Anyone have sewing advice?

[ammag]

Budget is tight, I want to make my daughter a little Minnie skirt to wear to MK. I am ok at sewing but not great. Last time I tried to make her a skirt the website I got the "pattern" from said to would take two hours, took me 10. LOL ok maybe not a great seamstress at ALL. Wondering if anyone has advice? I just want a red and white polka dot skirt to wear with a black t. The one I made was very full, made from a. Basic rectangle of fabric with Ribbons sewn at the hem. Is there an even more simple skirt style to make? Maybe it was the ribbon that tripped me up last time...thinking of just a simple black ribbon at the hem, maybe yellow ric rac too if I am doing well. So far am seeing these online starting at about $30, too much for me.

Thanks!!!

 

[DSNY4ever]

There are some amazing sewers on the Disboutiquers thread. I am just a beginner too. $30 doesn't sound too bad once you consider the materials and the time to make a simple skirt. You could check the you can make this dot com site. They have some free patterns you could look through. Did you check Etsy? Disney Store also has some good prices on their halloween costumes right now. Good luck...I have had many projects that said 1 hour and I have spent way too much time on them, ha!

 

[DSNY4ever]

It looks like there are PLENTY on Etsy for well under $30. You might want to check there first. They all look darling too.

 

[GS for life]

It always takes longer than what the pattern says unless it is something that you have made before. Try to find a circle skirt pattern, since that will be very full. And shop the sales at Joann's, they have coupons!

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[ColonelHathi]

I 2nd the Disboutiquers thread for inspiration.

But definitely just do a search online for twirl skirt tutorial and you will find a few, some are even free.

The pattern I like the best is from houseonhillroad (dot com) - super easy to follow instructions. I have made it twirly (entire fabric width) and not so twirly (less width/using fat quarters - size 6), both turned out nice for DD.

I would skip the ribbon, you are probably right in that it made things more complex. If you can sew even a little bit, you should easily be able to do a simple skirt for just the cost of the fabric and elastic for the waist. I started sewing about a year ago, and the twirl skirts for DD were some of my first projects. Truly the simple ones (like above) took me about 4 hours at first, or a solid afternoon, and not 2 hours, but still not too bad.

 

[cheer25mom]

If you just want a simple skirt with no frills, this is the easiest way I have found:
Measure the finished length you would like the skirt to be from waist to hem and subtract 3.5 inches. Cut 2 peices of fabric that are the width the fabric comes off the bolt(usuallt 45 inches) by this length. Cut one piece the with of the bolt by 6 inches long.

Sew the 2 larger pices together to make side seams, then hem the bottom. Run a gathering stitch at the top.

Take the six inch peice and sew together the short ends making a tube. Press that in half lengthwise with right sides showing to create a waistband. Stitch a casing for the elastic, leaving a gap to insert elastic. Put the elastic in, stitch the ends together and close the casing, then just ease the skirt and attach to the waistband.

this takes me 30-45 min to complete.

 

[DESKRoberts]

I make my daughter skirts all the time using this tutorial. It is rather easy, one of the first things I sewed for DD.
http://www.scatteredthoughtsofacraftymom.com/2012/03/simple-skirt-tutorial-with-3-options.html

 

[RachSal]

I'm also a very beginning sewer, but I was able to make this skirt for DD2. http://www.danamadeit.com/2008/07/tutorial-a-simple-skirt.html

 

[zuzu310]

Patterns by Scientific Seamstress are my all time favorite and you can print them out over the years in different sizes just using your printer. She has tons of dress/skirt patterns and they are soooo beginner oriented. They are like a sewing lesson and pattern in one. You can check them out here...http://www.youcanmakethis.com/produ...rl-scallopini-sew-boutique-4-dolly-and-me.htm

 

[ammag]

Wow thanks for the replies! I am going to check out all the links tonight, $20-30 is definitely worth the time but I really can't spend it..going to get fabric half off with a coupon at Joann and use elastic I already have. Hopefully one of these will work!

 

[4HppyCamprs]

Wow thanks for the replies! I am going to check out all the links tonight, $20-30 is definitely worth the time but I really can't spend it..going to get fabric half off with a coupon at Joann and use elastic I already have. Hopefully one of these will work!

There is a free tutorial at TheRibbonRetreat. Com that tells you how to make a bubble skirt. It is very similar to the one mentioned above but there are pictures to guide you. It was the first item I ever created.

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[NotUrsula]

Minnie's skirt is traditionally a circle skirt. This is the best time to buy fabric for Minnie costumes, as it is in stores for Halloween. (Minnie's dot pattern is known as "coin-dot", and it is hard to find in stores at any other time of year because it isn't popular in street fashion right now.)

If you do not have a pr. of pinking shears, buy some (unless your machine is a serger); cutting with PS will keep the fabric from raveling on you while you sew, and afterward, which is especially important when your pieces are cut on the bias.

A circle skirt does not involve gathers, but it does take more fabric, which is an issue is money is tight. (Time/difficulty vs. money). Sign up for fabric store loyalty programs so that you get coupons in the mail. (It shouldn't be much of a problem with a small size, but as the sizes go up, bias-cut designs do take more fabric.)

On a circle skirt, the trickiest issue will be the waistband. As the skirt is cut on the bias, you will have to be careful that the cut edge does not either stretch or ravel at the waistband before you put the band on (you can do what is known as "stay-stitching" to prevent that.) Also, elastic is not a suitable waistband for a beginner on a circle skirt, so you will need to have some kind of opening at the back or side in order to get the skirt on or off so that it won't be too large at the waist. As you are not very skilled yet, I suggest using a large seam allowance and either Velcro or a snap-strip to do that; zippers are rather tricky for a beginner. (Or, you could just put a hook & eye at the waist and leave the rest of the placket open, putting a pr. of matching solid playground shorts underneath.)

 

[4HppyCamprs]

I would still go with a bubble skirt. It is a easy waist band and easy skirt and relatively cheap to make. Hobby Lobby, Joann's and michaels all have iPhone apps which gives you access to the loyalty discounts. Most people go for the "look" of the characters versus a exact match of costume. Check out DISboutique on the Family board for great ideas

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[cobright]

Most fabric stores will have a product that looks like a dress on a roll.

The bottom half is pleates skirt and the top half is elastic torso-part-of-dress.

So all you do is cut it to the diameter of your kid and sew one seam down the back of it. Add a couple straps for the shoulder if you like and you're done.

 

[NotUrsula]

I would still go with a bubble skirt. It is a easy waist band and easy skirt and relatively cheap to make. Hobby Lobby, Joann's and michaels all have iPhone apps which gives you access to the loyalty discounts. Most people go for the "look" of the characters versus a exact match of costume. Check out DISboutique on the Family board for great ideas

By definition, a bubble skirt is lined, which doubles the needed amount of fabric, which again, can increase the cost. I've never considered them all that easy to do, as a lot of folks have difficulty with getting the drape right due to the differing length of the lining and the face fabric. (Not to mention, a bubble won't twirl, and some little girls are ALL about the twirl.)

Some kids will be fine with "the look" of the characters, but not every child will. Mine won't wear any "character" items that do not look exactly like the in-park costumes. (Which is why my entire sewing area is currently overrun with lavender and white fabric. I have a Sofia dress in progress, including all three layers of floor-length skirt.)

If easy is the goal, a simple dirndl with a self-cased elastic waist and a machine hem will always be simplest, as it's essentially a tube. You don't need a pattern for one of those, just measure the child's waist, and cut two rectangles that are each that wide and the appropriate length plus 6 inches. Sew the sides together, do a 4" hem at the top and a 2" hem at the bottom, run a second line of stitching .5 inches in from the top edge to flatten the elastic casing, insert wide elastic to fit the child's waist measure, and you are done. (My 1st grader makes skirts like these for her dolls all the time, it takes her about 30 minutes from start to finish if I thread the machine for her.)

 

[4HppyCamprs]

The bubble skirt in the tutorial was the very first thing I ever made. Ever. It has a elastic waistband and so there was nothing get to "drape". It did have two layers but I have a small child and fabric tends to be around a yard for her outfits. I tend to pick up a yard of each fabric I like. It averages 7.00 a yard. I guess if your making a large skirt it could be harder but I found it to be a very simple FREE tutorial. Much simpler than hook and eye closures, zippers or gathering.

If you find that simpler than so be it

Eta: the op did just want a simple red polka dot skirt to wear with a black Tshirt. Nothing mentioned about twirling. Simple was stated. Nothing about wanting it costume like.

Happy sewing

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