1. Home
  2. Quilting Forum
  3. Halloween help on garment sewing

Halloween help on garment sewing

Well, it is one day until I need to wear a halloween costume, and despite my best attempts at sending positive thoughts toward the fabric pile, my lovely tropical fabric from tahiti has NOT turned itself into a halloween costume. I'd like to take some fabric and make it into a simple tropical dress, probably strapless...basically, one step up from just wrapping it around my body and tying it (which I may have to do). I'll at least hem the edges. At this point, all I can think to do besides that is maybe add some velcro. I certainly am not up to a zipper or other closure. It'd be nice to give it some shape, like a bit of ruching (sp?) on the side or at the front or some darts, but is this waaay too hard? free tahiti fabric scrap to whoever can help! I've never even hemmed a pair of pants on my machine. The fabric I have is a fairly thick 100% cotton fabric (bought for quilting really), white, with a lovely column of orange tropical flowers up the side.

Plan B is to take a smaller piece (bright blue with white tropical flowers) and make a wrap skirt, but I don't really have anything suitable for the top of the outfit (it's too cold to wear a bikini top) so a one-piece seemed easier. I think I may actually have a pattern for a wrap skirt somewhere around here, but I've never opened it. This will all be accessorized by shell necklaces and plastic leis and flowers in the hair and a husband in a grass skirt and coconut bra (he hasn't quite agreed to that part yet).

Why didn't I buy a pattern before now?

Lynn, very impressed with anyone who can sew clothes

Reply to
quilter
Loading thread data ...

My simplest dress/nightie (only done for little kids, but should work)

Test first with an old sheet or something & use it for a cool nightie or a beach cover-up.

Measure your body at the biggest circumference- bust, hips, whatever. Add at least 6 inches for "ease" - room to move & sit. Sew a tube of fabric this wide and as long as you want your dress to be, plus some extra for hems and fudge factor. If you are in a big hurry you can hem the bottom edge with stitch witchery at this point. Put 2 long strings in reach, then step into the tube and pull it up until the bottom is where you want it, and even. Adjust so that the seam(s) fall where you want. Tie a string around your waist over the tube to hold it up. Measure UP from the bottom so that the hem is even. Now pull the top up and tie it where you want the top to be, leaving some vertical looseness. Top should "blouse" a little. Generally, a woman will need more fabric length in the top front and skirt back. Mark the string lines with a chalk pencil all the way around-(easier if friend or hubby does this for you, especially the back) sew elastic in on the string lines. Hem top & bottom edges, or turn the top edge to make a casing for the elastic. Add straps if you want them- the elastic might be enough, but straps would hide your bra straps.

Jane in NE Ohio

Reply to
Jane Kay

Thank you Jane! Unfortunately I didn't see this until the morning after, but it is interesting to read anyway. I think I was complicating things because I really only had one piece big enough to make a dress out of, and I wanted it for quilting so I didn't want to sew it too much (wanted to unpick it later), but also didn't want to just wrap it sarong style, because I had to put a wool coat over it and have it hold up on a 40 minute subway commute! I ended up seaming the sides roughly (didn't even cut them first, just folded and topstitched), folding down the top to catch it in the side seams, then wrapping around my body and sewing in a well-positioned piece of velcro. I used one safety pin to secure the loose fabric at the end, but I can't believe how well it stayed up all night. I also tied a string around my waist (like you suggest with the elastic, only I used the strings of a coconut bra that hung by my side, lol), and bloused it a bit. It all worked well enough for one night! Oh, here''s a photo, although you can't see much sewing detail:

formatting link
Sooner or later I'll learn how to make a real dress out of it. Garment sewing is on my list of "must learn some day"s.

Lynn

Reply to
quilter

Howdy!

Very nice, Lynn. (That was my idea, having you look like Dorothy Lamour .

formatting link
)You look gorgeous. And so does your partner.Congrats! 40 minutes on a subway-- in sandals and a wool coat? Brrrr!

Ragmop/Sandy---admiring this cute couple

Reply to
Sandy Ellison

Reply to
Pat in Virginia

InspirePoint website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.