How to Add Simple Elegance to a Dress...Pin-tucking

One easy way to add elegance to a solid skirt or a dress is adding pin-tucks. A pin-tuck is a fold or pleat in fabric that is sewn in place. I am making a dress where this pin-tucking technique adds so much character to this solid silk dress. 

Here's a tutorial on how to create pin-tucks with attached lace. 



This is what my pin-tucks look like.

  
For the next pin-tuck I measured 1 1/2" from my stitching on my last pin-tuck. (depending on how far apart you want your pin-tucks will determine that measurement)

Take your straight edge ruler and mark with chalk all along the skirt.

Fold your fabric from your marked line back behind the skirt and press in place.

Leave your fabric folded and bring it to the sewing machine. If you are adding lace or any trim, first determine how much of the lace you want to be shown. Then place your fabric on the 1/4" seam allowance and begin sewing. (remeber your lace should be past the 1/4" seam allowance so you can see it when you are finished.)

Here's how mine looks after I have sewed it. 

 Sew all the way across you skirt. Now press your pin-tuck down and you are finished.

Here's how it should look when it is completed. If you did it without lace then you should just have the fold and stitching line. 

Please feel free to ask me any questions about this tutorial!

Britex Fabrics in San Francisco

Today we took a trip to San Francisco. We met up with my cousin there and she brought us to this amazing fabric store. It is called Britex Fabrics. There are 4 stories and each level is covered in a large array of gorgeous fabrics pricing anywhere from $5 per yard to $200 per yard. There are exotic Italian silks to beautiful wool suitings. We had to walk out with something so we found a few remnants and an intricate embroidered scalloped, swiss dot cotton material that I would like to make myself a skirt with.