Free Motion Mavericks - Week 341 - Underskirt Taking Shape

Over the past couple of weeks I have done very little on the underskirt, but it's very nearly there!

It has progressed from the tennis skirt stage and is now unmistakeably an underskirt.  I have added one more tier to the inner layer, with a sewn down fold just below knee level to give a second channel for a hoop.  So far I have put on just one layer of netting, but I shall be adding another tier underneath.  Once that is finished, I can leave the hem and hoops until we have a proper fitting at the dressmaker's next month for the hem of the wedding dress to be taken up.

Slowly but surely the wedding plans are coming together.  Our daughter and her young man have been staying with us for nearly a fortnight so they can do all the necessary admin - seeing the local registrar, getting paperwork filed with the diocese, visiting the venue we have lined up for the reception, sorting out the guest list... so much to do!  At the same time they have been working from home, with daughter on her computer downstairs, and fiancé in his makeshift home office up in the attic.  Between us we have sorted out so much over the past two weeks that we are beginning to really look forward to the big day.  October will soon be upon us! 

 

Here goes for Week 341:-

Many thanks to Gail for linking up with her beautiful wedding quilt.  If you haven't seen her blog post yet, nip over now and see more.

 

If you have no free motion quilting to show, feel free to link up and show any project you like.  Here are the usual rules, but feel free to ignore them.  To keep the original emphasis, however, preference will be given to free motion quilting when featuring projects from the previous week.

If you love free motion quilting, whether you are a beginner just taking the plunge, or you have reached the stage where you can do ostrich feathers with your eyes shut and still achieve perfect symmetry, then please link up.

Remember, FMQ is FMQ, whether your machine was made last week, or it is older than your granny.

Here are the very easy and slightly elastic rules:-

1.  Link up with any recent post, ideally from the last week but within the last month, which features a free motion quilting project, whether it is a work in progress or a finish.

2.  Link back to this post in your own post.

3.  Visit as many of the other participants as possible and say hello in the comments box.

4.  The link up will remain open for five days, from midnight to midnight GMT for the long weekend, Friday to Tuesday.

So far quilters from the USA, England, Wales, Australia, Canada, Germany, Holland, New Zealand, France, Macau, Russia, Ireland, Brazil and Sweden have taken part.  The 

first participant from each new country will get a special mention the following week.

Free Motion Mavericks - Week 339 - Not a Tennis Skirt

How appropriate for summer - not that I ever played tennis.

The underskirt that I am making to go under my daughter's wedding dress is beginning to take shape.  I'm not following a pattern, just making it up as I go along, and hoping that it gives the right amount of fullness to the skirt.  I have yards of net to add to the outside, and still need to add about another 12 inches to the length.  

Today I added the pleated section to the fitted top part, or the pelmet, that I had already made.  It took me ages to fold the pleats, and I made sure there were more pleats at the back than the front.  The fabric I have used is sheeting, and to make sure it has extra firmness I broke the rules by having the selvedge run across the top.  When making a skirt, the warp of the fabric should run from top to bottom to ensure the skirt drapes well, because the weft is less resistant and folds softly.  For the underskirt more body is needed, and having the selvedge at the top of the pleats also meant I had no raw edge to neaten, and so less bulk at the bottom of the pelmet where the two sections are joined together.

At the back I had to remove the bottom button to be able to machine stitch the lower section into place.

At the bottom I have made a one inch hem that I might run a hoop through.  I don't yet know if a hoop will be needed, but if it is, it will be easy to fit through the hem.

Most of the wedding preparations over the past fortnight have been general Mother of the Bride admin - counting up the guests and spending hours online looking for the right place for the reception.  We now have an eye on a place we have visited, and if all goes according to plan we should be booking the reception before the end of the month.  Time is flying - only three months to go!

 

Here goes for Week 339:-

Many thanks to Chris for linking up last time with her autumn quilt.  If you haven't seen her blog post yet, nip over now and see more.

 

If you have no free motion quilting to show, feel free to link up and show any project you like.  Here are the usual rules, but feel free to ignore them.  To keep the original emphasis, however, preference will be given to free motion quilting when featuring projects from the previous week.

If you love free motion quilting, whether you are a beginner just taking the plunge, or you have reached the stage where you can do ostrich feathers with your eyes shut and still achieve perfect symmetry, then please link up.

Remember, FMQ is FMQ, whether your machine was made last week, or it is older than your granny.

Here are the very easy and slightly elastic rules:-

1.  Link up with any recent post, ideally from the last week but within the last month, which features a free motion quilting project, whether it is a work in progress or a finish.

2.  Link back to this post in your own post.

3.  Visit as many of the other participants as possible and say hello in the comments box.

4.  The link up will remain open for five days, from midnight to midnight GMT for the long weekend, Friday to Tuesday.

So far quilters from the USA, England, Wales, Australia, Canada, Germany, Holland, New Zealand, France, Macau, Russia, Ireland, Brazil and Sweden have taken part.  The 

first participant from each new country will get a special mention the following week.

Free Motion Mavericks - Week 337 - It's a Pelmet

The best name for the indecently short skirt that I have just made for my daughter.  I never imagined I would ever make her a pelmet, but I have.  It is fully lined and fits perfectly, and she looks pretty scandalous in it.

It is in fact stage 1 of the underskirt to go under her wedding dress.  It needs some layers of net to give fullness to the skirt of the dress, and the top section is designed to fit snugly on her hips.  At the moment it is creased and could do with a wash before I start on the main part of the underskirt, which will be attached to the hem. 

It fastens at the back.  Rather than use a zip, I decided buttons would be better, because if I got the fit slightly wrong, it is always easier to shift buttons rather than adjust a zip or darts.  The buttons are old mother of pearl buttons that I have had hidden away for years, so I was glad to have finally found a use for them, and also give her something old for the bride's traditional "something old, something new..."  

 

Here goes for Week 337:-

Many thanks to Gail for linking up last time with her animals quilt.  If you haven't seen her blog post yet, nip over now and see more.

 

If you have no free motion quilting to show, feel free to link up and show any project you like.  Here are the usual rules, but feel free to ignore them.  To keep the original emphasis, however, preference will be given to free motion quilting when featuring projects from the previous week.

If you love free motion quilting, whether you are a beginner just taking the plunge, or you have reached the stage where you can do ostrich feathers with your eyes shut and still achieve perfect symmetry, then please link up.

Remember, FMQ is FMQ, whether your machine was made last week, or it is older than your granny.

Here are the very easy and slightly elastic rules:-

1.  Link up with any recent post, ideally from the last week but within the last month, which features a free motion quilting project, whether it is a work in progress or a finish.

2.  Link back to this post in your own post.

3.  Visit as many of the other participants as possible and say hello in the comments box.

4.  The link up will remain open for five days, from midnight to midnight GMT for the long weekend, Friday to Tuesday.

So far quilters from the USA, England, Wales, Australia, Canada, Germany, Holland, New Zealand, France, Macau, Russia, Ireland, Brazil and Sweden have taken part.  The 

first participant from each new country will get a special mention the following week.