Taking In: Skirt Edition

Alright so one of the things I have discovered that I love to do is alter clothing. Ill buy it at yard sales, swap meets, wherever I can get it for really cheap (like 2$ or less cheap!). I found this lovely long skirt at a yard sale but the waist was far too big for me but that didn't stop me from buying it!

I knew I could take in the waist because the side seams were a single stitch and appeared to be easy to manage. I always check the seams of something before I think about altering because then I know what kind of sewing project I will be getting myself into (double stitch side seams are the bane of my existence..). So, in this post I am going to show you how I take in the waist of a skirt.

The first thing you need to do is try the skirt on to figure out how much  you actually need to take in around the waist. I do this by pinching the extra fabric behind my back and measure how much I pinched. You can measure any way you like as long as the numbers are accurate. (it is always better to take in less then more because its easier to keep taking in then let any out!)

 

I measured a total of 4" that needed to be taken in. That means 2" on each side seam (because if you try take all of this on one seam, the fabric will be pulled and poportions will be incorrect so balance is best!).

Now for the next step you can rip out the seams for a clean sew or you can leave the current seams in and just sew on top. The more material you are taking in, the easier it is to just leave the original seams because your new seam will be far enough away from the old seams. This is your judgement call and either is fine. (if you choose to rip the seams, rip them 12" down to give yourself enough room to taper later on)

Now for the fun part! (not) Turn the skirt inside out and take out your best pins. Since I have to take in my seam 2" on each side, I will measure in 1" then pin that point. Make sure that both sides of the waistband are lined up so that you do not get any mismatched heights later. I then taper my pins down into the original seam to make a smooth curve (just remember NOT to taper the waistband). 

No awkward seam angles here!

Now pull out your sewing machine to finish off the job. Sew along the pin line making sure it tapers nicely. (If you finish the stitch and realize the taper looks funky, then you probably can go back over the stitches and taper them more cleanly. But wait until you try the skirt on first.) 

Now try the skirt on once you have sewn both sides. This is to double check that you sewed correctly and did not take to much in. THIS STEP IS CRUCIAL. There have been many times where I took in too much only to realize this sad fact after I had already cut all the extra fabric....those are sad and disappointing days (specially if you were planning to wear it the next day). :{

If the skirt fits the way you like it, then you can cut off the excess fabric leaving about a half inch remainder. In this remainder, you use a zig-zag stitch (or something similar) to finish off the seam which prevents it from fraying later on.

You can now try on the skirt again to double check everything turned out in the way you wanted it. And look at that, you now have a fabulously altered skirt!

This is a pretty simple fix as the skirt was easy to work with. Im still deciding if I like doing the tutorial method better or if I should just show before and afters of my sewing alterations. Maybe in the future Ill do all the basics tutorials first then once you know how I work, upload before and afters...who knows. Ill figure it out as I go. mwaha