Fun Sewing Projects that Can Be Completed in a Weekend

I had a request to write about sewing projects that can be completed in a weekend. So that means three days. First, one must either have fabric on hand at home, or one needs to shop for a piece of fabric. Go to a fabric store and look at the fabric. For suggestions for what kind of fabric to use for your project, look at the envelope the pattern came in. If you don't have a pattern, look for a pattern for a skirt. Decide on your fabric. Find solid color fabric. Or fabric with a pattern that does not need to be matched at the seams. Make sure you purchase extra fabric. Purchase all the notions like matching thread, zipper, buttons, pins, scissors, and everything else it says to purchase on the pattern envelope.

Iron your fabric. Lay the fabric out on a table in one single layer. Place the pattern pieces all in the same direction with the printed side up. Cut out the pattern pieces. Make sure you place the pattern pieces close together, but far enough apart to be able to cut around them without overlapping the pieces.Then, lay the pattern pieces with the printed side face down on the fabric. Cut out the remaining pieces. The instructions on the pattern envelope say to double the fabric. It is better to use a single layer and cut out the pattern pieces twice. You should have two front pieces, two back pieces, waistband pieces, and possibly a facing. Make sure you have enough pieces. Make sure you can tell which side is the top side and which side is the underside.

Set up your sewing machine with the thread and bobbin. Follow the instructions about how to assemble the skirt. Trim the ends of the thread from the skirt after sewing each seam. Sew front pieces together. Sew the back pieces together. Make a seam with the longest stitch length on the seam where the zipper goes. Press this seam open. Apply your zipper. Remove the temporary stitches on the seam over the zipper. you will see that the edges over the zipper are perfect.

Attach the waistband (and/or facing). Trim the seam allowances to 5/8 inch. If you have an over lock machine, finish the seam edges. If not, use your zig zag stitchon the widest setting, with the stitches close together. Stitch the edge of the seam, so the needle goes in the fabric on one side, then goes on the outside of the fabric on the other side. This locks the edge of the seam in place.

Iron the skirt with the zipper closed. Before you sew the hem, trim the two sides of the pattern pieces, where the front and back pattern pieces join together at the seams so everything is the same length. Make a small hem with the sewing machine. Iron this hem. Try the skirt on. Fold the hem under to the desired length, and pin in place with straight pins. Go around the entire hem with a ruler, measure the hem, and place a pin in the hem, so the hem is equal in size all the way around. Use the hem stitch, or hand sew the hem. Do this very neatly. Press the hem flat.

Now you have a new skirt!