diy Gottex Swim Skirt tutorial

Swim skirts seem to be all the rage this summer. I especially love the Gottex swim skirts, but not so much the price tag on them. Whenever I see them, I think, “I could make that.” Here’s how I did it…

Swim Skirt with front slit

I want a front slit on my skirt, so I am using the back pattern piece from this tutorial and drafting 2 more pieces for the front of my skirt.

Take the waist measurement, subtract 1-4″ for negative ease. Divide that number in half. This is the front of my skirt measurement. Divide it by 3.

One side of the slit will be 2/3 of the measurement (Side A), and the other side of the slit will be 1/3 (Side B).

Side A(if more help is needed on these next few steps, see this post)

Step 1:
Add 3/4″ for finishing allowance to 2/3 of your waist measurement. Draw the top line this length.

Step 2
Draw a line perpendicular to the top line, the desired length. (same measurement as step 2 in the simple swim skirt drafting tutorial) and draw your bottom line perpendicular to the 2nd line you drew.

Step 3
Add 2″ along the bottom edge to make an a-line. Follow the instructions (step 3) from the simple swim skirt tutorial.
Repeat for Side B, using 1/3 of the front waist measurement and making it a mirror image of side A–so slit edges fit together, like this:

Use the patterns to cut out your fabric pieces.

Sewing a front slit swim skirt:

Step 1:
Finish the slit edges of Side A and Side B (fold the edge toward the wrong side and stitch in place).

Step 2:

Optional: Sew a zigzag stitch along the top edge of the slits, tacking them together at the top edge.

Step 3: sew side seams, waist, and hem (see swim skirt sew along here)

The Gottex Profile Ruffle skirt Knock-off:

Draft the pattern as direct for side-slit skirt above.
Step 1: round slits

Step 2: cut out contrast fabric for double ruffle hem (optional)

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Step 3 sew side seams of skirt and sides seams of ruffle trim.

Step 4 use serger to finish hems of both skirt and ruffle trim. Use wooly nylon thread in loopers and rolled hem setting. Stretch fabric slightly as you serge the rolled hem to create a lettuce edge effect.

Step 5 sew ruffle to skirt, so that both ruffle and skirt have right side of the fabric facing up. Use a twin needle to sew them together.

Step 6 sew side front seam using a stretch stitch or narrow zigzag stitch. Use a 3/4 inch seam allowance. Use a twin needle to sew the seam allowances open and create a casing for drawstrings. Don’t sew to the very top edge, stop and leave about 3/4″ unsewn. Clip the seam allowances right above the casings.

Insert stretch cording into bottom of one casing and feed it through to the top, down into the 2nd casing and all the way out the bottom edge of 2nd casing.

Step 7 Pull both ends toward the right side and pull them up and out of the way. sew across the opening with a zigzag tack to keep the cording to the front.

Now either add elastic to finish the swim skirt or baste the skirt to bottoms for a skirted bottoms.

Using bottoms and sewing attached bottoms:
If you are sewing a swim skirt with attached bottoms, you’ll need the waist of the skirt to match the waist of the bottoms. To do this, use your swim bottoms pattern. You should draw the top lines the same length as the top lines on your swim bottoms pattern. Then follow steps 2-4 for the rest of the drafting. OR you can add to the waist measurement and stretch the bottoms to fit the skirt when zigzag stitching the skirt to bottoms in preparation to add elastic to the waist.

To sew your swim skirt with attached bottoms:
sew both the skirt and the bottoms up until sewing the waist/adding elastic to the waist. Once you’ve sewn all other steps, place the bottoms inside the skirt, so the right side of the bottoms are facing the wrong side of the skirt. Match the side seams together and pin together, keeping raw edges even.

Baste them together with a zigzag stitch.

Add the elastic just as you would for a swim skirt or swim bottoms by themselves, but you will be sewing the elastic to both the skirt and the bottoms at the same time.

Other tips:
Use stretch needles 🙂

For the elastic, cut it about 1-2 inches less than the waist of the skirt. I use 3/8″ wide elastic.

If using a serger, use wooly nylon in loopers and regular serger thread in needle.

3 thread overlock stitch is best and offers the most stretch (if using a serger).

I try to make a trial run first with some less expensive fabric. This way I can see if I need to adjust things, without feeling like I’ve wasted my good fabric. Clearance fabric is great for first attempts.

A very long post with several sewing tutorials (Sorry it’s so long)–I hope it was helpful 🙂
~Erin

How to Draft a Swim Skirt Pattern Sewing Tutorial

Many have asked, “how do you draft a swim skirt pattern?” And so I’ll respond. Consider the following:
A swim skirt is made from stretchy fabric and is therefore more fitted than other skirts (negative ease and a slight A-line)
A swim skirt is shorter than an average skirt–at least the skirts I wear 😉
A swim skirt offers a bit more modesty
Swim skirts are easy to sew and a simple one takes about an hour to sew up on average
Sewing swimsuits and skirts are some of the easiest projects and the fabric makes them so forgiving.

Definitely try sewing one and you’ll see it’s not so complicated as one might think.

In this tutorial, I will explain how to draft a simple swim skirt in 4 easy steps.

Simple Swim Skirt
Step 1:

Measure your waist.

Subtract 3-5″ for negative ease. (For a looser fitting skirt, subtract less. If you want your skirt to fit pretty loose, then just subtract about 1″.) Subtracting 5″ from waist measurement makes for a very tight skirt, which I did not like so much. Update: I’ve made several skirts now, subtracting different amounts for each–It’s ideal to subtract between 1-3 inches from your waist measurement.

Divide that number by 4.

Draw a straight, horizontal line that long.

Step 2:

Measure how long you want the skirt to be.
Add 3/4″ at the top for adding elastic
Add 3/8″ for hem allowance at the bottom

Draw a straight line this length perpendicular to the first line you drew. This is the center front/back line and will be placed on the fold in your fabric.

Draw another line perpendicular to the center fold line. You can also use a french curve ruler for this part, to draw your bottom cutting line slightly curved or rounded. I am doing a lettuce edge finish, so I used a straight edge/clear ruler to draw my hem line.

Step 3:

Add 2 inches along the side to make an A-line. Measure 2 inches out along bottom edge.

Step 4:

Use a clear ruler to draw the a-line.

Step 5:

Use my swim skirt sew along to make this skirt. You can find it here.

Other tips:

For the elastic, cut it about 1-2 inches less than the waist of the skirt. I use 3/8″ wide elastic.

If using a serger, use wooly nylon in loopers and regular serger thread in needle.

3 thread overlock stitch is best and offers the most stretch (if using a serger).

I try to make a trial run first with some less expensive fabric. This way I can see if I need to adjust things, without feeling like I’ve wasted my good fabric. Clearance fabric is great for first attempts.

UPDATE: I’ve made a couple now, and I prefer the looser fitting style on me ( minus 1″ for negative ease in step 1). My daughter likes a closer fitting skirt (minus 4″ for negative ease in step 1).

~Erin

How to Draft a Swim Skirt Cover Up

Sew a swim skirt in a half hour? When people say, “Oh, that project takes a half hour,” I never believe them. Well, because it usually takes me longer. Maybe if I made several, the time would be shortened. For that reason, I always hesitate to tell people how long the projects should take. It’s so relative to the sewist. Having said that, this project will take so little time it’s ridiculous. –about a half hour, I think. Even drafting the pattern is super quick.

This style is also easy fitting. Here’s how you could draft your own pattern if you don’t have one.

Start by drawing a fold line on one end of the paper or tracing paper.

Measure the person’s hip or waist (the place where the top of the wrap skirt will sit). Divide in half and Subtract 1 to 2 inches for negative ease. This is what this skirt has, but I will make this again when my fabric arrives next week and draft it a bit wider to see if it covers more.

Draw the waist cutting line: so my daughter’s waist is 26 and I drew a very slight curved line for 10+ inches. (which is essentially 26/2=13; 13-2=11).

The line then begins to slope up fairly sharply- draw the line upward for another 10 inches or so, using a french curve to draw and measure– though it’s not very curved.

The next line a draw is the tie ends, rounding the end and sloping away gradually from the top slope line of the waist edge.

Before you slope all the way down, mark how long you want the skirt to be and angle the line to meet that length. It should reach that length right below where the top line began its slope upward.

Draw the rest of the bottom edge cutting line, slightly rounded. Again a french curve ruler is your friend here.

Use this pattern to cut out your fabric. Remember to place the fold line on the pattern along the fold of the fabric, and so the greatest amount of stretch will be the width of the skirt.

There are many ways to finish the skirt: rolled hem using the serger and wooly thread in the loopers, a lettuce edge using the serger, twin needle, or a zigzag stitch on a regular sewing machine.

Here’s how I did it. I serged the raw edges.

I folded the edges over toward the wrong side of the fabric and used a zigzag stitch–mainly because it matched the way I finished the matching swimsuit.

The end 😉

She’s liking it very much. I’m thinking I should have made it a bit longer (she chose the length) and perhaps just a tad wider. I hope you enjoy the tutorial and make some fun and easy cover ups to wear out in the sun 🙂
~Erin

Ringer Tee Sewing Tutorial

A seventies style at its finest, the ringer tee is easy to make from any t-shirt pattern. I’ve done this technique for myself and my kids, using Jalie, KwikSew, and Ottobre. The example tee is an Ottobre pattern from 2/2007.

You can see how I sew the neckline binding here. Sew the sleeve and side seams. For the sleeves, I use pretty much the same technique.

1. Cut a strip of ribbing (I sometimes use cotton lycra instead of ribbing). I cut mine1 3/8″ wide. Make sure the binding is straight on the grain–if it’s not, then it will not work as well; it may twist and get all wonky. The length should be the arm circumference plus 1 to 2″.

2. Fold and press the binding in half lengthwise. Unfold and sew the ends together to form loops.

3. Press seam allowances open and re-press the lengthwise folds.

4. Divide the bindings into 4 equal parts and mark with pins or with a fabric marker. Divide and mark the sleeve into 4 equal parts (quarters).

5. Pin the binding to the sleeves at these quarter points, right sides together. The binding should be slightly smaller in circumference than the sleeve.

6. Sew together with a 3/8″ seam allowance, keeping the raw edges together and stretching the binding to fit each section. Remember to remove pins when they approach the presser foot, and be careful to only stretch the binding, not the sleeve fabric.

7. Serge the seam allowances.

8. With an iron, press the seam allowances toward the sleeve. Use a stretch twin needle to top stitch the binding and sleeve. While the twin needle is still set up, hem the shirt.

Your sweet ringer tee is done. The stretch twin needle is a great way to give your knits a polished look. It’s easy to use, too. For more help setting up your machine for sewing with a twin needle, look at this post. If the machine is not threaded properly, you may end up with a lot of broken threads and/or needles.

Enjoy!
~Erin

Jeans Part Two and Three Quarters: Sew part 1 and part 2 together, before doing part 3

This is part 2 3/4, as part 3 will come next 🙂 Part 2 3/4 is where you will need to sew parts 1 and 2 together, in order to add part 3 later. Makes perfect sense, huh?

For the complete jeans sew along:

part 1 here

part 2 here

This was also against the Ottobre pattern instructions, but from examining my daughter’s Levi’s, it was perfectly clear how they are constructed, and let’s face it, the whole idea is to have them look store bought, not made by your mommy. Although, mom’s pretty much rockin’ the corduroy jeans.

Remember: heavy duty needle and special top stitching thread for top stitching 🙂

Put the front and back of pants right sides together and pin the inseam together. Sew from one lower edge, over crotch (there’s that nasty word again–sorry I tried not to use it for a while, but I had no choice), to the other lower edge. Finish raw edges. This pic looks so abstract, but trust me this is the picture of the inseam sewn and raw edges finished 🙂

Press seam allowances toward the FRONT. Most garments want you to press toward the back, but jeans have this seam pressed toward the front, so  that’s what I did. Top stitch the inseam. Easier said than done. Go slow and smooth it out as you go and it’ll be fine.

Now place the pants right sides together and pin the side seams. Sew side seams and finish raw edges. Press side seam along the waist/hip area toward back. Top stitch the side with a single row of stitching and  stop just below the end of  front pocket, as shown. You may want to lightly pound the thick intersections where it’s really bulky with a light duty hammer. This makes sewing over them easier with your machine. When you reach these really bulky sections,  you can also place a piece of fabric or jean a ma jig (not sure if that’s what that plastic thing is called) just behind it and under the presser foot, it helps to keep your machine moving and keeps stitches from skipping.  Handy pic:

Okay, well here you have it. Part 2  and 3/4, and now parts 1 and 2 can be added to part 3: the waistband.

~Erin

Play it Safe–Summer Dress Tutorial

A pillowcase dress tutorial. Perfect for summer. But done in a safer way. I don’t mean to be a hater… but drawstrings around necks are not safe and actually have not been allowed by the CPSIA for many years, before all the recent hype. This is why hoodies do not have drawstrings, but elastic instead. Anyway, I completely understand why people prefer the drawstring dresses–they are very cute! They are also much, much faster to make. Even Ottobre has a pattern for one  in an old issue. That said, I prefer this look and don’t mind taking the extra time to sew it.

The main difference is in the  bodice. I use elastic instead of a drawstring, and I use under arm facing to finish the armscye (underarm area); I like how clean and finished it looks. So I’m sure that there are more than enough pillowcase dress tutorials and patterns out there, but not sure that this method is readily available. I’ll share how I do it. I think the end result has more of a vintage feel.

I begin by finding the perfect vintage pillowcase. They are crisp and cool feeling to wear, and many are without side seams, making it even more special. The above dress was made from an antique pillowcase that must never have been used. It still feels new, no stains, holes, and fabric is not worn down at all. The flowers were hand embroidered, and the edge is slightly scalloped.

If you have a pattern use it, but adjust the top–reduce it for a smaller casing. If you don’t have a pattern, no worries. Measure how long you want the dress or top to be. Now measure up from the pillow case hem that amount, plus one inch for the elastic casing.

Use a  straight edge and fabric marker and draw cutting line straight across the width of pillowcase.  Cut along this line. I like to pin parallel to my cutting line, to keep the fabrics together and prevent the fabrics from shifting during my cut.

Now to cut the armscye, or underarm shapes. This need not be perfect, it is a very forgiving design. You will be cutting “J” shapes on each upper corner. For my then 9 year old, my “J” pattern is 3 inches in from the side along the top edge, and 4 inches down along the side. For smaller children, it should be a smaller “J”. Feel free to ask for help on this, as I do have patterns for “J’s” in many sizes that I would be happy to share. If you child has a camisole,  you could use the J on that as a guide to draft a pattern as well.

Finish the underarms (armscyes): Pin single fold  bias tape to underarm “J”– open one of the folds and pin right sides together.

Press bias tape toward seam allowance.

Understitch: Sew a  row of straight stitches close to the fold along the seam allowance/bias tape. This helps the facing to stay on the inside of garment.

Fold bias tape toward inside of garment and press with hot iron. Sew in place.

Fold upper edge 1/4 inch toward wrong side of garment and press. Do this for both front and back. Fold again 5/8 inch for 3/8 inch elastic, or 3/4 inch for 1/2 inch elastic, and press. Stitch close to fold to form casing.

Measure the child’s chest along the front–this is the length of elastic you will use. Place a safety pin on one end of elastic and insert it into casing. Work it through, stopping before the elastic gets sucked up in on the other side. Pin and sew it in place.

Now work the safety pin the rest of the way through. Sew it in place.

Straps: you can use bias tape, folded and sewn.  Sew each strap to top of the “J”. Tie the other ends into knots and you’re done.

Alternative method for the underarms and straps: Do your front and back casings and elastic first. Cut bias tape long enough to cover armscye plus the length of 2 straps. Pin bias tape to dress with the dress sandwiched–placing the center point of bias tape  with the side seam or lowest point of the underarm. Sew the bias tape folded and to the underarm in one step, beginning at one end of strap and ending on the other strap’s end. Repeat for other side.

Well, that’s how I do it 🙂 Hope you like this tutorial and try it sometime. Enjoy the sunshine!

~Erin

Summer Romper Sewing Tutorial

Rompers for girls are available everywhere! Since they are so easy to make, I thought I’d  make my daughter several. The first one has a spaghetti strap top and uses woven fabric.

I began with 2 patterns designed for woven fabrics: Kwik Sew 1317 (I think it’s from the 80’s) and Burda 9490, then morphed them to become one. A pillowcase dress style pattern would also work well for the top. I used the button down front top, because I wanted a classic oxford look to go with the seersucker striped fabric. I also wanted it to be a bit more fitted, but still easy for my daughter to put on and take off herself.

The pattern for the top part may need to be modified before it will work for this project. Use the shorts pattern pieces to estimate how wide the top can be. Place the shorts pattern pieces to their corresponding top pieces (ie. front shorts to front top) and adjust the width of the top to match the shorts.  The Kwik Sew pattern is a more fitted shorts, so I made the top more narrow, removing width from the center front and the center back.

Now cut out all pattern pieces for the shorts and work through them according the pattern instructions, but do not finish the waist.

Pin your top pattern pieces to  your  fabric. Fold your shorts in half, so that you can double check that your widths match up. Adjust pattern again if needed.

Cut pattern pieces out of fabric and work through the top pattern, but leave it unhemmed.

Again, check the widths. As you can see, my top was still a bit wider than the top edge of my shorts. You can either mark the difference and sew the top narrower, or add a bit of gathering (easing really). I chose to  add gathering stitches along the center front and back at the hemline of the shirt, and gather it slightly to fit the shorts.

Place the shorts inside the top, right sides together, matching side seams, and having the shorts sticking out about an inch. Pin in place and sew together.

Fold the raw edge of the shorts over 1/4 inch and press in place.  Open up shorts and top and press the shorts waist up toward top. Sew close to the folded edge to form a casing for the elastic. Make sure to leave an opening through which to insert elastic. Measure child’s waist or use recommended amount stated in your pattern.  Attach a safety pin to one end of the elastic and feed elastic into casing, working  it through until it comes out the other end of the opening. Sew ends of elastic together. stitch  the opening closed. Trim all threads.

Your romper is all done 🙂

Hope you enjoy this tutorial! Let me know if you’ve used it to create a summer outfit for someone–I’d love to hear how it turned out 🙂

~Erin

With ruffles, please! Leggings mini sew-along tutorial

My daughter loves leggings with ruffles 🙂

Leggings are one of the simplest and quickest projects for girls, big and little girls alike. Using a nice cotton lycra knit, you can make leggings that look great and are made to last. I usually look for a cotton knit with at least 8% lycra and weighs between 6-10 ounces per square yard. Mind you, that’s a square yard, not 6-10 ounces per yard. There is a difference, but I have found many online fabric shops do not distinguish between the two. Remember to ask if you are unsure.

Weighing knits: A square yard means just that: a square of fabric 36 inches by 36 inches. Whereas, a yard is a piece of fabric  36 inches by whatever its width. Most knits are 60 inches wide, which will give a much different weight at 36 X 60, then at 36 X 36.

Fabric: For leggings, make sure the fabric you choose  has a good amount of stretch. Lighter weight cotton lycra will also work.

Pattern: Find a pattern that works for you. If you have never tried the pattern, or you’ve never made leggings before, then I suggest making a test pair out of your least favorite knit. This way you can test for size and fit, before committing your coveted fabric to something that may not work. I have tried 2. The first is a Farbenmix; the laguna skirt has a legging pattern that comes with it and it has a great fit. I tried  Burda 9615 pattern recently (for its convenience of not having to trace and add seam allowance). The sizing is good, but the rise is too high for my daughter. My daughter wears skirts and leggings below her belly button, so I took about 2 inches off the rise, to give you a better idea of how I adjusted it for a better fit. It’s also a good idea to measure your daughter’s inseam and compare it to the pattern, since this tutorial will have you hem before the inseam is sewn.

Okay enough noise, let’s get to the tutorial. Adding ruffles is supper easy and fast.
Pre-wash your fabric and cut out your leggings. Notions: Make sure you have stretch needles for your machine, as well as a stretch twin needle for hem. You will also need matching thread (2 spools for hemming with a twin needle) and elastic.
Step 1: cut some strips of fabric for your ruffles. I cut mine 20 inches by 1 1/4. My daughter wears size 9 in this pattern. If you are making toddler sizes, you may want more narrow ruffles, say 3/4 of an inch or 1  inch wide. I cut 4 strips, in order to have 2 rows on each pant leg.

Step 2: make a single row of gathering stitches down the center of each strip. Use the longest stitch length, leave the threads long, and do NOT back stitch.

Step 3: Hem your leggings, using a stretch twin needle. Follow the tips and how to’s on this post if you’ve never done a double needle hem on knits before, which walks you through  threading your machine properly and technique.

Step 4: pull up the bobbin threads of your gathering stitches on your ruffle strips and pin them to you pant legs, placing the ruffle right side up on top of the right side of pant leg. The wrong side of the ruffle will be facing the right side of the pant leg. Starting with the lowest strip, pin it along the hem. Pin it close to the bottom. Pin the second just above the first, keeping them relatively straight. You can have them overlapping a bit, so when they curl after washing, they still look close together. Repeat for other leg. Note: you don’t have to finish the edges, because knit fabric does not fray.

Step 5: Sew the ruffles in place, using a zigzag stitch and making sure to remove pins before they go under presser foot.  Using a zigzag stitch is important, so the ruffles will easily stretch with the fabric. Using a straight stitch won’t work, because it won’t stretch. Instead the threads will break when the pant leg fabric stretches. It’s best to try to zigzag right over the gathering stitches.  Note:If your rows are so close together that the pins of the upper rows are getting in the way as you stitch your lower rows in place, then it’s probably best to pin and sew one row at a time.

Step 6: (Optional) Carefully remove gathering stitches. If you  have sewn your zigzag stitching centered over the straight gathering stitches, then gently pull on the bobbin thread and it should come clean out. If not, you can use a seam ripper to pick them out.

Step 7: Sew the inseam. With right sides together, match the hem and ruffles together and pin in place. Sew up the inseam of your leggings. Make sure you remove pins before the go under the presser foot. Do not sew over any pins.

Step 8: sew crotch seam, by turning one leg right side out and putting it inside the other leg, so that right sides are together. Match up inseam seam and pin in place. Sew using serger or stretch stitch.

Step 9: Finish waist, according to pattern or method shown in this post.

For more info on sewing  crotch and waist, see my yoga pants tutorial here, or follow pattern’s instructions.

So the ruffle leggings are done, and no fancy pattern was needed. Hope this tutorial helps you to create some fun and one-of-a-kind leggings for the sweet little or big girl in your life. Leggings seem to be the most requested clothing essential in my home lately. It’s nice to have some ways to make them a little more special 🙂 Have fun creating!

~Erin

Sew with Me: yoga pants

Here’s my sew along, designed for beginners (or new to sewing knits) in hopes of teaching new skills and empowering others to try new things. I will be using a Jalie pattern, #2215, which includes sizes for my little girl, teenager, and me. The pattern is designed in such a  way that I can trace a custom fit for each of us. The fit is amazing and easier to adjust than I could have imagined. For seam allowances follow your pattern.

Machine and  sewing stitches:

I use my serger, but a traditional sewing machine can be used as well, which I have done with good results. To use a traditional sewing machine, sew side and crotch seams with a stretch stitch. Some machines have this, sometimes called a lightning stitch, which looks like this:

If you don’t have a lightning stitch, then it’s best to use a a very slight zigzag stitch. Stretch fabrics will stretch, so your stitch needs to have some stretch, too, or the thread will break when the garment/fabric stretches. Zigzags allow the fabric to stretch without breaking the threads. Serged seams have a lot of stretch, which is why sergers are used a lot for sewing knits. However, knit fabrics don’t fray the way woven fabrics do, so there’s no need to finish seam allowances if using a traditional sewing machine.

Another technique for using regular sewing machine is to stretch the fabric slightly as you sew a straight stitch. then use a zigzag seam to finish the seam allowances. This takes some practice, but results are very nice.

Fabric choice: make sure you have chosen a knit fabric with stretch and recovery. Cotton interlock or a jersey knit without lycra will not work well for this project. It will stretch, but not recover. The result may be baggy bum and baggy knees pants 😦

Okay, let’s get to it. Here is my method for using stretch knits.

Step 1Cutting out is important. Lay down your fabric, so that you can see the fold is on the grain. This important so your pant legs fall straight. Have you ever bought rtw pants and one leg twists? Well, that happens when it’s not cut straight on the grain. Get as close as you can and you’ll be fine. You just don’t want it to be way off. Here’s how I do it. I don’t use the selvage edge as I would for a woven; I use the fold edge with right side of fabric facing up. When you look closely, you’ll see little lines of knit weave vertically on your fabric. Try to  follow one line all the way up your fold. Here’s a pic to help (hover for more details):

Now make sure to measure the distance from the marked grain line on the pattern pieces to this fold, all along the grain line, to ensure your pattern piece is following the grain as it should. Handy pic of me doing this:

Pin along the grain line of pattern to keep it in place, while you pin all around the pattern pieces. Then cut the pieces out.

Step2 Side seams. Now make sure you can tell the right side of the fabric from the wrong side. Look closely at pink fabric  pic above  to see the difference(remember hover for details). Pin the front leg pieces to their corresponding back leg pieces, with right sides together. Begin at the top and work down. Pin outside the seam allowance and vertically(parallel to raw edge), so the pins are out of the way while sewing the seams. Make sure you have the raw edges together as you pin. Here is a teaching picture of how I do it:

Needles: Make sure you have stretch needles in your machine!

Sew your seams, making sure to remove any pins that start to go under your presser foot, as this will make you go wonky and off course. Here’s what it looks like for me. Notice all my pins are facing the same way? And they have the ball end toward me? This makes getting them out of the way, if needed, much easier 🙂

Step 3Remove pins.Turn one pant leg right side out, and place it inside the other leg, so that they are right sides together. Match up the crotch seams and pin in place(if pinned across the seam allowance as shown, then make sure to remove before sewing seam). Now pin the rest of the crotch in the exact manner as was done for the side leg seams.

Okay, put those sergers away. The rest will be done on the traditional machine.

Step 4 Waist: Cut a piece of elastic according to your pattern. Sew into a loop, by zigzag stitching across the ends. Make sure it is not twisted.

Now quarter it. Fold in half and then in half again. Mark the folds, in order to mark the elastic circle into equal fourths. With the garment inside out, pin the elastic to wrong side of pants, along the waist, matching the marks to a seam. There are 4 seams and 4 marks; you will only put in 4 pins and leave the rest loose.

To the machine. Using a zigzag stitch, you will sew the edge of the elastic to the upper edge of the fabric (waist). Sew each section at time, stretching the elastic to fit the section, keeping the elastic along that raw edge as you sew.  As you sew, hold in front and in back of the presser foot, holding at the seams/pinned spots. Try to only stretch the elastic and not the fabric. Overlap your stitches, by sewing a bit past where you began. Now my pants are green 😉

Fold elastic to the inside, so that the elastic is now covered by  fabric. Sew close to the raw edge again along the raw edge, again using a zigzag stitch. You don’t need to pin, or even stretch as much, just make sure fabric is smooth as you sew and elastic is up against the fold on the top edge. You don’t want a gap between the elastic  and the folded edge, because this would make your waistband not as straight. Stretch so that the fabric is flat and without puckers. If adding a size tag or folded ribbon to distinguish front from back, now is the time to tuck that in 🙂

Step 5 Now for the hem. You can serge  a rolled hem or lettuce edge hem, but my girls like the double stitched look. It’s easy to do as well. The main thing on this is the tools:  thread your machine properly and make sure that twin needle is a stretch twin.Sewing a twin needle creates a stretch stitch that looks great and has a nice, clean finish.

Threading the machine: You will need to keep your needle threads separated in 3 places (if possible. this is how my machine is and many others, but you may want to look in your machine’s manual for specifics for your machine).

1. threads must unwind in opposite directions to keep them separate. The first spool, shown on the left below, will unwind over the top to the left side.

The second spool, shown on the right side will unwind over the top to the right side.

2. threads should be kept separate in the tension disk.There is usually a divider piece inside the tension disk, to create an inner and an outer path within the tension disk. It’s hard to get a photo of this, but you can see the thin metal piece sticking up in the pic below. This divider keeps the two threads separate, yet still fed through the tension disk.

3. the thread guide just above needles

Thread first  spool completely, then thread the second. The first spool should be threaded through the inside track of the tension disk, and through the last thread guide (just above the needle). The second spool will then be threaded through the outer track of the tension disk, and will not be threaded through the last thread guide. Bobbin has no special instructions. After threaded, I am able to place the first spool back down into sewing position, to help keep the threads from touching.

Now that the machine is all set and ready to sew. Press the hem of your pants, using a hot iron. Fold up the lower edge of pant legs 1/2 inch (or hem allowance given in pattern) and press well. The press is important, because it allows you to sew your hem without the use of pins. You can pin your hem in place, but make sure to remove them before they go under the presser foot.

Turn pants right side out, and sew hem with right side facing up. Place the fold along a sewing guide (those lines along the needle plate, marked with different seam allowances). Choose a sewing guide that is less than, but close to, the amount you folded and pressed (hem allowance). This will help you catch the raw edge on the inside.  Sew hems, beginning  at the inner seam, so your overlapping will not be a visible when wearing your pants. Use  a long, straight stitch to sew hem (I use 3.5 to 4 stitch length). Go slow and follow the guide line to keep it straight.  Overlap your stitching an inch or so. Tip: don’t back stitch when sewing with a twin needle. Often the result  is a broken needle. Since you are overlapping, back stitching is not necessary.

Here’s what the inside looks like.

After you’ve sewn your hems, trim any excessive seam allowance than may fold and show on the outside. Otherwise, just trim all your threads and your pants are good to go!

Jalie yoga pants X3 🙂 I used 3 different fabrics: green are an organic cotton stretch jersey knit (the  lightest weight of the three –very soft), blue are medium weight cotton(93%) lycra(7%) knit, and the hot pink pants are a medium to heavy weight cotton(90%) lycra(10%) knit.  All fabrics were manufactured in USA and worked very well for this pattern. 2 pairs are moving to the house down the street, to live with my daughter’s good friend, who rejects most rtw clothes. The fabric and style many kids prefer at a fraction of what rtw yoga pants cost.

I hope this sew along has  helped. Sewing knits is really fun, especially when you have the right tools, and know a few tricks for making it work for you. Please leave a comment if you found this helpful or if you have used this tutorial to make some stylish and comfy pants!

~Erin