The waistband is on the Asian skirt. Let me share what I learned. May 10, 2010 14:11
Ahh, the Asian skirt. You thought I'd forgotten about it. You thought I wasn't working on it. Didn't you? Confess. Not that I don't deserve your doubt. Your skepticism. Your derision. Even. But the waistband is on! I have learned to put on a waistband. Are you surprised? I am. Astounded. Totally.
It doesn't look too bad from the outside.
The inside looks professional, too. Sort of. At any rate. And I did this by hand. By hand! Kudos to self!
There are flaws with the waistband. Well. One at least. The band itself is too short. This is because I accidentally stitched my side seams at 1/2" rather than 5/8". And my fabric was too delicate to rip. Oh, well. (Drat. My shoulder aches. I suffer for this blog. I do, dear oh-so-loved readers.)
I did learn a lesson from this waistband experience, besides checking to insure I am stitching on the right line. Really. I did.
The proper interfacing is important. Let me repeat this: The proper interfacing is important! Very very very. I did not check Sandra Betzina's Fabric Savvy before going to JoAnn's. I simply dropped by and asked a JoAnn's associate for advice. Uh-oh. Bad move. Very. Our JoAnn's is mostly a junk and craft store, and the salesperson was most emphatic that a stiff and heavy interfacing was exactly what I needed. Being a sewing neophyte, I was timid. I didn't argue. I did ask: Are you sure? So. I did try. Politely. Then I bought what she recommended. The waistband was too thick to sew on the machine, and, my friends, it was difficult to sew on by hand. Very. My fingertips were quite sore when the task was completed.
But. The waistband is on. Now. At last. I have to sew on a closure. And hem tape. Then hem the skirt. You'll hear about it when I do. Maybe tomorrow. Maybe. It could happen.