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Lindy Petal skirt – with a stretch piping hem

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I kid you not, this is a jersey although it looks like a denim, doesn’t it?

Lindy skirt

it’s quite a robust jersey, but has plenty of stretch and is most definitely not a ponte- it just has a clever twill-like effect to its weave.  Zoe and i both fell for the possibilities when we saw it (independently) over at The Fabric Godmother’s store but it seems to have sold out- [horror!  I suppose when it’s gone, it’s gone!].   Ever striving for comfort this fabric appeared to deliver all the appearance of a nice denim, is warm enough for autumn but hey folks, it stretches (far more than a stretch denim, of course because it isn’t denim!) & being a knit is open to a host of sewing patterns you would never usually contemplate with denim.  Think of the comfort factor!  I did…& just how easily denim slips into your wardrobe, providing the perfect separate for pairing with pattern, colour or not.  But it’s not a denim- you can sew this on your overlocker, it doesn’t fray.  And no I don’t have shares in it, despite appearances.

Lindy skirt

So I bought this last month with the intention to make the Lindy Petal Skirt from Itch to Stitch.   Remember I made the Carey top (out of fabric I bought at the same time also from Fabric Godmother ).  The Lindy Petal skirt is free folks- check it out!  It appealed to me as it is a jersey skirt with a nice double frontage with a curved hemline.  A simple skirt to make I thought & it is.  Except I decided to complicate it by the addition of some hemline piping.

stretch piping

Stretch piping?  I made it myself using round elastic & strips of the fabric I was using for the skirt itself.  And it’s worked out fine in this example, having been worn several times now.  I machine basted the elastic inside the folded strip of fabric (with a long straight stitch- it really would not matter if this snapped through stretching later on, as it was just to form the piping in the first instance to be able to work with it).

Piping - depth of piping lined up with hen edge

Piping – depth of piping lined up with hen edge

I also made sure that the ‘depth’ of binding was sufficient for the depth of the hem that I wanted to make-( mine was about 2cm I think).  I also made sure that the depth of this stretch piping was the same along its length so that I could easily match edge of skirt hem with edge of binding so that my piping would properly follow the skirt hem shape.

There is the side seam- but no join in the piping

There is the side seam- but no join in the piping

But attaching it to the hem involved some thinking through to optimise the effect – I wanted the piping to follow the hem in a continuous line – no joins at the side seams.  This meant I had to construct the skirt in a different order.  It may sound a bit bizarre, but it worked!  Interested at all?  Here are the steps:

  • Make sure you have prepared the skirt before cutting out the fabric so that its length is finished length plus hem allowance (= depth of your binding)
  • Sew the lower 4″ of each side seam – attaching back to each front; press these partial seams at the lower edges.
  • Pin piping to the right side of the skirt hem, all the way around, so that the binding edge (non elastic piping edge) is level with the skirt’s lower edge.  I machine basted too with a long straight stitch & my zip foot.
  • Sew the piping to the skirt edge – I have a piping foot with my overlocker but [sniff] my overlocker is in storage so I used a zig zag and regular machine foot.  I was wavering as this means that you can’t get as close to the piping, but you achieve a stretch stitch.  If you want to get close to the piping you have to sacrifice the stretch stitch.  I am not sure what the answer is, but I basted straight and zig zagged to complete.  Thinking back I may have left my basting in….
  • Fold the bias edge to the inside – this is your hem.  I trimmed the seam so there were less layers, keeping the bias uncut as my hem.  You might want to press before pinning in place.
  • Hem your skirt- I used a twin needle in contrasting thread (adds to the denim look!) & then trimmed really close to the hem stitching to make it even & neat looking.

Lindy skirt

Once the hem is sewn, I constructed the skirt in the usual way.  It was just a back to front order sewing the hem first!

More on the skirt itself then?  Well it has an elastic waistband looking like this …

Lindy skirt

It’s not called Lindy ‘Petal’ skirt unnecessarily …

Lindy skirt

The front really does have petals ….From the back too …

Lindy skirt

I could probably have made it more figure hugging & got away with it, but I made this without looking in a mirror (camping sewing, right?!).  It looked OK & felt OK from where I was looking!

Lindy skirt

And this is becoming a fave working at home skirt – keeps me warmer over leggings but feels as if I am not wearing a skirt at all- so comfy.  And unlike many working at home outfits, this is completely decent for receiving a parcel, popping to the shops, going for a lunch meeting & actually not working but having huge fun with friends or on your own!  I am bound to wear this to the pub.  Just saying, it just hasn’t happened yet.

Now what do you think about adding some piping to something stretchy?  Fancy a closer look to get you thinking?

Lindy skirt piped hem

It really looks like denim, doesn’t it?

While I am here I should confess to having succumbed to the sale over at the Fabric Godmother too.  There are some pieces left for the rest of you, but I did lay my hands on bargains galore!  And then Weaver Dee has been tempting me with emails about discounts & I also fell for some half price McCalls  & Kwik Sew patterns– & before I knew it they had arrived (remember the 10% discount with ‘SCRUFFY’)

So although I am ‘camping’  with the vast bulk (because I do have a ton of sewing related supplies, tools, references & machinery – the boxes do not lie) in storage – it seems as if I am starting a mini stockpile of fabric & even patterns even though I am only ‘visiting’ & my stay here is only temporary.  I just can’t help myself!

Wearing notes:

Sewaholic Renfrew in black micro fleece and unblogged Virginia Leggings complete the outfit.


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