Thread: Anyone have a skirt pattern??

Hi Guys,

I am going to start learning to sew properly and I have a goal of making my own gorgeous costumes in 5 years from now!! (Gives me time to practise :))

Can anyone give me a pattern or simple instructions for making an egyptian style strait long skirt (the type you would get in an egyptian 2 piece). So i can play over crimbo x

Thanks

Emma

stopped and read.see if i can help..sorry, i only have pattern for the skirts we use. hope you find what you are looking for !

Shira has some free patterns and also links to places to buy patterns on her web site. I highly recommend reading through the site for some tips for making your own costumes. That is where I started to learn how to make things and it was extremely helpful.

http://www.shira.net/costuming/making.htm

B.D. Patterns #2001 is a straight skirt (http://www.bellydanceshoppe.com/B-D-...pttrn-2001.htm, http://www.adiradance.com/dance_cost...ariations.html, etc.). There are lots of commercial patterns for straight skirts on the market, but most of them are for woven fabrics, not knits. Simplicity 4401 is about as close as you can get out of the mainstream sewing books (http://www.simplicity.com/p-2157-mis...n-dresses.aspx), but the pattern would have to be tweaked a bit for a knit. McCall's 5136 is designed for stretch fabrics, but the skirt is meant to be attached to a bodice, so that style would have to be converted to have a waistband (http://mccallpattern.mccall.com/m513...hp?page_id=109). Personally, I think wovens are generally easier to sew than knits (except costume satin...grrr...), so it might be worth the experiment of making a test skirt with some inexpensive fabric first, if you're just learning to sew.

Get yourself to Ozma's Costumes page on FB:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kashiw...es/84299390665

Also, get yourself to Eman Zaki's costuming workshops at JoY in April!
http://www.jewelofyorkshire.co.uk
Except that they're all sold out.

http://www.davina.us/blog/books/skirting-the-issues/

Davina's little book on skirts might be of use to you. But it does assume you know how to sew.

Originally Posted by tigerb

http://www.davina.us/blog/books/skirting-the-issues/

Davina's little book on skirts might be of use to you. But it does assume you know how to sew.

I agree with this book recommendation.

For the most basic of sewing info you also might want to check out
SEW U: Built by Wendy's how-to-sew guide.

Hi, this site is packed with info. Lots of patterns.
http://www.nadyas-sewing-instructions.de/indexe.htm
With sewing, try and error.
Look for a sewingclass in the neigborhood.

Yes a few

Originally Posted by Tourbeau

Personally, I think wovens are generally easier to sew than knits (except costume satin...grrr...), so it might be worth the experiment of making a test skirt with some inexpensive fabric first, if you're just learning to sew.

Satin is a pain, particularly the cheap stuff. Make sure you're using the right kind of pins and sewing needle! When cutting out fabric that frays easily, you can stick clear tape over the cutting line and cut out your pattern as you would normally. When you sew, the tape should be well within your seam allowance and you can trim it off. It helps if you zigzag, and then sew your seam with a straight stitch inside of the zigzag. [Of course if you have a serger, you're golden... sigh :)]

By "inside" I mean toward the garment, away from the edge.
The order looks like this: garment | > tape, that gets trimmed off

I also definitely agree with making test skirts out of cheaper fabric until you know what you're doing. Look for bolt sales at fabric stores (sometimes there are $1/yd racks or equivalent), or going to thrift/op shops (second hand stores). They sometimes have fabric, or at least have garments that you can hack apart for fabrics. Try to find the biggest sizes possible, so you have lots to play with. I've seen some very successful performance costumes created using formal dresses (prom, bridesmaids) from thrift stores. Cannibalize them for beads, hooks, hardware, zippers....

A big bugaboo for me when I started sewing was learning about fabric drape. This will prevent a lot of frustration: Hold the fabric up to you in the direction/shape you want your final garment. Does it start to naturally hang right? Turn it 45 degrees -- now you're on the bias -- does it hang better? You need more fabric to cut patterns on the bias, but it generally gives a much better drape. The slinky evening gowns of the 1930s are terrific examples of the power of bias drape.