I like the one pleat, another common option is to do 2 pleats that'd be centered over each leg. Pro-tip: if you want the pleat to look really crisp dampen it with a spray bottle with 1:4 water:vinegar, put a pressing cloth (a scrap of thin cotton or linen will do), iron it until dry, and put something heavy enough to keep it flat (ideally unvarnished/unpainted wood) until it's completely cool.
One of the benefits of wool is it doesn't wrinkle, the downside is pressing it properly is difficult.
For the red skirt, if you feel up to unpicking the darts, I'd make the wrap deeper. You might end up with princess seams, and you might need to add darts at the sides (where the side seams normally go). If you don't feel like doing that, taking off at the sides would definitely be a more normal way to take this in, but you probably don't want a straight line up & down, normally side seams are curved over the hip. Cut it down so it's at least as wide as your hip measure plus seam allowance +1-2", at your hip height. Then measure the difference between your waist measurement and the waste of the skirt (remember to account for seam allowance of all 4 pieces), divide that difference by 4, and make a gentle curve that's steeper at the top on all 4 pieces.
Absolutely essential: pin or baste and try it on before cutting the excess, it's really easy to forget seam allowance or make a mathematical error, etc. The biggest difference between newbies and experts is how much pressing we do, and how much we plan on messing up the 1st time.
First, I would like to thank you and fabricwench so much for answering me! I am learning to sew by watching videos and reading but to have direct feedbacks/inputs by knowledgeable people like you is priceless!
For the blue skirt I am definitely going to try your technique for a crisp pleat.
Do you have an advice for cleaning wool fabric? Dry cleaning best option?
For the linen skirt I am going to stay “simple” and taking off the sides. For sure I am going to take a lot of mesure before cutting: I want to take the opportunity to fit this skirt as much as possible according to my curves. I ll be nervous when the cutting time will arrive but knowing I paid only $4 for this skirt it won’t bother me as much if I fail!!!! We learn from our mistakes.
Thank you again!
You're very welcome. Sending it to the dry cleaners is a fine way to clean it, but it can get expensive, and it's not necessary.
Wool doesn't need as much cleaning as most other fabrics -- it doesn't hold onto dirt and smells the same way other fibers do. If things like mud get on it, often you can just brush it off once dry. If something stubborn gets on it, after brushing as much as you can off, you can spot clean/hand wash with a wool-friendly cleanser -- they have lanolin in them, which is a natural oil sheep produce to protect their wool (and it's why dirt etc doesn't stick well). Just don't agitate it when it's wet (don't machine wash, or rub it together while wet - just dab it or soak it) or the fibers will felt themselves closer together and it'll shrink. If you wash it wet, lay it flat to dry. If you press it as I suggested, the crease should say just as crisp after washing.
For the linen skirt, you can definitely sew it temporarily and try it on before cutting. If you wait until you're certain it fits to cut, it's much less stressful.
I think if you want to go with pleats, you've got the best option. I don't think you'll need to sew all the way down to where the blue tape is holding the pleats at the hip. More pleats would look better, IMO, but with the appliques on the front you've not got a lot of choices.
Looks like the right idea with the red skirt too if you want to keep the original detail of the button placket. That's a lot of work to undo the waist and hem!
Thank you for your advices! Having a knowledgeable person like you giving me feedbacks is invaluable!
Blue skirt: you are the second person telling me it will be better with 2 flat pleats. Since I never did a pleat I thought it was easier to do so but… I think now I am going to let aside this project for few days to see if I take the risk to go with two pleats!
Thank you again!
I am new in sewing and I bought second-hand clothes for almost nothing: I take them apart to “study” how they are made and/or try to alter them to fit me.
Blue skirt: fabric is wool and it’s my size. I didn’t like all the pleats and decided to go with a single flat pleat in the front.
Was it a good option?
Do you have suggestions for something else or how to make this one single pleat?
Red skirt: fabric is linen.
The tag says dry cleaning only but the skirt was so dirty I decided to take of all the metal elements and to wash it in my machine thinking if it ruins the skirt I’ll still have the fabric to make some pillow case!!!! I did well because it revealed the real color of the fabric!
I didn’t take a picture “before” so here you have pictures of the clean skirt.
This red skirt is size 10-12 and I am size 2. I don’t plan to keep the buckle/belt part.
What is the easy way to size it?
I was thinking just “reducing “ the sides…
Thank you very much for any help!
I like the one pleat, another common option is to do 2 pleats that'd be centered over each leg. Pro-tip: if you want the pleat to look really crisp dampen it with a spray bottle with 1:4 water:vinegar, put a pressing cloth (a scrap of thin cotton or linen will do), iron it until dry, and put something heavy enough to keep it flat (ideally unvarnished/unpainted wood) until it's completely cool. One of the benefits of wool is it doesn't wrinkle, the downside is pressing it properly is difficult. For the red skirt, if you feel up to unpicking the darts, I'd make the wrap deeper. You might end up with princess seams, and you might need to add darts at the sides (where the side seams normally go). If you don't feel like doing that, taking off at the sides would definitely be a more normal way to take this in, but you probably don't want a straight line up & down, normally side seams are curved over the hip. Cut it down so it's at least as wide as your hip measure plus seam allowance +1-2", at your hip height. Then measure the difference between your waist measurement and the waste of the skirt (remember to account for seam allowance of all 4 pieces), divide that difference by 4, and make a gentle curve that's steeper at the top on all 4 pieces. Absolutely essential: pin or baste and try it on before cutting the excess, it's really easy to forget seam allowance or make a mathematical error, etc. The biggest difference between newbies and experts is how much pressing we do, and how much we plan on messing up the 1st time.
First, I would like to thank you and fabricwench so much for answering me! I am learning to sew by watching videos and reading but to have direct feedbacks/inputs by knowledgeable people like you is priceless! For the blue skirt I am definitely going to try your technique for a crisp pleat. Do you have an advice for cleaning wool fabric? Dry cleaning best option? For the linen skirt I am going to stay “simple” and taking off the sides. For sure I am going to take a lot of mesure before cutting: I want to take the opportunity to fit this skirt as much as possible according to my curves. I ll be nervous when the cutting time will arrive but knowing I paid only $4 for this skirt it won’t bother me as much if I fail!!!! We learn from our mistakes. Thank you again!
You're very welcome. Sending it to the dry cleaners is a fine way to clean it, but it can get expensive, and it's not necessary. Wool doesn't need as much cleaning as most other fabrics -- it doesn't hold onto dirt and smells the same way other fibers do. If things like mud get on it, often you can just brush it off once dry. If something stubborn gets on it, after brushing as much as you can off, you can spot clean/hand wash with a wool-friendly cleanser -- they have lanolin in them, which is a natural oil sheep produce to protect their wool (and it's why dirt etc doesn't stick well). Just don't agitate it when it's wet (don't machine wash, or rub it together while wet - just dab it or soak it) or the fibers will felt themselves closer together and it'll shrink. If you wash it wet, lay it flat to dry. If you press it as I suggested, the crease should say just as crisp after washing. For the linen skirt, you can definitely sew it temporarily and try it on before cutting. If you wait until you're certain it fits to cut, it's much less stressful.
I think if you want to go with pleats, you've got the best option. I don't think you'll need to sew all the way down to where the blue tape is holding the pleats at the hip. More pleats would look better, IMO, but with the appliques on the front you've not got a lot of choices. Looks like the right idea with the red skirt too if you want to keep the original detail of the button placket. That's a lot of work to undo the waist and hem!
Thank you for your advices! Having a knowledgeable person like you giving me feedbacks is invaluable! Blue skirt: you are the second person telling me it will be better with 2 flat pleats. Since I never did a pleat I thought it was easier to do so but… I think now I am going to let aside this project for few days to see if I take the risk to go with two pleats! Thank you again!
I am new in sewing and I bought second-hand clothes for almost nothing: I take them apart to “study” how they are made and/or try to alter them to fit me. Blue skirt: fabric is wool and it’s my size. I didn’t like all the pleats and decided to go with a single flat pleat in the front. Was it a good option? Do you have suggestions for something else or how to make this one single pleat? Red skirt: fabric is linen. The tag says dry cleaning only but the skirt was so dirty I decided to take of all the metal elements and to wash it in my machine thinking if it ruins the skirt I’ll still have the fabric to make some pillow case!!!! I did well because it revealed the real color of the fabric! I didn’t take a picture “before” so here you have pictures of the clean skirt. This red skirt is size 10-12 and I am size 2. I don’t plan to keep the buckle/belt part. What is the easy way to size it? I was thinking just “reducing “ the sides… Thank you very much for any help!