It’s time for my favorite waistband version of the Wattle skirt – the tie waistband! It’s such a unique waistband closure, and oh so sweet!
If you’ve sewn the tie waistband on the Flint pants before, this process will be exactly like that, but the ties are just longer. I personally love the longer ties paired with the skirt, but I’d love to see someone use the shorter ties from Flint on their Wattle skirt! Just an idea ;).
Either of the waistbands can actually be attached to any of the style skirt options for Wattle. For this tutorial, I’ll be attaching the tie waistband to a gathered version (view C). But it is the exact same process if you adding it to a pleated (view B) or bias cut (views A/D) skirt.
Start by applying lightweight fusible interfacing to the wrong side of your waistband [12] and left waistband piece [13].
Make sure to transfer all notches and buttonhole markings onto your waistband and left waistband piece. You can transfer the notches to the wrong side as you normally would, but I like to mark the buttonhole on the left waistband piece on the right side of the fabric to make it easier later on.
Set the waistband pieces aside for a minute.
Fold your two ties in half lengthwise with right sides together. Pin in place.
Leaving the short straight edge open, sew 1/4″ from the raw edge down the long outer edge of the tie, then pivot and sew 1/4″ down the slanted short edge.
Trim back the seam allowance near the points and clip the corners.
Turn the ties the right way around through the open short ends. Use a pointing tool to shape the point of the ties.
Press well.
Place the ties right side together on the Waistband at the positions indicated on the pattern piece, so that the tie butts up against the notch.
Baste in place ½” from the raw edge.
Place the Left Waistband piece right sides together on the left seam of the Waistband.
Sew 5/8” from the raw edge through the waistband pieces and the tie.
Press the seam open or towards the back (main part of the waistband).
You can see from the right side how the one tie is now sewn into the seam.
Place the waistband on the skirt with right sides together, lining up the top edge, so that the notches on the waistband line up with the indicated points (notches or seams) on the skirt. Make sure you attach the waistband the correct way round, the edge of the ties will now sit very close to the waistline seam.
Begin to pin.
The waistband will extend 5/8” beyond the pocket opening.
Continue pinning all the way around, continuing to make sure all notches line up.
The left waistband piece will extend beyond the pocket on the inside by 5/8″, too.
Sew 5/8″ from the edge around the entire waist edge. Again, make sure not to close that left side pocket closed.
Turn under the inside edge of the waistband by 5/8” (1.5cm) and press well.
Press the waistband and seam allowance up away from the skirt.
Now fold the waistband in half with right sides facing each other, and match up the folded edge of the waistband with the waist seam previously sewn. The top edge where you are folding in half should butt right up against the top edge of the tie.
Pin in place.
Do the same thing with the other side.
Sew 5/8” (1.5cm) from the raw edge along the waistband short edges. Be careful not to catch the skirt or pocket edge in your sewing. The line of stitching should just line up perfectly with the skirt/pocket edge.
Clip the corner and trim the seam allowance back.
Turn the waistband the right way round and press. Use a pointing tool to make the top corner of the waistband nice and square.
The bottom folded edge of the waistband should just cover the waist seam stitching on the inside.
Pin the waistband to the seam allowance on the inside.
Either topstitch just under 1/8″ from the seam edge (on the waistband) to secure,
OR
Stitch in the ditch from the right side of the fabric (what I have demonstrated here). Stitch right in the waistline seam, catching the edge of the waistband on the inside. This is why I mentioned extending it slightly earlier!
You can see how the waistband is now secure and enclosed on the inside now.
Sew a single button hole on the inner left waistband in the position indicated on the pattern.
Sew a single button on the inside of the outer waistband in the position indicated on the pattern.
The skirt will now be secured when closed with the aid of a hidden internal button and side ties.
Ta-da! Pretty tie closure!
LOOKING FOR MORE WATTLE POSTS?
Here’s the full list of Wattle tutorials :
- How to choose between Wattle & Wattle Curve
- Pattern Tester Round-up
- Inspiration + Ideas
- Pockets (all views)
- Bias Cut seams (views A & D) and Tips for Pattern Matching
- Pleats (view B) and Alternate Pleat Patterns
- Gathers (view C)
- Button Waistband
- Tie Waistband (this post!)
- Hemming
- Wattle skirt hack: Bib overalls
- Wattle skirt hack: Gathered tier hem
Don’t forget to tag your creations with #MNwattle and @megannielsenpatterns when sharing on social media, and check out what everyone else is up to!
Don’t have the pattern yet?
