I absolutely love the look of a quilted skirt! Using machine quilting on full skirts was very popular in the '50s. The best thing is that the quilting adds lots of body, for a very full look.
Did you know the skirt on the cover of my book
Gertie Sews Vintage Casual is quilted?
For that skirt, I used a layer of cotton and a layer of flannel and then outsourced the quilting to my mom. Here's a view of the inside.
See how well the skirt is supported by the quilting? It's like magic!
I recently got a yen to make another quilted skirt in spring-like fabrics. I'm using the rose print sateen from
my new fabric line. (It seems to be sold out online, but it's definitely available in Joann stores. The print also comes in
yellow on poplin. In other fabric news, it looks like
the border print is back!)
I decided to try a more traditional quilting configuration, using batting between two layers of fabric. So the first thing I did was gather my supplies:
- About 3 yards each of the sateen and a backing fabric. I'm using Kona Cotton in Red for my backing.
- Cotton batting. I chose a twin size package, and will have plenty leftover.
- A skirt pattern. I'm using my flared skirt pattern from Gertie Sews Vintage Casual. (See the section on the quilted skirt for more specifics on how to use the pattern and draft a waistband.)
- A 9" regular zipper.
- Spray fabric adhesive, to hold the layers together.
- Painters tape (or masking tape), to mark quilting lines.
- Lightweight fusible interfacing for the waistband (not pictured).
- Also handy: a walking foot for your machine (this keeps the layers smooth while quilting). Having a foot with a "bar guide" is especially handy for this.
Start by washing and drying your two fabrics to pre-shrink. Then iron and starch, if desired. (Starching helps put some body back into the fabric after pre-washing. I learned this on quilting message boards! You can even make your own starch, which I totally did. Just mix a tablespoon of corn starch and a pint of water in a sauce pan. Heat, mixing well, until boiling. Leave to cool. Add two drops of essential oils, like lavender (optional). Pour into a spray bottle using a funnel.)
Cut your skirt front and backs out in both fabrics and in the batting.
Lay out the layers one at a time and spray with the adhesive. Roll up the next layer, and set it down, unrolling it so that the edges match and they stick together from the adhesive.
Once you have your "skirt sandwiches," mark your first quilting line with the painters tape. Find the exact center front of the skirt (you can fold it in half and mark with pins) and then find the 45 degree angle to this. I like to use a 2x18" ruler, and align a 2" square with the center front line, as in the illustration below:
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhssOhKyLNlCZ6qU6u3OLInQyVQRuXonPBLFTFHoN0jHNkiB8XSCXfMwHkM0fJtq5P5kYKBIP4aXYYZJ5uGu3RWqupTf6WcSjlA-lEfR0Mw6rn3cK9CdmtRRPSoSJPX4M4xxBPF4VrDnQi6/s1600/find+bias.jpg) |
By Sun Young Park, from Gertie Sews Vintage Casual |
Place your tape along the 45 degree angle, starting at one upper corner of the skirt.
Before stitching along your taped line, make a quilting sample! Use a small swatch of all three layers together. Make sure you're happy with your chosen thread color and the width of your stitching lines.
Once you're happy with everything, start stitching along the tape. Remove the tape and stitch parallel lines, using either the guide on your walking foot or more rows of tape.
Hey, the quilting guide even works well when you put the bar in upside down! (Whoops.)
Keep on making those parallel quilting lines. I hope you have a good podcast to listen to. (OMG, have you heard
Serial? I binged on all 12 episodes last week.)
Next time, on Serial: how to make the crisscrossing lines, matching the quilting lines on the skirt backs, seam finishes, and skirt construction!