Repurposed Fingerless Gloves. I mentioned last month that I had a few more felted wool sweater projects up my sleeve. Well, this project is right off the sleeve. Fingerless gloves made from the sleeves of purposely (and accidentally) felted sweaters. I made the pair above for my mom, who works in a cold office but still needs use of her fingers. She has knit several pairs of fingerless gloves as gifts, and even though she can knit a pair in a weekend, I am proud to say the fingerless gloves I made for her took me 30 minutes, tops.
Simply trace a pattern using the intended recipient's hand, allowing a little extra room around the edges for comfort. Cut the top of the thumb at the chalk line, and the space between the fingers and the thumb. Turn the gloves inside out. If desired, crochet a decorative edge around the top. I also made a pair for the little boy next door (modeled below by Aidan) without any decorative stitching. And that's it! In other news, I finally created a three column template that I am happy with. Sewing Tutorials. Simple Sewing - Knit Maxi Skirt Tutorial. I was going through my posts in order to update my tutorials page, and I discovered something pretty funny. I've never ever made a tutorial for the one piece of clothing I make the most!
I call them my "pj skirts" and I wear them. ALL. THE. TIME. because they are just that comfy. I probably have at least 15 of these skirts. Ya I know, rediculous. Cut out your waist band like this. Are you tracking so far? Now sew the two waist band pieces together along the curved sides. Fold it over so that the seam is inside. Center the seam of the skirt to the back of the skirt. With the skirt facing WRONG side out, put the waist band INSIDE the skirt and pin at the centers and side seams.
Sew the waist band to the skirt, stretching it slightly as you sew. When you get it sewn, it might look a bit rumpled like this. No worries! After you hem the bottom, do the same thing with the iron to tidy it up a bit. Don't blame me if you get hooked on them, and end up with a closet full of them!... Asymmetrical Skirts. I have tons of furniture painting projects I am dying to get to now that I can walk outside without feeling like I might instantly roast into oblivion... and I'm not pregnant anymore. However, there is a lovely little phenomenon that happens every fall here in the south called "love bug" season.
No, it doesn't mean you suddenly feel like hugging everyone. Dreadful little flying black bugs descend in clouds and clog the air with their awful little selves. To paint anything outside automatically will ensure your masterpiece will be black polka dotted with the monsters. So, I will save my painting for a few weeks and share a few sewing projects in the mean time. If you've done any sewing at all, I'm sure you've made a circle skirt or two in your time. They are so appealing because they wonderfully easy, and they flatter most any body shape. I made both of these with jersey knit fabric. Measure 16 inches in from the edge on the fold and put a mark on the fabric. Now cut out a waist band. Business in the Front - Party in the Back. Important Edit To see other version's I've made of this dress, click here. Strange title right? That phrase seems to be my husbands favorite for defining a mullet. I made a dress that reminds me of a mullet - well, rather my husbands definition of one.
Business in the front. Party in the back. It was made completely out of old T-shirts of mine I've been stashing. To think, I almost sent them to the thrift store. This cutie wears them better than I ever did. You can do amazing things with knits. I'm on a mission to find out all the possibilities. Just so happens I used up 6 t-shirts with this dress, and I even threw away the leftover scraps. If you are interested, I'll show you a basic "how-to" to make this dress.
First I cut out the pieces I would need based on the size of another dress of hers. This removed the neck edge for the back piece so I made some binding with scraps and finished the neck edge. I also cut some 1 1/2 strips for the waist tie. Then I ruffled the tops. and hemmed the edges. A Primer on Sewing Knits. Knits give you great leeway when fitting and are very comfortable to wear. by Ann Personfrom Threads #73, pp. 42-45 Let me quickly dispel the apparent mystery about sewing with knits: there isn't any!
Nonetheless, after 30 years of writing and teaching on the subject, I'm always surprised to find out that these supple fabrics still alarm many sewers. And nowadays there are so many new knit fabrics available, it's hard to know how to handle them all. So I'd like to present a basic primer of information every sewer needs to create knit garments that look like ready-to-wear. And believe me, it's easy— you don't have to be an expert. The great fun of sewing with knits is the leeway they give you when fitting. When constructing knit garments, the first rule is that if the fabric stretches, the seams must stretch, too, so that the stitching won't pop as you bend and move in the garment.
Check out the fabrics! For double knits that will stay pressed open, use a 5/8-in. Sources for knits.