How to add extra room for your backside - skirt

There's no escaping it no matter how hard I fight it. Each year I swear this christmas will be different.

I will not eat enough for four people.
I will not consume my body weight in Christmas pudding.
I will not succumb to the delicious, delicious turkey.

Fight as I may, when I put my two feet on the scales in January (with a drum-stick in one hand) I know who won the battle in the 'Julia Vs Christmas' fight.

Sigh.

Logic would have you think that if you're already well endowed in the backside area, that a few extra pounds would lodge them selves somewhere where I'm lower in fat; the elbows for example or my arms. But oh no. That extra stuffing goes right where I don't need it ... like my backside is handing out pamphlets around town saying that it's the best place for fat to visit. Thanks so much.

So, instead of wearing my sweat pants everyday for the next month and resigning myself to a dinner of carrot sticks, cardboard and dust particles I decided to embrace the extra 'junk in my trunk' and make my skirts with just an itty bitty extra space.  This adjustment will add extra room without changing the side seams or hem. That way no one is the wiser. Yes Shakira, sometimes hips CAN lie.

I just made this adjustment on a dress that I'll be posting this week.

So let's get busy:

1. Trace your back skirt piece onto tracing paper and get your scissors and markers ready. The pattern piece I'm using is for a short skirt just to give you a bit of context.

2. Draw a straight line right through the hip line from the side seam to the centre back (CB). I've done this in a blue marker below.

3. Draw a straight line right from the waist down to the hem. I've done mine right next to the waist dart.

3. Now you'll see a blue cross on my pattern piece above. With your scissors, cut down that blue line that you made starting at the waist and all the way down to the hem stopping about 5mm above the hem creating a 'hinge'.

4. Now cut across your hip line starting at the CB all the way to the side seam, but being careful to leave a hinge at the side seam.
The whole point of this adjustment is to add extra room without affecting your side seam or hem.

5. Your pattern piece is now effectively divided into four pieces. If you've done it correctly you should have two hinges; one at the hem and one at the side seam.

Spread your pattern pieces out by the extra amount that you need.

6. You'll see that the side seam and hem have not changed, but the CB has lengthened and so has the waist. We'll be altering the waist dart in the next few steps to retain the original waist.

Tape paper underneath your opened pattern piece. I always did love cutting and pasting as a kid.

7. Now we want to get that waist back to it's normal length.
Measure the amount that you added at the waist. You'll see in the picture below that 15mm was added.

8. Split the measurement in half and add it to either side of your original dart. The amount I had added to the waist was 15mm, so I added 7.5mm to each side of my original dart (7.5mm + 7.5mm = 15mm).

Draw a new line from your markings to the dart point. I've done mine below in red. This is now your new dart.

And now you have a new skirt back with extra room at your seat without affecting the side seams, hem or increasing the waist.

 Maybe I can hold of on getting back into my exercise regime for a few more days now.

Happy eating sewing!

Elastic Fantastic - The skirt

Ok, so it's a skirt. A black skirt. Nothing to write home about right?

So why do I feel the need to post about my latest sewing creation? Because the waist band is made of elastic! Truly!

I had recently purchased some beautiful cardigans (sweaters) and while swiping my credit card through their machines to pay for these beauties (all four of them) I started fantasising about what I'd wear with them ... black wiggle skirt. BAM!
I then went on a frenzied hunt through the stores trying to find a black pencil skirt. After many long unsuccessful searches (everything was either too tight on my hips or too loose on my waist) I suddenly had a moment of clarity and an inner dialogue began:

Right side of my brain (RS) - "Hey Julia, what's up"
Left side of my brain (LS) - "Oh you know, just trying to find me a pencil skirt ... unsuccessfully."
RS - "Hmmm ... I see."
LS - " Yeah it's really getting me down not finding one"
RS - " Hey, so um Julia, you sew right?"
*Awkward silence*
LS - "Um .. yes."
*The sound of a penny dropping*
RS - "Then what the H are doing looking for a pencil skirt when you could be making one fool!"
LS - "Fair call RS, fair call"
*The sound of epiphany trumpets playing*

I decided that was that, I had to make me a black wiggle skirt to accompany my new cardigans.

These cardigans are ridiculously pretty, very form flattering and makes me think of the 50's era where clothing was modest (cleavages and thighs tucked away) but the silhouettes were knock you in the face sexy. Think Joan from Mad Men.

Now pencil skirts are nothing new, and God knows they have been done before, but I really wanted a skirt that emphasised the curve of the female figure,; smooth on the hips and small in the waist,  just like Joanie Harris above.
I've made skirts before but the waist band never seemed to really synch in the waist. And then I had a breakthrough.
Elastic!

Now initially I was nervous. Over the years I'd come to associate elastic with plus sized dresses, and that creepy man who sits out the front of my local supermarket wearing sweat pants and most certainly no underwear. Oh.Dear.God. But it's time to be free of my fears and go all 'Justin Timberlake' on elastic and bring the sexy back.

I headed to clegs after work and purchased a strip of black elastic (belt elastic according to the label) about 7cm wide and hurried home to my sewing room to experiment.

I whipped up the skirt using under one metre of fabric of a thick wool/polyester blend that I also purchased from clegs. Once I finished the skirt I measured the circumference of the skirt waist, and then cut the strip of elastic the same length but about 4cm shorter. I then pinned the elastic strip to the skirt, stretching the elastic to fit and sewed it down with a 1.5cm allowance. I also top stitched the seam allowance to the waist band to keep the allowance flat and stop the skirt from buckling.

When the skirt is lying limp and the elastic relaxes, it gathers up a little around the elastic join. When you're wearing the skirt, your body stretches the elastic band out which removes all the puckering of the skirt fabric.

I finished the skirt with an invisible zipper and then squeeled with delight when I tried the finished garment on!

I love how the elastic pulls everything in to the body and emphasises the waist! It is also very comfortable as it moves with you, rather than cuts into you like non stretch waist bands can. Now I'm a big eater, and usually after a big lunch I thoroughly regret what I decided to wear that morning. Now with the elastic, the waist band will expand to include the extra 10 kilos of food I've just shovelled into my belly.

The elastic is also easy to attach as there is no interfacing, no facings and no finishings (apart from the seam allowance where you attach the elastic to the skirt). Genius!

It is such a simple skirt, but one that gives a bit of va-voom emphasising the classic feminine shape. Because the elastic is a feature, rather than covered by a fabric casing, the end result is that the waist band is flat and smooth, rather than bunched up like MC Hammer pants (which, let's be honest I still love).

Too be honest, my trauma associated with elastic first lessened when I made my recent jacket 'Minoru and Me' pattern made by Sewaholic Patterns. I loved how the jacket turned out, and it had a lot to do with the shape created by using elastic. Interesting indeed.

Oh and for those who are interested, I bought my cardigans from Alannah Hill with the exception of the mustard cardigan, which I bought from Princess Highway ... I think.

I love this new skirt and I encourage every one to give it a try. It'll make you look small in all the right spots. The possibilities are endless!

I am not ashamed to admit, I am now an elastic convert. Amen.