Emb'd Circle Skirt by Ashley Johnston for WeAllSew 050713c.pub
Embroidered Circle Skirt
To make a fashion classic for the next generation: Start with a simple, classic shape: The Circle.
created by Ashley Johnston
materials and tools • Approximately ⅔ yard of 60ʺ-wide fabric, depending on the size of the outer circle • Approximately ⅔ yard of 1½ʺ-wide elastic, depending on the size of the inner circle
For more projects and at tutorials, visit Ashley m. www.makeit-loveit.co
• Matching thread • Circle template or large bowl • ½ yard of 1½ʺ-wide elastic waistband • Chalk pencil or fabric marker (a Sharpie was used in the stepby-step instructions so the marks would show in the photos) • Straight pins • Rotary cutter and mat (optional) • All-purpose foot (BERNINA Reverse Pattern Foot #1/1C/1D) • Zipper foot (BERNINA Zipper Foot #4/4D) • Serger (optional)
for optional embroidery • Embroidery machine • Embroidery designs (Dahlias are from swakembroidery.com) • Tear-away stabilizer • Embroidery thread in desired colors • 505 temporary fabric adhesive spray 1
Add a touch of floral embroidery. Put a fun new spin on a junior fashion, ...and your little one is ready for the runway.
Embroidered Circle Skirt
step one Measure
from where you want the elastic waistband to sit on your waist (or your subject’s waist), down to the length you’d like the finished skirt to be. Subtract ½ʺ from that number. This is your skirt length measurement. Write it down here: ______.
Measure
your waist (or your subject’s waist). Add 2ʺ to 4ʺ to that measurement (2ʺ for a baby, 3ʺ for a child, 4ʺ for an adult). The added inches are needed so the skirt will be large enough to slide over the hips to put it on. This is your center circle measurement. Write it down here: ______.
step two Draw
a circle with the same circumference as your center circle measurement to use as a template. If you have a bowl that is the same circumference as your center circle, that will save you some time.
step three With
your fabric right side down, place the bowl (or circle template) on top, making sure there’s enough room all the way around to accommodate your desired skirt length.
step four Draw
a line around your bowl (or circle template), right onto the fabric.
2
Embroidered Circle Skirt
step five Measure
from the outer edge of your marked circle center, out to the skirt length that you need. Make a mark.
step six Repeat
many times, all the way around the circle, adjusting the measuring tape around the center circle line and making little marks as you go.
step seven Cut
out your circle, connecting all those marks as you go.
Cut
out your center circle as well.
step eight Cut
a piece of 1½ʺ-wide elastic the same length as your waist measurement.
Overlap
3
the two ends by 1ʺ and zigzag them together.
Embroidered Circle Skirt
step nine Zigzag
or serge around the raw edge of your center circle.
step ten Divide
your elastic and center circle into quarters and mark them with pins as shown in the photo.
step eleven Match
up the pins on the elastic with those around the center circle and pin them together, overlapping the elastic over the outside of the skirt fabric by ½ʺ.
step twelve Stretch
the elastic between two neighboring pins until it’s the same length as the fabric, and then add another pin in the middle, making sure the elastic is still overlapping the fabric by ½ʺ. When you release the elastic, there will still be puckers of fabric between each pin.
Repeat,
4
adding pins all the way around the center circle.
Embroidered Circle Skirt
step thirteen Go
around the skirt again, stretching the elastic and adding pins. Do this all around until the pins are close enough for you to comfortably sew the elastic to the skirt.
step fourteen Using
a zigzag stitch (so the elastic will stretch) begin sewing the elastic to the skirt, stitching ⅛ʺ from the edge of the elastic.
step fifteen Between
each set of pins, hold the elastic in front of and behind the machine needle, and gently pull the elastic until it is stretched to the same length as the fabric beneath it. Hold them with both hands, pulling in opposite directions, slowly stitch the elastic to the fabric. Adjust your grip as needed.
step sixteen When
you’ve made it all the way around the circle, you’ll have a nice elastic waistband at the top of your skirt.
5
Embroidered Circle Skirt
step seventeen If
you have an embroidery machine, decide which design(s) and size(s) you’d like to add to your skirt.
Bond
a sheet of tear-away fabric stabilizer to the wrong side of the skirt, right behind where you want to place your design.
broidery If you don’t have an em qué a shape or machine, you can appli at this point. design onto your skirt
step eighteen To
help you visualize the size and placement of your embroidery design, cut out paper shapes in the same measurements as your design and pin them to the skirt.
Also
turn up the bottom edge of the skirt, just to eyeball how it will look with the hem in place.
Tip: If you purchased designs from OESD or BERNINA, you’ll find a PDF file of printable paper templates on the collection CD . If your designs didn’t come wit h printable templates, and you have a computer, download the fre e Artlink 6 embroidery softw are at bernina.com, open your design s in the software, and print the m to create your own design templa tes.
step nineteen After
deciding on your design placement, mark the center of each design.
Remove
the pins from the skirt hem and hoop your skirt fabric, making sure the paper templates are inside the hoop.
Remove
6
designs.
the pins and paper templates and embroider your
Embroidered Circle Skirt
step twenty When
the embroidery is done, remove the hoop from the embroidery machine.
Remove
the skirt from the hoop and gently tear the stabilizer away from the stitches.
step twenty-one Hems
er, you can Tip: If you have a serg erlock do this step with an ov imming the stitch, just barely tr th the knife. edge of the fabric wi
can sometimes be tricky along a circle skirt hem. To help with this, sew a line of straight stitch 1/4” from the raw edge at the bottom of the skirt. This line will keep the fabric from stretching, and is a great guide for the next step of the turning hem.
step twenty-two Turn
up and press the edge of the hem ¼ʺ, just beyond the stitched line. See how much easier that is than measuring and turning and pressing all at the same time?
step twenty-three Stitch
⅛ʺ from the edge to hold the folded edge in place. (You may be tempted to skip this step, but it will save you some headache later, so don’t!)
7
Embroidered Circle Skirt
step twenty-four Fold
up the bottom edge another ¼ʺ and then sew this fold in place as well, ¼ʺ from the outer folded edge.
step twenty-five Now,
because the very bottom edge is slightly larger than where you’re sewing it down (because it’s a circle), you may experience some puckering. Or you may not, depending on your fabric. But if you do, it’s okay. Just use a pin to hold down the pucker and help guide it under the needle.
step twenty-six Keep
the pin in place as you guide the fabric under the needle. You won’t even notice the pucker from the right side of the fabric, and, most likely, you won’t notice it from the inside, either.
step twenty-seven Press
8
your hem flat.
Embroidered Circle Skirt
step twenty-eight To
flatten the waistline a bit and achieve a more professional finish, steam the fabric right around the waistband, helping the fabric lay a little flatter.
For more projects and tutorials , visit A shley at www.ma keit-love it.com.
9
Embroidered Circle Skirt
Tip: Don’t have a bowl the right size? Don’t despair! Here’s where those geometry and algebra classes come in handy.
Put a piece of paper on a corkboard or heavy cardboard, and stick a tack in the middle of the paper.
Remember C = 2πr?
Divide your center circle number by 6.28 to find the radius of your circle. Draw a line this length starting at the center point.
Don’t worry about it. Just get out your calculator and divide your center circle number by 3.14. The number you get is the diameter of your circle. If you have a bowl or plate that measures this distance across, great—use that for your template. If you don’t, here’s an easy way to draw a circle that the right size.
Tie a string to the pencil. Stand the pencil on its point at the end of the radius, then wrap the string around the pin to make a “leash” for the pencil. “Walk” the pencil around the center point to draw your center circle template.
step five Measure
from the outer edge of your marked circle center, out to the skirt length that you need. Make a mark.
10
tack o string
pencil o
To make a fashion classic for the next generation: Start with a simple, classic shape: The Circle.
created by Ashley Johnston
materials and tools • Approximately ⅔ yard of 60ʺ-wide fabric, depending on the size of the outer circle • Approximately ⅔ yard of 1½ʺ-wide elastic, depending on the size of the inner circle
For more projects and at tutorials, visit Ashley m. www.makeit-loveit.co
• Matching thread • Circle template or large bowl • ½ yard of 1½ʺ-wide elastic waistband • Chalk pencil or fabric marker (a Sharpie was used in the stepby-step instructions so the marks would show in the photos) • Straight pins • Rotary cutter and mat (optional) • All-purpose foot (BERNINA Reverse Pattern Foot #1/1C/1D) • Zipper foot (BERNINA Zipper Foot #4/4D) • Serger (optional)
for optional embroidery • Embroidery machine • Embroidery designs (Dahlias are from swakembroidery.com) • Tear-away stabilizer • Embroidery thread in desired colors • 505 temporary fabric adhesive spray 1
Add a touch of floral embroidery. Put a fun new spin on a junior fashion, ...and your little one is ready for the runway.
Embroidered Circle Skirt
step one Measure
from where you want the elastic waistband to sit on your waist (or your subject’s waist), down to the length you’d like the finished skirt to be. Subtract ½ʺ from that number. This is your skirt length measurement. Write it down here: ______.
Measure
your waist (or your subject’s waist). Add 2ʺ to 4ʺ to that measurement (2ʺ for a baby, 3ʺ for a child, 4ʺ for an adult). The added inches are needed so the skirt will be large enough to slide over the hips to put it on. This is your center circle measurement. Write it down here: ______.
step two Draw
a circle with the same circumference as your center circle measurement to use as a template. If you have a bowl that is the same circumference as your center circle, that will save you some time.
step three With
your fabric right side down, place the bowl (or circle template) on top, making sure there’s enough room all the way around to accommodate your desired skirt length.
step four Draw
a line around your bowl (or circle template), right onto the fabric.
2
Embroidered Circle Skirt
step five Measure
from the outer edge of your marked circle center, out to the skirt length that you need. Make a mark.
step six Repeat
many times, all the way around the circle, adjusting the measuring tape around the center circle line and making little marks as you go.
step seven Cut
out your circle, connecting all those marks as you go.
Cut
out your center circle as well.
step eight Cut
a piece of 1½ʺ-wide elastic the same length as your waist measurement.
Overlap
3
the two ends by 1ʺ and zigzag them together.
Embroidered Circle Skirt
step nine Zigzag
or serge around the raw edge of your center circle.
step ten Divide
your elastic and center circle into quarters and mark them with pins as shown in the photo.
step eleven Match
up the pins on the elastic with those around the center circle and pin them together, overlapping the elastic over the outside of the skirt fabric by ½ʺ.
step twelve Stretch
the elastic between two neighboring pins until it’s the same length as the fabric, and then add another pin in the middle, making sure the elastic is still overlapping the fabric by ½ʺ. When you release the elastic, there will still be puckers of fabric between each pin.
Repeat,
4
adding pins all the way around the center circle.
Embroidered Circle Skirt
step thirteen Go
around the skirt again, stretching the elastic and adding pins. Do this all around until the pins are close enough for you to comfortably sew the elastic to the skirt.
step fourteen Using
a zigzag stitch (so the elastic will stretch) begin sewing the elastic to the skirt, stitching ⅛ʺ from the edge of the elastic.
step fifteen Between
each set of pins, hold the elastic in front of and behind the machine needle, and gently pull the elastic until it is stretched to the same length as the fabric beneath it. Hold them with both hands, pulling in opposite directions, slowly stitch the elastic to the fabric. Adjust your grip as needed.
step sixteen When
you’ve made it all the way around the circle, you’ll have a nice elastic waistband at the top of your skirt.
5
Embroidered Circle Skirt
step seventeen If
you have an embroidery machine, decide which design(s) and size(s) you’d like to add to your skirt.
Bond
a sheet of tear-away fabric stabilizer to the wrong side of the skirt, right behind where you want to place your design.
broidery If you don’t have an em qué a shape or machine, you can appli at this point. design onto your skirt
step eighteen To
help you visualize the size and placement of your embroidery design, cut out paper shapes in the same measurements as your design and pin them to the skirt.
Also
turn up the bottom edge of the skirt, just to eyeball how it will look with the hem in place.
Tip: If you purchased designs from OESD or BERNINA, you’ll find a PDF file of printable paper templates on the collection CD . If your designs didn’t come wit h printable templates, and you have a computer, download the fre e Artlink 6 embroidery softw are at bernina.com, open your design s in the software, and print the m to create your own design templa tes.
step nineteen After
deciding on your design placement, mark the center of each design.
Remove
the pins from the skirt hem and hoop your skirt fabric, making sure the paper templates are inside the hoop.
Remove
6
designs.
the pins and paper templates and embroider your
Embroidered Circle Skirt
step twenty When
the embroidery is done, remove the hoop from the embroidery machine.
Remove
the skirt from the hoop and gently tear the stabilizer away from the stitches.
step twenty-one Hems
er, you can Tip: If you have a serg erlock do this step with an ov imming the stitch, just barely tr th the knife. edge of the fabric wi
can sometimes be tricky along a circle skirt hem. To help with this, sew a line of straight stitch 1/4” from the raw edge at the bottom of the skirt. This line will keep the fabric from stretching, and is a great guide for the next step of the turning hem.
step twenty-two Turn
up and press the edge of the hem ¼ʺ, just beyond the stitched line. See how much easier that is than measuring and turning and pressing all at the same time?
step twenty-three Stitch
⅛ʺ from the edge to hold the folded edge in place. (You may be tempted to skip this step, but it will save you some headache later, so don’t!)
7
Embroidered Circle Skirt
step twenty-four Fold
up the bottom edge another ¼ʺ and then sew this fold in place as well, ¼ʺ from the outer folded edge.
step twenty-five Now,
because the very bottom edge is slightly larger than where you’re sewing it down (because it’s a circle), you may experience some puckering. Or you may not, depending on your fabric. But if you do, it’s okay. Just use a pin to hold down the pucker and help guide it under the needle.
step twenty-six Keep
the pin in place as you guide the fabric under the needle. You won’t even notice the pucker from the right side of the fabric, and, most likely, you won’t notice it from the inside, either.
step twenty-seven Press
8
your hem flat.
Embroidered Circle Skirt
step twenty-eight To
flatten the waistline a bit and achieve a more professional finish, steam the fabric right around the waistband, helping the fabric lay a little flatter.
For more projects and tutorials , visit A shley at www.ma keit-love it.com.
9
Embroidered Circle Skirt
Tip: Don’t have a bowl the right size? Don’t despair! Here’s where those geometry and algebra classes come in handy.
Put a piece of paper on a corkboard or heavy cardboard, and stick a tack in the middle of the paper.
Remember C = 2πr?
Divide your center circle number by 6.28 to find the radius of your circle. Draw a line this length starting at the center point.
Don’t worry about it. Just get out your calculator and divide your center circle number by 3.14. The number you get is the diameter of your circle. If you have a bowl or plate that measures this distance across, great—use that for your template. If you don’t, here’s an easy way to draw a circle that the right size.
Tie a string to the pencil. Stand the pencil on its point at the end of the radius, then wrap the string around the pin to make a “leash” for the pencil. “Walk” the pencil around the center point to draw your center circle template.
step five Measure
from the outer edge of your marked circle center, out to the skirt length that you need. Make a mark.
10
tack o string
pencil o
