal line at the top of the diagram above is equal to the length of the waist plus ease divided by four for one quarter of the garment and then divided in half again because the piece is on fold. In other words, it's one eighth of the original measurement.
The vertical "on fold" line is equal to the 22" of half the original square less the radius of the circle. In my case, that was 6.25 so my line is 22" - 6.25" = 15.75" PLUS the 15" drop for a total 30.75". To test my idea, there was no need to sew the drop on separately so I added it to the pattern piece. In the future, separating them could create some interesting variations. The short vertical line to the left is 15" high (the height of the drop) and the long horizontal line at the bottom is 22" long or half of the original 44" square. THEN...
... draw a curve outward from the waist to the far left edge of the pattern connecting to the short vertical line. Depending on the size of your hips, you may need to adjust this curve to fit. My hips are 8" below my waist. I measured across the pattern piece at the point 8" down and multiplied that number by 8 because this pattern piece is one eighth of the total garment. I then determined if that circumference would work for my hip measurement plus ease. It's a good number to check especially if you're hip heavy like me. AFTER THAT...
... I added 2 1/4" above the waist to create an elastic casing and a seam allowance to the curved and the 15" lengths. I didn't add a hem allowance to the pattern piece because the original skirt was plenty long enough for me. The sewing sequence was...
1. serge finish the bottom hem, the top waistband, and the 15" vertical edges
2. press up a 1" hem along the bottom
3. press down a 1 1/4" waistband casing along the top, unfold
4. stitch the hem in place
5. stitch, finish, and press the curved seams
6. stitch and press open the 15" vertical seams
7. fold the waist casing down and stitch 1" from the fold leaving an opening
7. insert 3/4" elastic and stitch the opening closed
Ta Da - FINISHED
Even on Millicent, this adaptation looks far more graceful for my figure than the original version. It may sound a little complicated but as you begin to draw the pieces, it'll start to make sense. It was time consuming to pin, cut out, un-pin, move, and re-pin the pattern piece along the fold of the fabric so I may draft a complete piece in the future and cut four layers at once. In this case, I had a squeaking amount of fabric and barely got the four sections cut out. One is upside down although the fabric is so busy that no-one would notice and if they do, good for them. I'm much happier with how this version looks on me and it still has those fun corners. YEAH!
Talk soon - Myrna
Grateful - enjoying following up an idea
How fun! You did a great job explaining the math.
ReplyDeleteIs there a reason that the bottom is made up of four short rectangles and not one long one? I can see it could be wasteful of fabric to use such a long strip, but the hemming would be easier.
ReplyDeleteSue H
Myrna, that's genius! I also have hips that wouldn't welcome all that fabric draped around them. Now I can consider this skirt something I'd like to make.
ReplyDelete