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 --> 00:00:10,700 Many crafters will be familiar with this box, in all of its forms: 4 00:00:10,700 --> 00:00:14,590 There’s the ever-growing amorphous lump that lies underneath your desk… 5 00:00:14,590 --> 00:00:18,730 The monster underneath your bed… The stuff you vacuum-packed in a fit of organization 6 00:00:18,730 --> 00:00:22,110 and stuffed into your garage in the hopes that you’d never have to deal with it again… 7 00:00:22,110 --> 00:00:29,520 This, my friends, is the UNFINISHED SEWING PILE. 8 00:00:29,520 --> 00:00:38,660 So this is the third and final installment of this mini 3-part series-within-a-series 9 00:00:38,660 --> 00:00:43,220 – check out episodes 6 and 7 to see how I upcycled this top and cardigan! 10 00:00:43,220 --> 00:00:45,770 But today’s episode will show you how I altered this skirt. 11 00:00:45,770 --> 00:00:50,550 I got this skirt back in 2013, and while it fit me perfectly back then – I’m a little 12 00:00:50,550 --> 00:00:53,719 bit rounder on the waist aaaaand it doesn’t fit me anymore. 13 00:00:53,719 --> 00:00:58,570 I can still pull it on, but I also feel like I’m being strangled to death when I do so. 14 00:00:58,570 --> 00:01:02,250 So, my plan to save this skirt is simply to replace the elastic. 15 00:01:02,250 --> 00:01:06,420 With my unpicking tool, I start removing this exposed elastic waistband from the fabric. 16 00:01:06,420 --> 00:01:11,390 When I first looked at it, it seemed like the elastic was attached with a 3-thread overlocking 17 00:01:11,390 --> 00:01:15,360 stitch, which would mean I’d need to snip through THESE threads in order to unpick it 18 00:01:15,360 --> 00:01:18,860 – but upon further assessment the two only appeared to only be connected with a straight 19 00:01:18,860 --> 00:01:23,280 stitch, and the overlocking threads up the top here were only on the skirt fabric. 20 00:01:23,280 --> 00:01:28,400 And seriously – this is sewn on SO badly. This piece is actually something that I got 21 00:01:28,400 --> 00:01:32,670 from an online fast fashion store, and this was before I swore off fast fashion. 22 00:01:32,670 --> 00:01:37,659 Anyway, in order to remove the elastic I first cut through every 5th stitch or so, and then 23 00:01:37,659 --> 00:01:43,509 I was simply able to pull the elastic away from the fabric like this, occasionally needing 24 00:01:43,509 --> 00:01:47,400 to stop, cut through a stitch, and then keep pulling, until the waistband was removed. 25 00:01:47,400 --> 00:01:52,220 Next, with a new piece of fairly thick elastic, I wrapped it around my waist so that it was 26 00:01:52,220 --> 00:01:56,070 slightly tight, but not uncomfortable. Then I cut it to this length and I sewed it into 27 00:01:56,070 --> 00:02:00,250 a loop by sewing the ends together here. For this I used a zig zag stitch, and I went back 28 00:02:00,250 --> 00:02:05,159 and forth a couple of times. Then, I cut off the excess elastic at the ends as close to 29 00:02:05,159 --> 00:02:09,619 the stitches as possible, and then I did another zig zag stitch right over the edges to prevent 30 00:02:09,619 --> 00:02:13,559 fraying. Then, to flatten the waistband down as much as possible, I pressed the ends to 31 00:02:13,559 --> 00:02:17,719 one side, and then I stitched over it on the right-side like this. 32 00:02:17,719 --> 00:02:20,889 And just for comparison, here’s the old waistband next to the new one – you can 33 00:02:20,889 --> 00:02:23,489 really see here why the skirt didn't fit before! 34 00:02:23,489 --> 00:02:27,040 Now, it’s time to attach the elastic to the skirt, and as you can see I’ve got a 35 00:02:27,040 --> 00:02:30,489 lot more skirt than waistband – but that doesn’t matter. I simply divide both the 36 00:02:30,489 --> 00:02:34,109 top of the skirt and the elastic waistband into 4 quarters – so I put pins 37 00:02:34,109 --> 00:02:36,379 here, here, here and here. 38 00:02:39,340 --> 00:02:43,980 Then, to sew them together, I slide the waistband onto the machine first, right sides down, 39 00:02:43,989 --> 00:02:48,409 and then I slide the top of the skirt underneath it, right sides up. So, right sides together. 40 00:02:48,409 --> 00:02:53,260 Then, I do a backstitch, to hold the two together securely, and then, sewing with a straight 41 00:02:53,260 --> 00:02:58,290 stitch along the top, I pull the elastic so that the next set of pins matches up, and 42 00:02:58,290 --> 00:02:59,969 I sew the elastic onto the fabric. 43 00:02:59,969 --> 00:03:02,389 And I simply continue this all the way around the skirt. 44 00:03:02,389 --> 00:03:06,239 Now, there is another, “cleaner” way of sewing this kind of exposed elastic waistband 45 00:03:06,239 --> 00:03:10,019 on, where you sew it wrong sides together, flip the elastic over and then top-stitch 46 00:03:10,019 --> 00:03:14,870 it, and I’ll leave a link to that technique in the description box, but I am using this 47 00:03:14,870 --> 00:03:18,639 simpler technique, mainly because I didn’t want any visible stitching on the waistband. 48 00:03:18,639 --> 00:03:22,389 Now I know I’m showing you how to replace an old waistband with a new one, but you can 49 00:03:22,389 --> 00:03:26,279 also use the methods that I show here in order to make a skirt with an elastic-waistband 50 00:03:26,279 --> 00:03:30,059 with any rectangle of fabric that’s bigger than your waist, as long as that rectangle 51 00:03:30,059 --> 00:03:31,499 is first sewn into a loop! 52 00:03:31,499 --> 00:03:34,859 Now I just unfold the waistband, and here’s how it looks – and now it fits! 53 00:03:34,860 --> 00:03:37,400 Very comfortably so, might I add. 54 00:03:37,409 --> 00:03:42,969 Which is awesome because I don’t know if you noticed but this fabric is great – BAMBI! 55 00:03:42,969 --> 00:03:46,779 Make sure you also watch episodes 6 and 7 of the Style Pile to see how this complete 56 00:03:46,779 --> 00:03:48,139 outfit came together! 57 00:03:48,139 --> 00:03:52,229 I hope you’re all having a great day and I'll see you all in my next video. Bye! 58 00:03:52,229 --> 00:03:56,989 Thank you to all of my supporters on Patreon who helped to make this video possible. To 59 00:03:56,989 --> 00:04:01,040 become my Patreon supporter, go to patreon.com/annikavictoria 60 00:04:01,040 --> 00:04:05,349 Also protip for anyone looking to become a youtuber - NEVER change your hair colour. 61 00:04:05,349 --> 00:04:07,459 It’s just too much for some people. 62 00:04:07,459 --> 00:04:11,079 Just kidding most of you were so nice about my new blonde hair and I freaking love it 63 00:04:11,079 --> 00:04:12,559 so much, so thank you.