New Modern Skirt Designed by Rebekah...plus videos!

 

Rebekah and I had a special and unusually girly weekend not two weeks ago! We spent the weekend square dancing in Galveston as you probably know by now.

 

Last time, I showed you pictures and a demo of the teenagers in the zebra striped lime green ruffled dresses but I mentioned that Rebekah had designed her own 'modern' style square dance dress. Here it is!

The owner of a square dance dressmaking company is discussing her construction of the pleated circle skirt. It's not an easy thing to make!

He also gave her some information about a possible internship with a fashion design place in Houston. She loves to design skirts in particular and we thought this might be an interesting thing to look into.

 Here's a video of a line dance with Rebekah in her new skirt. I thought it looked lovely! Who would have ever thought a circle skirt could look so modern?

   I designed this trumpet skirt myself. I've found that I had a little trouble with it hanging right and staying snug around my waist. But I think it turned out pretty good anyway.

And of course I made this skirt up as well.. I had trouble with it too. The fabric was too light and I really need to add a ruffle to the bottom to give it some weight.  Personally, I think a circle skirt needs a waistband unless you have a good belt. I just bought one for this dress. It's especially designed for square dance skirts.

Have you ever tried to design your own skirt? Did you have any trouble with it?

Teens take Square Dancing by Storm! And come up with WOW costumes..Pattern and Video Included

 Rebekah in the dress she made to wear for the Teen Demo Dance..and me in my new Circle Square dance skirt.
I made my whole outfit as well.

Rebekah and I went to the Sam Houston Texas State Square Dance Festival in Galveston along with the other members of the three teen clubs in the Houston area who were performing in the demo dance they did this last weekend.

Getting ready to practice...not sure what the joke was..but Rebekah sure thought it was funny. :o) 

Sixteen teenagers volunteered to be part of the teenage demo which performed at the opening dance.  They did a fantastic job! (See great video below!)  Each girl or guy had to make their own dress or vest. (I'm assuming the guys' moms or sisters did the sewing for most of them.)  :o) Rebekah did a great job on her dress..don't you think? 

Matt Barnes calls for most of the teen clubs. He teaches them a year's worth of lessons in about 12 weeks! And still..they get bored and start coming up with their own moves. They learn so fast!

 Rebekah and Zach (her assigned partner for the demo) enter the main auditorium with the team to get ready to dance.

The teenagers made a huge impression on the adult dancers with their demo. I have to apologize for the poor lighting but using a flash just wouldn't work. Some day, I'll get a 'real camera' with an adjustable shutter speed, but for now, this will have to do. 

I have to say that it was just fast enough to have an amazing effect as far as showing movement. Getting everyone to pose..really didn't work. :o)

She used this pattern to make the dress.   Don't let that front ruffle fool you! It's not a wrap around skirt! It's just ruffle trailed up to the waist to LOOK like a wrap around skirt. No square dancin' gal in her right mind would wear a wrap around skirt to square dance in ..ha!  You can buy tons of cute patterns at http://www.squaredfashions.com/Patterns.htm 

Click on both these videos so they play at the same time and you can see just how differently the teens dance than the adults do. It's kind of fun to see!

Sadly, the kids don't have sound because I had to use my youngest son's camera. I had no idea that it didn't record sound! And for some reason, You Tube doesn't like his video type either.  Be sure to watch all the way until the end. Rebekah and Zach practice a lot and add some dramatic ballroom dancing  at the very end. (It's interspersed throughout..but the best part is at the end of the dance. )   For now, just enjoy square dancing...teenage style! It's a whole new genre of sport!

PS. If you are wondering what 'normal' square dancing looks like..here's a video from the Houston Hoedown.  Believe me..it's amazing the difference in energy and activity between the adults and the kids. What makes it even more astonishing is that the kids have all been dancing between 1-2 years and these adult dancers have most likely been dancing for many years.

 Happy Homemaking!

Tutorial! How to Make a Circle Skirt with No Pattern and No Side Seams!

30 Minute Square Dance or Poodle Skirt  

 I had a great time making a square dance out of this sheet.  Did I tell you it was a sheet from the thrift store?  Well it was...but the fabric was so cute that I couldn't pass it up. I shared this at Gina's The Shabby Chic Cottage for her anniversary Show and Tell called Transformation Thursday. So many great ideas!

Here's how to make a circle skirt in 30 minutes without a pattern.  First, we need to do some quick math.  Formula for Width and Length of Square:  2 x Length of Skirt  plus at least 1/4 of your waist measurement.  You can always cut it a little bigger. 

Now fold the huge square in half and then in half again like a paper napkin. That gives you four layers. You now have a smaller square which when measured at the diagonal (longest point) is the length of your skirt plus the 1/4 of your waist.

 Fold it one more time so that it's a big triangle.  (You will have eight layers now.)

Now for some more math! Measure your waist and divide it by 8. Add a 1/2 an inch to that measurement.

For me that was 5 1/2". I laid my tape where I could reach both sides below the top point of the triangle and it was exactly 5 1/2 inches.  Draw a line with a marking pencil there. Cut off the point of the folded square at this spot to make the circle for your waist plus some extra which will be gathered by elastic.

Now measure from the cut waist edge all the way down the first side using the length of your skirt (plus hem of course ) For me that would be 18 plus about 2"  or about 21". (In the photo I had not cut the point off so I had to mark it lower.)   Mark that spot with a pin or chalk pencil.

Move over to the center and mark the skirt length again....and then a couple of more times all the way to the other side of the skirt triangle.

Next, draw a slightly curving line which matches all the spots you marked into one smooth cutting line.

Cut through all the layers on this barely curved line which is your skirt edge (hem line).

Now you can unfold it and Voila! You have a perfect circle skirt!! The picture above is the skirt still folded in half because I couldn't unfold it all the way and still get it in the picture or on the table.

Now fold under about a 1/2 an inch at the waist and sew about 3/8 inch from the edge to make a casing for the elastic.  Measure the elastic around your waist and maybe just a bit snugger (whatever is comfortable). Cut the elastic and thread it through your casing with a bodkin threader. Stitch the elastic edges together several times. 

Then hem the bottom with a narrow rolled hem. If you want to add lace or homemade ruffle that would be a great way to embellish this. Or if you are doing a poodle skirt, buy a poodle applique at Wal-mart and some rick rack for a leash to use for embellishment.

Here's the pattern for the blouse...it's so quick to sew once you figure out the ingenious way they have you sew the sleeves so that you don't have to inset the them.

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Caroline of Church Sexy had some very good questions and I'm answering them here...

Caroline, I don't mind answering your questions. In fact, I've got eight little posts done (this one was NOT little) and now I'm free to comment and answer Q's.. more free time! The house looks great!

Waistband: Yes it is elastic, but the way I cut out  the skirt results in a very small opening at the waist--just enough so you can pull it over your head--so no bulk at the waist.

Tie on Sash : I made the sash from the top edge of the sheet. I just zig-zagged the raw edge. It was barely visible. Then I tied it on top. 

Petticoat: No, I actually purchased the petticoat. But I do have a whole bolt of chenille to make my own. Just no time! Yipes!  I will be doing that and it will make a great post. The fact is I know someone has done a tute on that online but I can't remember where.  A ruffler foot, which I have, would be very helpful on a project like this.

I posted this on Wardrobe Refashion and I do actually mention about the sash since I forgot to do so on the post.

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Mickey..at The Works of Our Hands, who DESIGNS costumes all the time for plays suggested we use a just trace our own applique for a poodle skirt..and I agree! So I added this.

For a Poodle to applique on your skirt - Here is a clip art you could blow up, trace on wonder-under ironed to white fabric, and could make your own poodle applique.
Here's a photo of a poodle skirt to give you an idea of what yours could look like...

Homemade clothes can be stylish!

 

Cute Top...Simplicity 2939

To be honest, I have to tell you that I know next to nothing about fashion and I've never paid enough attention to how I dress. From the time I was a little girl, my mother can assure you, that it was a hopeless cause. I wanted to climb trees, crochet, sing songs, draw, write poems...etc. But it never occurred to me to worry what I looked like. By the time I was old enough to care, I just couldn't, for the life of me figure it out. What was "in'...what wasn't "in"?

Capris pattern

But my daughter finally got old enough to realize that is was time for "INTERVENTION"!! "Ok..Mom...we've GOT to do something about your clothes!"   This is the fabric she helped me pick out almost two years ago and she helped me pick out a selection of patterns of what she considered 'stylish'. 

I sew for everyone but me, so it wasn't that I couldn't sew nice clothes, I just never took the time. And I was heavy too and couldn't figure out what would look flattering or even decent. (On a side note: I am on a diet...mostly just eating low carb foods in their natural state and I'm losing weight again! Hurray!. :o)  

But I'm so glad that Rebekah took the time to help me. She just seems to 'know'. My friends do too and occasionally take the time to rescue me from my bad dressing habits. At any rate, I have discovered that you can be frugal and still look 'cute' or at least as cute as this stodgy ole' mom is able to be. 

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 Just a quick reminder, that I'm gone to a tournament with the kdis and can't get to the internet except to check emails via my Ipod..maybe...   I'll be home Sunday evening. :o) This is a previously scheduled post. :o)

Spring 2010 Top Contest at Made By Rae

My Entry for the Spring 2010 Top Contest...copied off a store bought blouse and embellished by me..Christian just took this picture at 7:35pm today. I raced to the closet, threw on the blouse and said, "Quick! Christian..before we lose the sun!" He sure did a great job! :o)

I tried to enter the Spring 2010 Top Contest being held by Made by Rae, but it was already closed. I got the time wrong..8pm EST not CST! But don't give up, if you want to enter. I just got an email from Rae and we can enter for next weeks' contest! Yippee! I don't know all the details yet, but some time this coming week they will open up the contest for new entries.

I just heard about it on Melissa's blog, Until Wednesday Calls. She is showing off the absolutely most gorgeous blouse. You should check both those places. I believe you can vote on your favorite top but I may be wrong about that. She would get my vote for the best blouse..for sure!

I made several copies of my favorite Van Heusen blouse using my Copying Store Bought Clothes technique.

I thought you might like to see my creation, even if I couldn't get it in to the contest in time. You should check out those cute blouses though. There were a lot of great design ideas there!

Show & Tell Spring Dress at My Romantic Home

I have recently discovered a really beautiful homemaking blog called My Romantic Home which hosts a Show and Tell on Fridays. It's a big event where you can see lots of beautiful things and as part of the event I would like to post my Show and Tell item. I made this dress and helped one of my very first and youngest sewing pupils, Katie, make a dress just like it. Her mother, Beverly, wanted the girls to make matching bonnets too. They looked so sweet in these.

Beverly is on my homemaking blog roll...Frontier Farms. I'm so glad she wanted me to do this, because I think this is one of the sweetest dresses I've ever made and I learned how to use Yo-Yo's to make flowers. That set me off on a hobby that I've never quite recovered from..using Yo-Yo flowers for embellishing. You can read about it here. Yo-Yo Flower Tutorial.

If you would like some more pretty things to look at this week, check out My Romantic Home's Friday Show and Tell!

How to Make a Cottage-Inspired Apron

Click for instructions for Cottage Style Aprons

I spent the day working on this apron and had such a hard time of it, that I thought I might better give you some pictures for making this.  It is darling and after I finished it, I realized how easy it was. Have fun, but don't forget to put your skirt on the fold!! I couldn't read the fine print and ended up cutting out a daughter size apron.  Click on the link for a downloadable pattern and instructions.  I have numbered my pictures to go with their instructions.  I'm missing pix for the waistband because that part of the instructions didn't print out.  Hmm.  so I didn't end up taking pictures.  I'll upload some later since I will be making several of these.

To get started, pick some coordinating fabrics, download the pattern and instructions, cut them out and cut out the strips for ruffles, ties, and piping.  A rotary cutter makes this step a lot easier!

Step 2 Make the piping.    Sew it to the lower edge of skirt.        Step 3 Make the ruffle and hem it. 

Now it's time to make the ties and waistband

1. Hem the two ties. 2. Make the points and sew in place.  3. fold a small pleat so the unhemmed edge is only 1 1/4" wide.  Stitch in place.  Continue with the instructions for making the waistband.

 

Now we make the pockets!  1. Make piping for pocket.  2. Hem sides and lower edge of pocket ruffle. 3. Gather upper edge of pocket ruffle.  4. Lay piping and pocket ruffle on upper edge of lower pocket and stitch.