Giving Hand-sewn Clothes the Store Bought Polish

I've bought a yard of this Robin's Egg Blue fabric years ago on clearance.   It's a thick woven cotton and is actually upholstery fabric, but I thought it would be great for a skirt.  I used Simplicity 2451 view C.

The pattern was straight-forward, easy to follow and fit her well.

I added a few steps to make it the finished skirt look more polished and less like a Home-Ec project. 

Here's some tips:

Topstitching:
Topstitching is a row of stitching close to the seam of the garment.
I think it just makes your garment look more crisp and professional.

You can buy special presser feet for you machine to help you sew straight (Bernina #10).  I actually use #5, which is meant for blind hems, but it works great for top-stitching too and it came free with my machine.  I just line up the blade along the seam and move my needle to the far left and sew.  Perfect stitching every time.  

If you don't want to invest in a special foot, just take your time.


You can even use a different color thread for a design element (for example, white thread on navy).

Add your own style elements:
I just used a piece of leftover fabric to make a quick bow (cut out a rectangle, sew right sides together, gather in the middle with fabric strip) for the kick pleat.  I don't know if I could pull wearing a bow off, but she is 14 and I think works for her.

She wore the skirt to church with Cutest Blouse Ever. I loved that she felt cute and that the entire outfit only cost me about $7. 

For all my sewing tips, please check out my Sewing 101 series.

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