Sample Sewing - Folded Mini 1

I promised to keep you involved in the process of starting this business, so this time I'll show you my first Folded Mini sample. It doesn't look very different from the first two (here and here), but the big difference is that this skirt is made off an actual pattern. The first ones I just draped, roughly based on measurements. I drafted the pattern in my class, based on a basic skirt block. It will make the folding part a whole lot easier! The whole point of making a sample is to find out if your pattern works, and I'm glad to say that it does! There are some adjustments I had to make, but these will be tested again in the second sample.





It's made out of the slinkiest of slinky knits, a 50% cotton, 50% rayon jersey. It has a lot of stretch, so there's really no need for a zipper here. The polkadots are fun but hide the folds a bit. I wanted to check out what would happen with a print like this. I'm thinking plain or striped knits would be best. I only used my regular sewing machine, to try out the best techniques for putting this together. It worked out fine, although my machine still has some trouble with super stretchy stuff like this. My triple stretch stitch did wonders for the waistband, the seam still has a lot of stretch and I'm sure it won't snap.



Your responses on my Folded Mini Survey are not used in this version, but they will be in the second one! 46% wanted to see a longer version, 20% wanted a zipper, and 20% wanted a folded back option. The folded back would really add too much bulk at the side seams, and it's harder to incorporate darts and a closure in the folded part. I didn't want this pattern to get overly complicated, so there will be no folded back option. Whether you use a zipper will not be dependent on the length, but rather on the weight and stretch of your knit fabric. Other inprovements are raising the back and using darts for a better fit. So in case you were worried after seeing my (erm, quite horrible) tutorial, I promise you'll get a good pattern, with two length options and clear instructions!