©2017 Lacey J Hill, Golden Thyme Designs
There are also many ways to add waistbands your skirts. My favorite is the elastic casing method using buttonhole elastic with an opening in the casing to allow for replacing elastic when its needed.
Tip: When I stitch the waistband into a circle, I only stitch to the pressed fold. Then I place Steam-A-Seam under the raw edges and seal with an iron. Re-fold the waistband and attach as you normally would. I’ll do a video on the method in the near future.
Adding pockets to sides seams is pretty straight forward.
1. Draw around the outside of a glove or mitten on paper to make a template. [See Dia. 1]
2. Cut out template. Cut 2 fabric patches larger than the template from matching fabrics. Place the fabrics right sides together.
3. Align the template with the fabrics, making sure that the pocket is pointing down and when cut, it can be placed right sides together with the skirt panels. The same fabrics should be touching. [See Dia. 2 - Floral touching floral] Then cut out the fabrics using the template.
4. Measure down 3” from the waist edge of the skirt panel and pin the fabric pocket right sides together with the same fabric skirt panel and stitch. Press open.
5. Now pin the 2 skirt panels right sides together and stitch following the edge of the fabric, including the pockets. [See Dia. 3]
There are many ways to finish seams but the 3 I use most are the Over Edge Zig-Zag, Pinking Shears to trim the edges or my trusty Serger. Sergers are an entity to themselves and I would not give mine up, but the Over Edge Zig-Zag is a good substitution.
1. Over Edge Zig-Zag - After you have stitched your seams. Set your stitch width to 5 or more and stitch the length of the seams again, allowing the thread to wrap over the raw edges of the fabrics.
2. Pinking Shears - After you have stitched your seams, trim the edge with the pinking shears to prevent fraying.
3. Serger - Stitch the seams with a 3 or 4 thread over-lock stitch. The edges are trimmed & finished as you sew.
Zig-Zag Over-Edge Pinking Shears Serger
Dia. 2
Dia. 3
Dia. 1
