Fashion Friday - A No Sew Knit Skirt with HeatnBond Soft Stretch™ Ultra

Join Carla Henton on the blog today for Fashion Friday as she demonstrates new HeatnBond Soft Stretch™ Ultra by making a cute floral knit skirt with no sewing at all. Not one stitch. Yes...you read that right! We'll show you how Carla made this skirt without a sewing machine!

A No Sew Knit Skirt with HeatnBond Soft Stretch™ Ultra

Can you believe it? This knit skirt was made without one stitch thanks to new HeatnBond Soft Stretch™ Ultra. Hi, I'm Carla from Creatin' in the Sticks and I have to admit, I'm a "short cut" kind of girl. When I see a one-hour clothing pattern I am always ready to sew. The trouble is, I spend a day making that 1-hour project. With HeatnBond Soft Stretch™ Ultra I really made a 1-hour pattern in 1 hour and didn't sew a stitch. So put your sewing machine away for this project and let's have some quick fun. HeatnBond Soft Stretch™ Ultra is a NO SEW, lightweight iron-on web adhesive specially designed to move with your stretch fabric while maintaining a strong bond. It comes in a roll that is 5/8" wide which is the perfect width for seams in clothing. HeatnBond Soft Stretch™ Ultra is also available in larger rolls if you are appliqueing and don't want to stitch around the appliques. We will try this in the second part of this tutorial. If you are thinking about Halloween costumes, this may be the perfect adhesive for you, but today, let's make a skirt. No Sew Skirt Supplies: HeatnBond® Soft Stretch™ Ultra 5/8" x 10 yd. 1 1/2 yd of cotton jersey knit fabric 2 yd of cording (if you want a drawstring) any skirt pattern (this one is Simplicity 7229) Iron WITH steam– (I love my Oliso Pro) Pins

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Part One: No Sew Skirt Instructions

Step 1: It is important to wash and dry the fabric anytime you are making clothing. Next press the fabric with starch. The starch will help to stabilize the stretchy fabric. Step 2: Cut out the pattern. 1-hour patterns do not include cutting the patterns out in the one hour so plan on this taking more time. Use the pattern instructions to cut the fabric. Using a lot of pins will help with the stretchy fabric. Tip: The inside seams do not have to be finished, they won't ravel, but the fabric pieces can be cut with pinking shears to make the seams look finished. Step 3: Put the skirt together. Follow the pattern instructions for construction, but when the instructions say stitch a seam, use HeatnBond Soft Stretch™ Ultra. The 5/8" width is perfect for seams and hems. In this pattern, the side seams are first. Cut a piece of HeatnBond Soft Stretch™ Ultra the length of the side seam and apply it to the right side of the fabric, placing and holding the iron on the paper liner for 5 seconds in sections until the entire surface is bonded, as shown. Allow it to cool, then peel off the paper. Next lay the top of the skirt over the back, right sides together. With steam, press and hold the iron for 20 seconds on each section until the entire side seam is bonded. Look how perfect the first side seam is and not a stitch was made. Repeat for the other side seam. Step 4: The yoke is the next step in this pattern and because this one is a drawstring, the holes will have to be made. Instead of using interfacing and stitching button holes, a 3-inch piece of HeatnBond Soft Stretch™ Ultra is fused to the back of a scrap piece of fabric, the piece is trimmed and bonded to the back of where the buttonholes are to be placed. Next just cut the fabric where the buttonholes should be. The fabric will not ravel, HeatnBond Soft Stretch™ Ultra reinforces the area, and the drawstring will slide through. Continue the steps of putting the yoke together with HeatnBond Soft Stretch™ Ultra. Instead of running a baste stitch, use HeatnBond Soft Stretch™ Ultra. To attach the yolk to the skirt, apply the HeatnBond Soft Stretch™ Ultra to the bottom of the right side of the yolk. Let it cool and remove the paper liner. Pin the skirt to the yolk with right sides together and the HeatnBond Soft Stretch™ Ultra sandwiched in the middle. Turn the skirt so the iron will be on the skirt side when the soft stretch is bonded (this will let the heat of the iron bond better though one layer instead of 2 layers of fabric). Bond the skirt to the yolk working in sections and removing the pins before applying heat. Once the drawstring is pulled through, all that is left is the hem. Step 5: Hem the skirt for a sharp finish. Working around the bottom edge of the wrong side of the skirt, place HeatnBond Soft Stretch™ Ultra and fuse in sections. Let it cool, peel off the paper, and fold the bottom of the skirt up using the width of the HeatnBond Soft Stretch™ Ultra as a guide. No measuring needed. Using steam, press and hold the iron for 20 seconds on each section until the hem is completely bonded and the hem is perfectly straight and has a nice edge. Jazz up a plain knit article of clothing with new HeatnBond Soft Stretch™ Ultra. It's a NO SEW, lightweight iron-on web adhesive specially designed to move with your stretch fabric while maintaining a strong bond! Appliques made with knit fabrics stretch with the articles of clothing and aren't stiff!! Supplies: HeatnBond Soft Stretch™ Ultra 17 in. x 2 yd. Roll Scraps of cotton jersey knit fabric (old t-shirt fabric is perfect) A design for tracing (flowers) Iron WITH steam– (I love my Oliso Pro)

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Part 2: No Sew Skirt Applique Instructions

Step 1: Trace a design on the back (paper side) of HeatnBond Soft Stretch™ Ultra. Cut out the design, leaving at least a 1/4" around the design. Step 2: Place web adhesive on the wrong side of the fabrics to be bonded and fuse to fabrics following the package instructions. Cut out the designs. Peel off the paper backing. Tip: if the paper backing won't come off easily on the edges, score the paper with a pin in the middle of the design to easily peel the paper away starting in the middle. Step 3: Place the designs on the article of clothing web side down and press with a hot iron and steam for 20 seconds. Do this in sections until the entire applique is bonded. Let the design cool. NO SEWING! You have to try HeatnBond Soft Stretch™ Ultra. I have so many quick fixes in mind and Halloween costumes would be a breeze too. In case you were wondering, HeatnBond Soft Stretch™ Ultra does very well in the wash. The skirt was washed twice before the picture at the top was taken. Just wash it on delicate and hang to dry.