WEBVTT 00:00:00.429 --> 00:00:03.620 There is a box, in the corner of my sewing room. 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. 00:00:07.419 --> 00:00:10.700 Many crafters will be familiar with this box, in all of its forms: 00:00:10.700 --> 00:00:14.590 There’s the ever-growing amorphous lump that lies underneath your desk… 00:00:14.590 --> 00:00:18.730 The monster underneath your bed… The stuff you vacuum-packed in a fit of organization 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… 00:00:22.110 --> 00:00:29.520 This, my friends, is the UNFINISHED SEWING PILE. 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 00:00:38.660 --> 00:00:43.220 – check out episodes 6 and 7 to see how I upcycled this top and cardigan! 00:00:43.220 --> 00:00:45.770 But today’s episode will show you how I altered this skirt. 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 00:00:50.550 --> 00:00:53.719 bit rounder on the waist aaaaand it doesn’t fit me anymore. 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. 00:00:58.570 --> 00:01:02.250 So, my plan to save this skirt is simply to replace the elastic. 00:01:02.250 --> 00:01:06.420 With my unpicking tool, I start removing this exposed elastic waistband from the fabric. 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 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 00:01:15.360 --> 00:01:18.860 – but upon further assessment the two only appeared to only be connected with a straight 00:01:18.860 --> 00:01:23.280 stitch, and the overlocking threads up the top here were only on the skirt fabric. 00:01:23.280 --> 00:01:28.400 And seriously – this is sewn on SO badly. This piece is actually something that I got 00:01:28.400 --> 00:01:32.670 from an online fast fashion store, and this was before I swore off fast fashion. 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 00:01:37.659 --> 00:01:43.509 I was simply able to pull the elastic away from the fabric like this, occasionally needing 00:01:43.509 --> 00:01:47.400 to stop, cut through a stitch, and then keep pulling, until the waistband was removed. 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 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 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 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 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 00:02:09.619 --> 00:02:13.559 fraying. Then, to flatten the waistband down as much as possible, I pressed the ends to 00:02:13.559 --> 00:02:17.719 one side, and then I stitched over it on the right-side like this. 00:02:17.719 --> 00:02:20.889 And just for comparison, here’s the old waistband next to the new one – you can 00:02:20.889 --> 00:02:23.489 really see here why the skirt didn't fit before! 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 00:02:27.040 --> 00:02:30.489 lot more skirt than waistband – but that doesn’t matter. I simply divide both the 00:02:30.489 --> 00:02:34.109 top of the skirt and the elastic waistband into 4 quarters – so I put pins 00:02:34.109 --> 00:02:36.379 here, here, here and here. 00:02:39.340 --> 00:02:43.980 Then, to sew them together, I slide the waistband onto the machine first, right sides down, 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. 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 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 00:02:58.290 --> 00:02:59.969 I sew the elastic onto the fabric. 00:02:59.969 --> 00:03:02.389 And I simply continue this all the way around the skirt. 00:03:02.389 --> 00:03:06.239 Now, there is another, “cleaner” way of sewing this kind of exposed elastic waistband 00:03:06.239 --> 00:03:10.019 on, where you sew it wrong sides together, flip the elastic over and then top-stitch 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 00:03:14.870 --> 00:03:18.639 simpler technique, mainly because I didn’t want any visible stitching on the waistband. 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 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 00:03:26.279 --> 00:03:30.059 with any rectangle of fabric that’s bigger than your waist, as long as that rectangle 00:03:30.059 --> 00:03:31.499 is first sewn into a loop! 00:03:31.499 --> 00:03:34.859 Now I just unfold the waistband, and here’s how it looks – and now it fits! 00:03:34.860 --> 00:03:37.400 Very comfortably so, might I add. 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! 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 00:03:46.779 --> 00:03:48.139 outfit came together! 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! 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 00:03:56.989 --> 00:04:01.040 become my Patreon supporter, go to patreon.com/annikavictoria 00:04:01.040 --> 00:04:05.349 Also protip for anyone looking to become a youtuber - NEVER change your hair colour. 00:04:05.349 --> 00:04:07.459 It’s just too much for some people. 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 00:04:11.079 --> 00:04:12.559 so much, so thank you.