hemming and hawing

I won a turquoise blue shantung silk (really polyester) pencil skirt on eBay months ago. I think, with shipping, I paid $3 for it. It’s in pristine condition, from some professional clothing line called Kasper. Whatever. It’s really decadent and reminds me of a bit of trashy Versace. I am planning on wearing it with black opaque tights, suede heeled ankle boots and a fitted black top – just a small burst of color for the heck of it.

I’m short. (5’1″ of pure terror, actually.) Typical pencil skirts for normal women are always too long for me and rarely do I get lucky and find a perfect length. Because this skirt had a muti-layered effect at the hem and a slit that I didn’t feel like messing with, I finally got the energy today to just go ahead and hack 10.5″ inches off the sucker. I tried it on and with a safety pin, marked how short I wanted it to be and then got out a trusty ruler and tailor’s chalk and marked my cutting line, about 1/2″ below where I actually want the hem to end.

Okay… this 1/2″ thing is pretty crucial. I have a serger which allows me to finish edges and only have to fold up an edge once when hemming. So, it’s up to you to assess how many times you plan on folding up your hems. The thicker the fabric, the wider the hem – is the common sewing rule. Think about these things when your measuring out your hem allowance and before you cut! You can always make things shorter but not longer after you close the scissors.

This skirt also has a lining which I kept in tact so I went ahead and cut it the same length but planned on hemming the lining about an inch and the actual skirt was hemmed about a half inch – this way there would be no accidental peeking out of the lining.

Sergers require 4 large spools of thread and I only have white and black at the moment. No one will be seeing the black serged edges, as long as I don’t slip and land with my ankles behind my head. Here are some pointless serging pictures for your viewing enjoyment.

After I did the edges, I fired up the iron and folded up the hems, pressing them in place. I cannot stress to you enough how much an iron will help you in all of your sewing projects. I prefer it to pinning if I can get away with it. (There are some things a serger can’t do and even though I could do a blind hem stitch and serge all at once, I have yet to master that technique and wasn’t in the mood for ripping out seams over and over to prove something to myself this afternoon.)  If you don’t have a serger, don’t fret! Just fold up twice, iron in place and sew once!

So here I am sewing away on a regular machine. The gauge plate on the machine is also your friend. I just lined my ironed up edge to the 4/8″ mark and really didn’t have to think anymore after that!

And here she is… all done.  Yay for color! Yay for a $3 skirt finally making it out of my to-do sewing pile!

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Tagged as: crafts, diy, fashion, sewing