Easy no-pattern skirt

(Isn't this just the most magical fabric you ever did see?)

I'm not the most experienced of seamstresses, what with being mostly self taught and all, but I love experimenting with my Singer and often create my own patterns for dresses and tops and the like of it. But if you're new to sewing (like I was about a year ago) you might find patterns rather intimidating.  Don't worry, though - this skirt doesn't even need a pattern! And it only takes about an hour to make (even less if you're heavy on the foot pedal!). 

I've made a skirt like this once before, and it really is the easiest thing ever. You can either use one long rectangular piece of fabric, or two smaller pieces that you sew together. I went for the second option, as the piece of fabric I had available wasn't big enough for the first option. You decide the length and width of the fabric you use based on the circumference of your waist and how much volume you want the skirt to have. I only had enough fabric for a mini skirt, but you're free to adjust the length of the skirt as you wish. And remember - the wider the pieces of fabric, the fuller the skirt! 

I always iron the fabric before I start sewing: 

(Maybe it's time I invested in a proper ironing board…?)

Once ironed, put the two pieces of fabric together (right side against right side) and secure with sewing pins along the short edges... 

And sew!

Feel free to fasten the 'fold' as you see fit. I usually fold it over to one side and sew over it once more so that it stays in place. 

Repeat on the other side. You'll now have an enormous tube of a skirt:

Now the time has come to hem the waist. I do this by first folding down the desired width of the hem, before folding it once more (start in one place and work your way around). I'm sure there are many ways to hem the waist of a skirt - use the method you like best! Just make sure to leave enough room for an elastic band to be threaded through afterwards (make sure to adjust the size of your hem according to the width of the elastic band you want to use). 

When sewing, remember to leave a small opening for inserting the elastic band!

I use safety pins when threading elastic bands: 

Once you've threaded the elastic band through all the way it'll look something like this:  

I find the best way to adjust the length of the elastic band is to wear the skirt while adjusting it - that way you're guaranteed to get the right fit! I fasten the elastic band by tying the two ends together (very crude, I know) before sewing the gap shut with the sewing machine (you can also do this by hand if you wish):

Don't forget to hem the bottom of the skirt too! And just so you know - the bobbin thread will ALWAYS run out 10cm before the finish line. Always. This is completely normal. It never fails: 

But it does help that once you've refilled the bobbin, re-threaded the machine and finished the remaining 10cm of hem (all while quietly cursing Murphy and whoever else might be out there), you're left with a fully functioning skirt: 

I'm not at all skilled at mirror selfies, but I'm gonna throw one in anyway:  

I now wish all my clothes had golden ladybugs on them. 

- 

Have you ever sewn a skirt? If so, how did you do it?

Simple floral top

I've made myself a new favourite top! I didn't have enough of the floral fabric to make an entire top, so I substituted with some plain black fabric for the back, and I think I made it work! I created the pattern by using a top I already had, placing it on top of a sheet of paper and drawing around it. Easy peasy! If you're a rookie sewer (like me) then this is a great way to get started - pick a simple item from your own wardrobe (one you know fits you just right) and use it as a starting point.

(Sorry 'bout the bad mirror selfie). 

It took me an evening to create this little beauty - about 4-ish hours (or two episodes of Radioresepsjonen plus one episode of Thinking Sideways, hehe). If I can do this, then so can you!

Duvet cover top

A while ago I bought a duvet cover from a second hand shop in Norway. It was a child's duvet cover, so obviously it was too small to be of any practical use to me, but I really liked the pattern so I decided to buy it anyway. I don't own many pieces of fabric large enough to make clothes from, so I decided straight away that I would turn the duvet cover into a piece of clothing for myself. 

I didn't have any precise ideas in mind, but I knew I'd better start off with something simple, seeing as my experience with clothes making is limited to one dress and one top. Luckily, it only took a bit of 

searching on Pinterest to find a pattern that I liked and that didn't look too complicated to pull off:

There was only one problem - the website didn't offer pattern print outs. I did, however, have the measurements, so I decided to draw the pattern myself. After a good half hour spent crawling around on the floor with a roll of paper, a pencil and a measuring board, I had created a pattern of sorts! The website where I found the measurements didn't mention anything about size either (was it a baggy S? A small L? I had no idea), so I figured I'd just have to adapt the top as I put it all together. 

It took me about 7-8 hours to finish the top (including several tea breaks, plenty of re-doing and quite a bit of head scratching) and I must admit I'm really happy with how it turned out! The biggest problem I encountered underway was when I realised (after having sewn all the pieces together) that the bottom of the sleeves were far too tight to fit me, so I simply chopped 10 cm off each one and and sew them up by hand. Also, the fabric was darn difficult to work with because it kept moving all the time, but there's nothing that cannot be fixed with a few pins! 

I love the idea of being able to make my own clothes, and I'll definitely venture into the world of clothes making again in the future - I just need to get my hands on some more fabric first!