Twirly Circle Skirts

I did it!  Not only did I make matching skirts for my girls, but I tackled the elusive Circle Skirt!  I scoured the internet for directions, but they all left me befuddled until I came across this fab-ulous tutorial on what is now one of my favorite blogs:  MADE.  Circle Skirt Tutorial. 

Now, I've only posted one "tutorial" myself so far, and after numerous re-edits, adding many additional photos, and yet more editing, my tute is still not nearly as clear as it should be.  This one posting experience of mine puts into perspective just how clear Dana's directions are, along with her very impressive photographic skills.  Anyway, enough of my second-hand hearsay -- go check it out!

I made both of these skirts in one evening, after the kiddies were asleep.  (Granted, the material sat on the floor next to my chair for a month while I worked up the nerve to actually cut into it and attempt this project.)  I used a medium-weight fuscia colored corduroy, mostly because it was on clearance.  Even though it isn't lightweight, it still spins quite nicely. 

I had some leftover material, so I used that to make the skirt for my 22lb toddler.  Personally, I would have liked it to be a little longer.  But as it was, I had to attach two half circles to get even that length with the leftover scraps.

Hazel is about 55lbs. and is my little hip-hugger.  She pushes everything down to her hips, no matter what the cut on the pants/skirt/tights.  She also requested that I make the skirt "super extra long."

Make A Bass Bow Quiver

If you've read my profile, you know that I'm a strings teacher.  I have 9 bass players this year. (Woo-hoo!) However, the thought of ordering 9 bass bow quivers for the school basses at $40 a pop made me cringe.  So...I decided to order one quiver and figure out how to make my own.

Ah.  You've noticed the pepto-pinkness of the material.

One can't be too picky when the fabric is free!

What you will need:
2 pieces of material about 12"x20"
   (Make sure it's a very strong material, I used heavy weight duck cloth.)
2 pieces of very heavy weight fusible interfacing, about 10"x18".
2 strips 40"x1.5" for the ties.
2 strips 2"x6" for the anchors.
1 Package of Double Fold Bias Tape Quilt Binding 7/8"

I don't know much about needles, but I can tell you that for this project - make sure it's a new one and that it is designed to handle heavy weight fabrics.  You will be sewing through several layers.

1.  Grab a piece of paper and draw your pattern.  Draw a rectangle 20" high and 6" across. 
 -- At the bottom of the rectangle, mark a point 2" from the left corner. 
 -- Then, place another mark 3" up and 5" over from the left hand side.
 -- Draw a curve connecting these two marks.  (scroll down to the pics, and this will make more sense.)
 -- Now, draw a straight line from the top of the curve point (3" up & 5" over) to the top right hand corner of the rectangle.
 -- You should now see the profile shape of a quiver.

2.  Fold your material in half and trace onto your material with the straight 20" side of the pattern on the fold.
  -- Repeat for the 2nd piece of material.
  -- Repeat 2 more times with the interfacing.

Here are my fabric pieces cut out, and stacked with the fusible interfacing sides facing one another:


3.  Follow the directions that come with your fusible interfacing and iron on to the wrong sides of each piece of material.

4.  Cut your strips of fabric for the ties.  Working bit by bit down this long piece of material, take one side and fold it to the center.  Iron it in place as you go.  Then turn the strip over and repeat.  Then fold the strip in half lengthwise and iron into place.  (This will take the raw edges of the material and fold them in so they are not exposed, and will not unravel.)

5.  Unroll each end of the strip, fold over 1/4", iron, then topstitch.  Then re-adjust the ends of the long sides so the raw edges are folded under again.  Now, topstitch all the way down the strip.  You have just completed one of the ties!  Repeat this whole process for the second tie.

6.  Next are the anchors.  Fold each long side of the rectangle over 1/4" and topstitch so it won't fray.  Next, take one end of the strip and fold it to the center of the strip.  Iron a crease.  You might see that the strip on the right has been ironed to leave a crease in the center:

 Repeat for the other end of the strip.  Now fold in half where the two ends meet in the center.  It should look something like this:

As you can see, I started sewing at the top left corner.  When I got to the next corner, I left the needle down, lifted the presser foot, and turned the material 90 degrees.  Now I'm ready to sew down this side.  When I get to the 3rd corner, I will repeat the cornering process.  You do not have to complete a square, just 3 sides are fine for now.

7.  Next, pin the main pieces together so they don't shift while sewing.  Take the top flat side, fold down 1/2" and 1/2" again.  Topstitch through this.   Then go back and use your stitches as a guide and topstitch again.  (Or, if you are lucky enough to have a double needle, go ahead an use it here!)

*Careful - go slow - it's a LOT of fabric!  I learned this the hard way.  This is a nice closeup of the folds I'm sewing at the top of the quiver, but you'll notice that this is NOT the shape your needle should be!

Below you can see the two rows of stitching.  And the spot where my bobbin ran out of thread., grr.

8.  Next we'll attach the anchors.  Find the top center of the bow quiver and measure down 3 1/2".  The top of your square should be placed here.  Sew from left to right across the top of the square.  Then sew from left to right across the bottom of the square.  This will leave the sides open so you can slip your ties through.

For the second anchor, find the center bottom of the quiver and measure up 3 1/2".  Attach in the same way as the first anchor.

9.  Okay, almost there!  I used about a 1" seam allowance and zig-zagged along the remaining raw edges.  Then, just for good measure, I trimmed down the raw edges with pinking shears.

 -- Sorry, no pics of this!  What was I thinking?  Oh yeah -- "I'm almost done!  Woo-hoo!"

10.  For the last step, I forayed into my first experience with binding.  If you've never used it, I recommend practicing first.  I did not, but hey, I'm an impatient kind of girl!  I used double fold binding for quilts:

What you do is unfold one side of the binding and sew it to the edge of the quiver.  Then you wrap the binding over the raw edge so that it's covered and topstitch the entire length.  That's the best I can explain it right now.  If you're still unsure, I'm positive there are some good tutes out there on attaching binding.

11.  You're done!  Thread the ties through the anchor and attach to your favorite bass.

How super cute is that?!!

When I zig-zagged the bottom, I backstitched, then skewed the material and backstitched again.  This way I had two layers of zig-zag stitches side by side to help reinforce the bottom where the tip of the bow will be dropped in and strike the material. 

To attach to your bass:  Thread through the E String opening on the tailpiece and tie.  Thread bottom through  the wire that holds tailpiece onto the bass.  Here are two photos of how the quiver is attached to a 1/4 size bass:

I decided that I didn't want to take a chance of the bow eventually wearing through the bottom of the quiver, so I took one of many "instrumental cleaning cloths" left in my classroom and placed it on the bottom. 

Looking into the quiver:

As compared to my Reunion Blues quiver.  It's a little wider, and not quite as stiff as leather. 

 Ready to go!

If you would post a pic of one that you make, I would just LOVE to see it!  (This was my first tute, and the first pattern I made-up as I went along.)





Hello World!

Woo-hoo!  My first post.  I've been dabbling with sewing for about a year, with no formal lessons.  I'm amazed at how much of a paradigm shift I've experienced with just the few projects I've attempted.  I now look at dresses in the store and observe how the top is attached to the bottom - and if it's hidden with a ribbon, lace, flowers, etc.  I note how pants are hemmed, and what kind of stitches are used.  I'm often blown away at how simply a garment is put together, then appalled at the nerve of the people who charge a ridiculous amout for said garment!  I'm sure I'm not alone when I think of the long list of items I've seen in the stores and said to myself, "I'm not paying for this...I could TOTALLY make this myself!"  (One day, I'll look deep down and admit that time is a factor that can't be ignored, and truly, I do not have time to complete all most of these items.) 

My goal for this blog is to share my experiences with sewing.  The good, bad, and the "wow, that's ugly!"  i.e., My very first Christmas ornament that I determined was fit enough only to use as pin cushion.  Yes, I still have it - it's the only pincushion I own, and it reminds me of just how far I've come!

I have a lot to learn about blogging.  For example, I have no idea how to post a tutorial of projects I've completed, and keep you updated on ones I'm currently working on.  So far, I haven't even seen a link for uploading photos...hmm, much to learn here as well.

I LOVE learning from all walks of life, young and old, experienced and novice alike.  If you have something you'd like to share, I'd love to read about it!