Mid-Century Kitchen with Molly Starlite - Episode 6: How to Make Dress Straps the EASY Way!

Top strap is the underside; bottom
strap is the top side.

If you remember my how-to sew a swing dress post from last summer, you'll remember that I struggled to make straps that looked neat and finished and weren't interminably frustrating to make. After much trial and error, I finally found this method that doesn't involve sewing and turning fabric, isn't frustrating at all, and takes only minutes to make each strap.

That's right: using nothing more than a hot iron, an old bath towel, and a can of spray starch, you can turn a 4-inch wide by 18-inch long piece of cotton into a sturdy strap for dresses and tops in just a few minutes. The only sewing involved is a simple seam down the edge to secure it, but these things come out looking neat and clean and professional in literally just minutes.

Watch me make one here (my 5-year old was taping this, just to explain the videography on this one):

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Jenny January, Day 4: Jenny Skirt in Black!

A plain black swing skirt is a must-have staple for any pinup wardrobe. It's simple, elegant, and pairs with virtually any top or blouse by virtue of its neutrality. The black Jenny skirt from Pinup Girl Clothing that I chose to wear for Day Four of Miss Amy May's Jenny January is a high quality choice for putting such a work horse in your closet. I found mine to be rather long when I got it - and I am pretty tall at just a hair under six feet - so I have hemmed mine 2 inches. While you'll want to keep a lint roller on hand - as you would with any black or dark colored apparel - the black Jenny skirt is such a versatile piece that I can't see how anyone wouldn't recommend it. For my Day Four outfit, I paired my black Jenny skirt with the Carole top in Villain's print (with art by Stephanie Buscema) and the perfect pinup shrug in black, all from PUG.

Like what you see here? Want to help me make more awesome stuff? Support me on Patreon.com and get instant rewards! You could get a custom song, free copies of my books, free jewelry, a say in my projects, and so much more! Thank you for your patronage!

Round-Up Post of Sewing Projects!

Thought that I would make a post detailing all the sewing projects I have done this summer...

This pink swing dress you know, if you've read my blog:

Here is a green atomic starburst/argyle swing dress I made with cream trim. This one turned out really well, especially for not having a pattern...

This skirt is a box pleat underskirt in cream and blue cotton with a sheer overskirt made of vintage organza. Love the tropical print!

Someone told me that harlequin print wouldn't work in a wiggle dress. I think she might have been mistaken.

Here is another swing dress I made without a pattern. This is made from some kind of cotton blend vintage fabric in a tiki island print. The bodice, lapels, and cuffs are aqua cotton.

Here is a peasant-style top I made from pink striped cotton. I don't like how this turned out so I plan to remake it soon.

Another skirt made from vintage fabric. I think this might be upholstery fabric, but I don't care. It's shot through with silver metallic threads that match perfectly with the mustard yellow and navy.

A yellow swing dress I made from vintage rayon, I think. I don't know. It's kind of stretchy and a little rubbery feeling. But it sure is pretty and drapes beautifully.

The first skirt I made: a striped swing skirt!

Aqua blue swing dress!

My latest sewing output: a swing skirt made of this cute and fun polka dot charmeuse satin.

I Made A Skirt!

I've never been great at sewing. Probably because I've never really sat down and tried to learn. Over the years, I've sewn simple things - curtains, pillows, a Nook cover, a stuffed animal here and there - and I've done alterations on existing clothing, getting them to fit me right, but make something from scratch? Nope.

But I did it!








I've always admired Pinup Girl Clothing's "Just Desserts" dress in pink, yellow, and black, but I've never been able to locate one in my size. Being the impatient person I am, I decided to make a replica skirt, but put my own twist on it.

So, earlier this month, I ordered a bunch of fabric from Fabric.com: 5 yards of black cotton, 4 yards of blue cotton (because I have plans for something else), three yards of pink cotton, and a yard of yellow cotton. The fabric got here a couple weeks ago, and I have been planning this project ever since. If you look at the Pinup Girl Clothing dress, you'll notice that the stripes alternate pink, yellow, black, all the way around. On mine, I decided to alternate them pink, black, yellow, black, instead. Then, I also decided that I wanted a gathered skirt, so I sat down and did some math and figured out what I wanted.

I first cut the panels out, accommodating for a generous seam allowance, since I am a beginner seamstress. I made the top of the panels 6 inches wide, and widened it out to 13 inches wide at the bottom. I made 16 panels: 8 black ones, 4 pink, and 4 yellow.

Yes, I do just sit around the house wearing these fancy dresses.

Next, I pinned them together in the right order, and then cut the waistband, cutting it 4 inches longer than necessary, you know, just in case.

Then, I sewed all the seams together on my machine, making one large piece of fabric. Then, I gathered the top, pinned it to the waistband, and sewed that together.

Next, I hemmed the skirt, going one panel at a time. I hemmed all the black panels first, then switched thread colors to pink, and hemmed all the pink panels, then switched again to yellow thread before hemming the yellow panels. I think this gave it a real finished look.

The final step was inserting the zipper. I measured and pinned where the zipper would be, then sewed the back seam of the skirt together up to where the zipper bottom would be. Next, because I am 'fraidy cat and didn't want to chance the zipper getting off somehow while I sewed, I hand stitched the zipper into place, then went over the stitches on the machine, both reinforcing the zipper seam and making it look more finished... AND I changed thread colors before sewing to the pink panel in the back so that the stitches on zipper seam can't be seen, either!





And that's it! I am thinking of adding a detachable ribbon to the back, but we'll see. My next project will be a similar skirt, but in black and the aqua blue fabric I bought. After that, I have plans for a wiggle dress using satin with a harlequin print and a back detail piece that I can't wait to share with y'all!