i cannot stop making skirts. i have a problem.
i'm getting better at it. i think that's what's driving me. soon they will be perfect.
i mean, the fit is thisclose to perfect. but i think i'm doing something to screw up my self-made darts, because now i've got this lovely bunching in the back. are my darts in the wrong place? are my darts poorly sized? what's making this happen? the fit is perfect everywhere else... i can't figure out what's causing this.
i'll definitely wear this one outside the house, though (as i have already done with the previous bright blue skirt), but will choose to wear a long top with it so as to avoid exposing the flaw.
Posted by xta at August 14, 2006 12:38 AM | TrackBackNot having sewn for ages, my guess is that maybe the pattern is a little long-waisted for you...? I know they're skirts, but if they nestle down on your hips and there's too much fabric for the waistline to sit comfortably at your waist, that might cause bunching.
Posted by: Sharon at August 14, 2006 12:31 PMI love that you are making so many skirts and also blogging about it.
Darts: One thing you can try to do is to look at a skirt that fits you well already and see how it's darted.
Posted by: Stew at August 14, 2006 04:35 PMthe bunching starts exactly where the darts end... just below the darts. so i'm left to wonder whether i made the darts too big, too long, too... what?
maybe i should have stuck with 1-inch darts, and not pushed my luck with 1.5-inch. or maybe i should have made them shorter.
garh.
still, i'm wearing the skirt today, with a long white tshirt pulled down over the offending bunching. :-)
Posted by: christa at August 14, 2006 04:40 PMMaybe when you made the darts longer, the 'gradient' of the dart became too shallow (if you know what I mean). Like the top part of the dart worked but not the bottom part? Anyway, what I used to do when I made stuff was try it on (just basted) inside out and make adjustments before I did the final sewing.
Posted by: Marianne at August 14, 2006 06:09 PMI've got a sewing book with pictures of common garment problems and how to fix them. I'll bring it by.
Posted by: Sarah at August 14, 2006 06:28 PMIf the bunching is starting just below the darts, it's likely that the circumference of the skirt just below the darts is a bit too small. Try leaving a little more room at that point.
Or, you could be gathering too much material into the darts. If that's the case, then cut more off the sides of the skirt pattern at the waist, and use smaller darts.
I second what someone else said about looking at a skrit that already fits well and tracing a pattern from that. Good luck! The skirts are super cute!
Posted by: m at August 14, 2006 08:56 PMBunching or puckering = too small. The skirt is too long for you in the torso. I am short waisted. I have to adjust EVERYTHING up. I cut the pattern, overlay it (remember 1/2 inch = 1 inch as you're doing this to 2 pieces) and then redraw a smooth cutting line.
Just popping in from another site. I love that you sew!
Posted by: at August 20, 2006 06:06 PM