Purple Muumuu Magic

My mom gave this to me claiming that she never wore it...well mom, I found some tums in the pocket, that makes you a muumuu wearing mama. Thanks for giving it up, it is a beaut!

Supplies:

Muumuu

elastic

sewing machine or needle and thread

thread

scissors

flexible measuring tape

fabric pen or marking chalk

iron

pins

Instructions:

1. Chop the top from the bottom, leaving enough room for hemming and elastic.

2. Pin or mark it inside out either on yourself or by using a shirt. 

3. Sew and cut it to size, Also cut the sleeves to the size you would like! Try on and make corrections if needed

4. Hem the sleeves and the bottom of the shirt by folding up toward the inside of the shirt as you go (pin or iron first if you like). And DONE with the top!

5. To sew the skirt you must cut it to the size you would like plus the amount for the elastic.

6. Then cut elastic to your waist size, and divide the elastic into 4 sections with pins or a fabric marker. This is so you can place the elastic to the right spots of the gathered part of skirt's waist, i.e. it is supposed to help you know how much to gather around the waist. For example, I put one end of the elastic on the right seam or side of the skirt and knew the the first marking (or quarter of the elastic) was meant to hit the center front of the skirt, and the second marking was meant to hit the left seam of the skirt, and the third marking was meant to hit the middle back of the skirt and the other end is going to match up at the right seam.

7. Then you gather the waistband by doing a basting stitch and pulling on the thread to make it bunch up or by ruffling it under the elastic as you go and use the markings on the elastics as a guide. I do the second way which is way more time consuming, yet I feel less annoyed. Use a ZIG ZAG stitch so it gives you room to stretch when you slide into it! 

8. Trim off the extra or do another ring of zig zag stitches around the top of the elastic band if you like. 

9. Then complete the elastic band by straight stitching the 2 ends together, preferably with the right sides together so the ends aren't visible.

****If you don't want the elastic band to show, fold the elastic band under then sew a zig zag stitch near the bottom of the elastic over the top or the ruffled fabric.