1 00:00:00,429 --> 00:00:03,620 There is a box, in the corner of my sewing room. 2 00:00:03,620 --> 00:00:07,419 It is a box whose contents have not seen the light of day for many a month. 3 00:00:07,419 --> 00:00:11,930 Many crafters will be familiar with this box, in all of its forms: There’s the ever-growing 4 00:00:11,930 --> 00:00:14,590 amorphous lump that lies underneath your desk… 5 00:00:14,590 --> 00:00:16,760 The monster underneath your bed… 6 00:00:16,760 --> 00:00:20,039 The stuff you vacuum-packed in a fit of organization and stuffed into your garage in the hopes 7 00:00:20,039 --> 00:00:22,130 that you’d never have to deal with it again… 8 00:00:22,130 --> 00:00:25,190 This, my friends, is the UNFINISHED SEWING PILE. 9 00:00:34,600 --> 00:00:39,860 So the item that I grabbed out of the top of the style pile box today was this robot-print 10 00:00:39,870 --> 00:00:40,870 dress. 11 00:00:40,870 --> 00:00:45,970 I thrifted the dress a couple of weeks ago for 50 cents, because I LOVED the fabric, 12 00:00:45,970 --> 00:00:48,489 but it had this massive rip on the sleeve. 13 00:00:48,489 --> 00:00:52,070 I thought about simply removing the sleeves and keeping it as a sleeveless dress, but 14 00:00:52,070 --> 00:00:56,790 after trying it on, I realised that it was too tight across the bust, and it "pancaked" 15 00:00:56,790 --> 00:01:00,129 my boobs - so I decided that I would turn it into a skirt. 16 00:01:00,129 --> 00:01:03,950 So first up, I laid the dress flat on the floor, and I made sure that the front and 17 00:01:03,950 --> 00:01:05,159 back were even. 18 00:01:05,159 --> 00:01:09,490 I put some pins into the fabric to hold the front, back and the lining fabrics in place, 19 00:01:09,490 --> 00:01:13,150 and then I drew a chalk line straight across the fabric just underneath the arms. 20 00:01:15,360 --> 00:01:18,520 And then I cut through the front, back and the lining fabrics with a pair of fabric scissors, 21 00:01:20,900 --> 00:01:24,620 leaving me with this – and it’s already looking like a skirt, right? 22 00:01:24,620 --> 00:01:28,880 I turned it inside out, and because it has lining fabric which I want to keep, the first 23 00:01:28,880 --> 00:01:33,020 bit of sewing that I did was to attach the lining and the skirt fabrics together at the 24 00:01:33,020 --> 00:01:34,020 top here. 25 00:01:34,020 --> 00:01:35,970 This will keep the lining in place. 26 00:01:35,970 --> 00:01:38,479 And for this I used a long straight stitch. 27 00:01:38,479 --> 00:01:43,340 Next, I got myself some elastic and I measured it to fit my waist, at the part of my waist 28 00:01:43,340 --> 00:01:45,020 where I want the skirt to sit. 29 00:01:45,020 --> 00:01:48,799 I made sure the elastic was slightly snug around my waist, and then I cut it to this 30 00:01:48,799 --> 00:01:49,799 length. 31 00:01:49,799 --> 00:01:52,290 Now it’s time to make some casing for that elastic! 32 00:01:52,290 --> 00:01:56,040 I lined the elastic up next to the skirt, because I’ll need this casing to be just 33 00:01:56,040 --> 00:01:58,079 a little bit wider than the elastic. 34 00:01:58,079 --> 00:02:03,189 And then, with it still inside-out, I simply folded the top of the skirt down like this, 35 00:02:03,189 --> 00:02:07,840 making sure both the robot fabric and lining were folded in the same way. 36 00:02:07,840 --> 00:02:11,469 When I was happy with how it was folded all the way around the top of the skirt, I pinned 37 00:02:11,469 --> 00:02:15,709 it in place, and then I sewed using a straight stitch all the way around the top of the skirt, 38 00:02:15,709 --> 00:02:18,329 front and back, leaving a SMALL GAP here. 39 00:02:19,540 --> 00:02:23,320 And I used black thread because this stitch will be visible on the right side of the fabric. 40 00:02:24,870 --> 00:02:30,260 So after sewing around about 95% of the casing, I stopped because I wanted to leave this small 41 00:02:30,260 --> 00:02:32,510 gap in which I could insert some elastic. 42 00:02:32,510 --> 00:02:37,389 To insert the elastic into the skirt, first I put a safety pin through one end of the 43 00:02:37,389 --> 00:02:40,559 elastic, which will help me to guide it through the casing. 44 00:02:40,559 --> 00:02:44,010 And then I guided the elastic through the casing, all the way around, until it came 45 00:02:44,010 --> 00:02:45,350 back out the other side. 46 00:02:52,960 --> 00:02:57,060 Then, I sewed the two ends of the elastic together like this, using a zig zag stitch, 47 00:03:01,880 --> 00:03:04,580 and then I sewed over that small gap in the casing. 48 00:03:06,400 --> 00:03:09,360 Then I tried on the skirt, and I could have finished here – but I decided that it would 49 00:03:09,370 --> 00:03:13,340 look a little bit better if I could wear it with a belt – so the last thing that I’m 50 00:03:13,340 --> 00:03:14,949 going to do is to make BELT LOOPS. 51 00:03:14,949 --> 00:03:18,849 Which would have been a lot easier to do before installing the elastic. 52 00:03:18,849 --> 00:03:24,180 But, hey – I never sew things in a logical order, and I’m not going to start today. 53 00:03:24,180 --> 00:03:27,690 I thought about using the rest of the robot fabric for belt loops, but then I remembered 54 00:03:27,690 --> 00:03:32,069 how flimsy the fabric is – that rip didn’t happen because the fabrics were strong – so 55 00:03:32,069 --> 00:03:35,379 instead I grabbed myself some thicker black linen. 56 00:03:35,379 --> 00:03:39,079 I drew equal-sized 4 rectangles onto the fabric, and then I cut these out. 57 00:03:42,240 --> 00:03:46,140 For each belt loop, I folded the edges of the fabric into the middle like this, and 58 00:03:46,150 --> 00:03:49,510 then folded this in half, and then I sewed down this edge. 59 00:03:53,300 --> 00:03:57,540 Then, I folded the raw ends in like this, and sewed over the top of them like this. 60 00:03:57,549 --> 00:04:01,620 Then, I attached each belt loop to the skirt equally around the waistband, by sewing the 61 00:04:01,620 --> 00:04:05,969 bottom of it on just underneath the casing like this, and for the top of the belt loop 62 00:04:05,969 --> 00:04:09,409 I hand-stitched on to the top of the casing like this. 63 00:04:09,409 --> 00:04:14,290 If I hadn’t added the elastic first, I could have sewn it with my machine – but I didn’t 64 00:04:14,290 --> 00:04:15,290 do that. 65 00:04:15,290 --> 00:04:17,509 Anyway, illogical sewing aside, this is how it turned out! 66 00:04:17,509 --> 00:04:19,389 I really, really, really like it! 67 00:04:19,389 --> 00:04:23,900 Now, you can basically do this for any rectangular-bit of fabric, that is larger than your waist 68 00:04:23,900 --> 00:04:27,280 and that you can fit over your hips, and that you’ve sewn into a loop. 69 00:04:27,280 --> 00:04:31,730 This is a really good method of making a dress - without a fitted waist - that you loved 70 00:04:31,730 --> 00:04:35,039 but maybe that you've outgrown into something that you can wear again! 71 00:04:35,039 --> 00:04:38,229 And I was definitely right about adding the belt loops – I think that the skirt looks 72 00:04:38,229 --> 00:04:39,780 SO much better with them. 73 00:04:39,780 --> 00:04:44,199 I’m so happy that I was able to give this broken dress another life as a skirt. 74 00:04:44,199 --> 00:04:48,139 Thank you all so much for watching, and if you haven’t already – check out my Patreon 75 00:04:48,139 --> 00:04:49,139 page! 76 00:04:49,139 --> 00:04:52,330 It’s really only through Patreon that I have a stable source of income, which allows 77 00:04:52,330 --> 00:04:53,879 me to keep making these videos. 78 00:04:53,879 --> 00:04:57,729 Doing youtube and being my own boss is basically the best kind of job for somebody living with 79 00:04:57,729 --> 00:05:02,020 a disability, like me, because it means that I can work whenever I’m feeling okay and 80 00:05:02,020 --> 00:05:06,330 take breaks when I need them - plus I love making these videos - but I gotta be able 81 00:05:06,330 --> 00:05:08,139 to eat and pay the rent, too. 82 00:05:08,139 --> 00:05:11,080 Any amount, even $1 per month, will really help me out. 83 00:05:11,080 --> 00:05:14,810 If not, at least turn off your ad-blocker and don’t skip ads before my videos ;) And 84 00:05:14,810 --> 00:05:15,830 tell your friends about me! 85 00:05:15,830 --> 00:05:20,010 Thank you all for watching, supporting me, and I'll see you all next time – bye!