Latest Design: Black Slip Skirt

Our latest demi-couture design is a bit of a tongue twister- Silk Slip Skirt! Inspired by vintage slip skirts, this design features silk charmeuse fabric and Japanese trim. This blog post will show you how to hand sew lace/trim onto silk. Get your wax out for this one, you will want to keep your threads tidy!

​Design Elements

Sewing up this sexy silk slip skirt saw some seriously styled seams. See what we did there?? What is your favorite element?

• Hand sewn lace trim
• Delicate elastic waist​

• Curved hem
• French seams

Hand sewn lace trim

​​To attach the lace trim onto silk, follow the steps below. 

Step 1

Thread baste the lace trim onto main body of fabric allowing for some overlap of lace and silk. In this case, we gave a 3/8" seam allowance (SA) at the skirt hem for the top of the lace to be aligned to. Use a contrasting thread color to make it easily removable later.

Step 2

Overlap approximately 1/4" - 3/4" of the lace. This measurement will be based on the lace repetition present in your trim. Ours is a tiny repetitive shape, so only 1/4" was required. Your goal is that the end overlap lays flush on top of its exact lace shape underneath. Best place to put your overlap is along a side seam.

Step 3

Whip stitch (aka over-cast stitch) tiny 1/3" - 1/16" width stitches attaching lace to silk. This will allow the lace to become ONE with the silk. The whole concept in the end is to create a flush appearance as if the lace was made with the silk.

Step 4

Continue to whip stitch along the outline of the last overlap lace shape to make the top and bottom lace trim become one. At this point you should only be whip-stitching the lace layers together, no silk.

Step 5 

Trim away the excess hem seam allowance beneath the lace trim. Stay approximately 1/8" down from whip stitches. We are using applique scissors here.

Step 6

Trim the under layer of lace where the overlap of lace occurs.

Step 7

Remove the basting stitches. FYI: We kept ours in for learning purposes.

Delicate elastic waist​

​A delicate slim elastic was put into this design. At first glance it looks like a super simple installation, but here are the time intensive steps.

Step 1

​Mark and press in the top of the waist twice. This section will act like a tunnel for the elastic to get fed into. We folded this skirt waist in by 1/4", then 1/2".

Step 2

Pin and top stitch along the bottom folded edge to create the tunnel. If you look super close, we created a tight double top stitch to emphasize the waist more and for extra security for slipping on and off. Leave a 2" opening close to a side seam but not on it. This is where the elastic will be fed into.

Step 3

​Fit the elastic to your natural waist measurement but let it be a hair tighter. Cut the elastic and attach a safety pin to the end of the elastic and feed through the tunnel.

Step 4

​Overlap the elastic ends and secure with a strong amount of zig-zag stitching. Push the elastic into its tunnel and close up your top-stitching. Overlap a few stitches from the original line for security.

Step 5

​To get the perfect amount of gathers around the waist, use your two index fingers and expand the waist as far as the elastic will allow. Gently release and allow the elastic to compress back, and voila!
​

​Final Design

Look at the side seams on this finished beauty! This design was inspired by our client Natasha who adores vintage undergarments. Thank you for slipping this skirt into our lives!

Happy Sewing!
Designed, photographed and written by Sheila Wong Studios