A Bird For a Skirt: Day 2

I've made some progress on the skirt over the past few days. I find pinning the pattern pieces and cutting them out to be the most arduous part of the process. Probably because it's the one thing standing between me and sewing the garment. It took me a couple hours, but I got it done.

Full disclosure: I actually accomplished this step last week, but haven't gotten off my lazy ass had time to work on the skirt since. But I've developed some momentum that I'm hoping I can keep going throughout the remainder of the project.

Okay, on to the next step, sewing! I attached the pocket band to the skirt front.

Then it was time to create the pleats on the front of the skirt. They were actually really easy to do. It's just a matter of lining up the markings (I used aqua thread) and pressing.

At this juncture, I'd like to point out the importance, as well as the subtle nuances, of pressing. First of all, and I can't stress this enough, your iron is your best friend! Use it throughout your entire project. When you press as you go, instead of waiting until you've finished your garment, the final product will look MUCH more professional and will save you from a world of hurt. Pressing tells the thread who's boss and helps flatten it out so your garment looks crisp and neat, like Audrey Hepburn. It also helps control the fabric, like when you're pinning a hem or making pleats. To press, you simply put the iron straight down on top of the fabric, leave it there for a few seconds and then lift it straight up. Don't move it back and forth, doing so can throw the stitches out of alignment slightly in some instances and can drag the fabric out of alignment too. There are times when you will need to apply your traditional ironing skills (moving the iron back and forth over the garment) but I think pressing works best when you're trying to control the fabric during construction. For a great tutorial on pressing as well as other basic sewing tips, check out this post by Splityarn. It's more geared to the quilter than the seamstress, but there's still lots of great tips.

So there you have it, steps 1 to 3 (out of 22!) of the sewing phase. Next up, adding pockets! Stay tuned.