infinity dress part 2

.

1. Select a stretchy knit with spandex in it. The straps have to be super stretchy to form and twist around your body. And choose a fabric that doesn’t have a distinguishable reverse side, because you’re going to see the back of the straps.
2. The fabric-choosing rules don’t really apply to the skirt. If you want to use a material that doesn’t fit the bill, you can use it for the skirt as long as you can find a complementary samey-sided stretchy knit for the straps and waistband.
3. Here’s how you figure out how much material you need. 
   - A square for the skirt (so if you’re using 60″-wide material, you need 60″ length), plus
   - 1.5 times your height (if you’re five feet tall, that’s seven and a half feet, or two and a half yards… but you can round down if you’re five and a half feet, no problem), plus
   - about 20″ for the waistband.
   So for me, using a 60″-wide knit and being 5’5″, my dress takes almost five yards.
4. You’ll have a bunch of leftovers, because the straps have to be cut along the length, which leaves a big rectangle of material. Want to be clever? You should have plenty left to cut out a second set of straps/band. You can then pair it with a square of any coordinating material for a second skirt and make another dress. Thrifty!
5. It’s going to be a pain in the butt to cut your straps. That’s not a tip… I just don’t want you to be surprised.
6. Subtract about three inches from your waist/underbust measurement and cut the waistband to that new number instead of your actual measurements. It’s stretchy!
7. Although this calls for a single seam, it’s tough to pin four (and in some places, five) layers of fabric all correctly at once. If you, like me, have a geometrically-clumsy brain, you can sew your straps to the front of the dress first, and then do the waistband separately with a second seam over your first.
8. The straps have to overlap one another in the middle, but it’s hard to tell how much. Plan on about five inches of overlap at the seam, but angle them slightly so that there’s only a 5″–7″ triangle of overlap above the skirt. This part isn’t an exact science, but if you overlap too little, you’ll have to wear something under the dress because it won’t cover anything.
9. Oh, and if you use a jersey material that’s likely to curl up at the edges, take that into consideration when determining your overlap.The width of your straps might end up smaller than what you cut. (Typically, cutting the straps along the length should keep them from curling in that direction, though.)
10. You’ll end up pinning your overlapping straps to your circle skirt with the right sides facing and the cut edges aligned. See diagram below.
11. On the finished dress, the band will hug your middle and be visible above the top of the skirt, but only in the back. In the front, it’ll be hidden behind the straps. The top edge of the dress, therefore, will be the folded-over edge of the band, and below that will be the nice finished seam that’s created when you sew it to the skirt. Make the band wide enough so that when you turn the dress backwards, it will cover your bust.
12. Then you’ll pin your band, folded in half (with the “right” side out—although of course there should be barely any difference between the right and wrong sides), over the seam where you just sewed the straps. The cut edges will again line up with the cut edges of the straps and the circle-opening.
13. Even if it’s three inches smaller than your true waist measurement, the inner circle cut to the new measurement will be too big. It’ll probably fall right off your hips. But the waistband, cut to the same measurement, should fit nicely. So you have two choices: either cut your circle-hole even smaller in the first place, or gather the circle evenly around the waistband when you pin it together. I like the second option, because it makes the skirt fuller.
14. You’re going to sew the waistband into a ring. Plan for its seam to land behind one of the straps, but just barely. Try to get it as close to the side of the dress as you can. It should be under your arm, but slightly forward so it’s hidden by the strap.
15. I think this diagram might help:

Mind you, in spite of all my whining, the original directions from rostitchery and Cut Out + Keep are extremelyhelpful, and I would never have known where to begin if it hadn’t been for both of those posts. I’m pretty sure it’s my impatience and lack of experience that made the project so tough for me to figure out. However, if my diagram and the links I’ve collected below can save at least one person from the frustration I experienced, then it’s all been worth it. It really is a simple project that anyone can make.

Even me.

And once you’ve finished yours, bully for you! Check out all the ways you can wrap it. And these are just the basic ones! It’s fun to stand in front of the mirror and make up new styles. You can twist the straps or not twist them, wear them in the front or turn the whole dress around backwards, and choose between keeping the waistband at your waist, hiking it up above your bust to make a minidress, or pulling it down just above your hips to wear as a skirt. Cross the straps? Knot them? So. Many. Options!

The design itself has dubious beginnings. Some call it a classic, other cite a designer.This blog talks about that a bit, and one designer who’s been credited with first designing the dress (for “Butter by Nadia,” as pictured, left) chimes in to explain her role in the story. The fact is, lovely and simple as this dress is, a lot of people have probably designed it independently from one another. It brilliantly sort of strips the idea of a dress down to its most basic concepts. Surely by now it belongs in the crafty version of the public domain, at least for sewing-types (and the rest of us) to make their own.

Since you’re not using an actual pattern, I guess it’s even okay to sell your own version of this dress, and many people certainly do. I’ve posted a couple of links below as examples. As for me, I’ll continue making them for myself and friends until everyone I know is sick of it and doesn’t ever want to see a dress again as long as they live.

infinity dress

convertible/infinity dress

(this post was originally published on 29 june, 2006, with the title "one seam convertible dress".)

have a question?  please visit the convertible dress FAQ's.

have you made a convertible dress?  do you want to see other convertible dresses, share ideas on how to make them, and find ways to make your convertible dress even better?  then hop over to flikr and join the convertible dress group! 

PLEASE NOTE:  the instructions for making this dress are available for free but are not to be used for commercial purposes. please do not sell dresses made using these instructions, and do not make copies of the instructions without asking my permission first.  thank you!

over on the craftster forum we've been talking about variations on the infinity dress by lydia sylvestry.  this type of dress has been around at least since the 1970's--i distinctly remember reading an article about dresses of this type in cosmopolitan magazine when i was about 14 years old--and i recently bought a pattern for something similar.  recently this kind of thing has come back into vogue--spegiel's catalog currently has a collection of pieces by norma kamali called "convertible pieces", and boston proper has a skirt they call a "three-in-one" (they used to have a four-in-one dress but it isn't on their website anymore). 

but the version i liked best was the one by monif c., a plus-size designer who makes AMAZING clothes that non-plus size girls can envy.  (thank you keena for introducing us to monif c!).  so....yesterday i had a free hour and some fabric looking for something to be, and this is what happened (click any image in this post to see an enlargement):

and here, without further ado, is how to make this variation, using ONE SEAM:

you need four pieces:  a circle for the skirt, two straps, and one piece for a "waist" band.  to decide how wide to make your straps, measure from the center of your bust to just under your arm.  to figure the length i just decided on 1.5 times my height, which i rounded to 90" because that was easier to figure out than 64.75 X 1.5.  :)  the skirt length is your choice.  the band needs to be a little longer than your waist measurement--i didn't measure the length of my band, i just sewed it on and cut it off when i had gone all the way around the waist. 

the next part sounds complicated but it is not.  turn your skirt inside out--you are going to sew from the INSIDE of the waist--which means you don't need a free arm on your machine.  overlap the straps 3"-4"...

...and align the raw edges with the raw edge of the skirt waist.  then fold the band in half and lay it on top of the straps, the raw edges aligned with the skirt and strap edges.  you will have 5 layers of fabric on top of each other.  START SEWING AT THE OVERLAP.  (for now just ignore the fact that only one end of the band is in place).  when you get around to where you started sewing, overlap the band and cut the excess band, then finish sewing.  the band ends will not meet--they will overlap, but they will be hidden by the straps):

this is the one and only seam.

when the dress is done, it will look like this (that's a 60" measuring tape on the strap):

the whole thing took less than an hour from start to finish. (i didn't do any edge finishes or even a hem on this dress because i was just playing around with the design but i definitely will be making more of these and i will do the niceties on subsequent versions.) here are a few other ways to wrap that i came up with this morning, and if you go to any of the sites i mentioned at the start of this post you can see dozens more ways to wear it.

 

 

 

 

edited here to add the following:

the fabric i used is some polyester knit that was donated to the costume shop last fall (thank you mrs. shay!).  it has about 40% stretch on the cross.  i cut the straps so the stretch is parallel to the short ends, because i didn't need them to stretch longer but i did need them to shape around my body. 

i have been asked if the fabric could be 4-way stretch and i think it would work just fine, but the straps might behave differently, depending on how much stretch was on the length.  i have also been asked if a non-stretch fabric would work, and i think it might--you'd have to cut the skirt so that it was large enough in the waist to pull on, or put a zipper in it.  i'm going to experiment and see what happens (and you know i'll post about it).

another question i was asked is how i figured out the length of the straps.  honestly, i just took a stab at it--i wasn't sure the dress needed straps that long but figured i could always cut them shorter.   about the math:  i don't do complicated math.  :)  i just settled for a number that was close enough--if i were trying to build a space shuttle, i'd be a little more precise.

the band:  it's primary purpose is to give the waist a finished back edge.  but it also serves as a channel for elastic, if you too prefer lazy math and end up with a waist that is a little too big.  :D 

(keep those cards and letters coming!  every question you ask helps me make the instructions better for the next reader.)

since i am now obsessed with this dress, i'm planning on making one with a skirt that is a different color than the straps--one in a print fabric--one that is shorter, to wear as a top--and maybe even one in something special like panne' velvet for all those fancy dinners we go to with our two-year-old.  :)

but none of them will be as fun as wearing this plain one with my fancy two-year-old in our own front yard:

Best Notebook ever

DIY Ultimate Note-Taking Notebook

For those of us who are picky about what we write on, finding a quality notebook that meets your specific needs can be tricky. Here's how to make your own personalized, customized notebook.

Photo by sunshinecity.

Instead of making compromises and settling for a Mead or Moleskine notebook, we’re going to make our own notebook: The Ultimate College Notebook. 

Criteria

• The paper must be of a high quality.
• The paper must be set up for Cornell Notes. Ed. note: We explained how to take study-worthy lecture notes using the Cornell method in the past.
• The pages must be perforated and three hole punched.
• The cover and binding must be made of durable materials.

Step #1: Choose Your Paper

Quality paper is what separates a good notebook from a great notebook. For our Ultimate Notebook we’re using 32lb HP Premium Choice Laser Printer Paper. Although expensive at about $20 a ream, writing on this buttery smooth, fountain pen friendly paper is an absolute dream. The heavy weight of the paper will ensure that ink won’t seep through the page.

Step #2: Print the Lines
The Cornell Method is a powerful note taking technique which separates a piece of paper into 3 sections; notes, main points and summary. This forces you to consider the big picture when taking notes without getting caught up in the details. We’ll be printing a lined Cornell Note template onto both sides of our pages. You can grab blank, lined or grid PDF templateshere. If you prefer plain old lined or grid paper, a quick search should bring up a bunch of line generators. 

Step #3: Perforate and Punch the Pages

Carrying around a notebook with a semester’s worth of notes without some form of redundancy is a scary thought. We’re very diligent when it comes to backing up our computer data, but what about our physical notes? A paper perforator will allow you to tear individual pages out of your notebook so that once you return home you can scan your notes to your computer and file away the originals into a binder.  As a bonus, you can import your scanned notes into a service like Evernote so that you’ll have access to them wherever you go. A 5-in-1 paper trimmer with perforating blade can be bought at Staples for $45. 

Step #4: Assemble

Once you’ve prepped all of our pages for binding, it’s time to bind your notebooks. Head to your favorite print shop and pay the extra few bucks for quality binding materials. Stay away from Cerlox binding, it’s inferior to Coil and Wire-O. 

Step #5: Enjoy

The Ultimate College Notebook; quality materials and designed to integrate perfectly into your note processing workflow. You can take pride this semester knowing that you’re writing on the best notebook there is. 

The writers from HackCollege are contributing to our Back To School series all this week.

education online

Where to Get the Best Free Education Online
Whether you're a student looking for supplemental learning or you're in the workforce but thirsty for knowledge, you don't have to drop thousands of dollars in tuition to enjoy a top-notch education from some of the best schools in the world.

Computer photo by marcopako; university building photo by J-a-x.

While most online resources won't grant you a college degree, there's a lot more to the internet than Wikipeida when it comes to learning. Whether you learn best through video or text, want to a year-long course or just to touch up on a few topics, there are more than a few places online that can give you the full experience. In fact, there are enough that it can get quite overwhelming, so we've rounded up the best resources to make it all a bit more manageable. Here are some of the best places to get an education without ever leaving your computer.

Video Courses and Lectures
You won't really notice much of a difference between sitting in front of a screen watching a lecture and sitting in on a lecture in person—apart from the fact that if you do have a burning question, you can't raise your hand to get it answered. These video sites host lectures and full courses from some of the best schools on the planet.

First Stop: The OpenCourseware Consortium

MIT began their OpenCourseWare initiative and published their first batch of courses online in 2002. In 2005, they formed the OpenCourseWare Consortium, which partnered with other universities to bring free education to the masses via the internet. Most courses offered on OpenCourseWare are available as free audio or video lectures for free, and under open licenses. The easiest way to find a course you're interested in is to search the OpenCourseWare Consortium site, which aggregates courses from over 22 universities in the US alone, including MIT, Johns Hopkins, Tufts, and the University of Michigan, and features courses on tons of different subjects, from business and economics to architecture and physics. Most universities have their specialities, of course (MIT, for example, has a bounty of resources in engineering), but between them all, you should be able to find pretty much anything you want. It doesn't include every university participating in the movement—for example, Yale seems strangely absent from the list, despite their open course initiative (which is, of course, yet another option)—but it's more than enough to get you started.

The Khan Academy

The Khan Academy is a bit more narrow than the others; as it isn't an aggregator, it's mostly the work of one man, an electronic chalkboard, and YouTube. It focuses mostly on math, from basic arithmetic to calculus, as well as a bit of science. It has a great reputation for teaching them in an understandable manner, though, so if you're in the market for those particular subjects, the Khan Academy is a great place to start (and, of course, it's open source too).

Academic Earth

Previously mentioned Academic Earth aggregates lectures from 19 different universities on a variety of subjects. The idea is similar to that of the OpenCourseWare Consortium, although it's slightly smaller and organized differently—they host all of the material on their site instead of merely linking you to other universities' pages. Its search engine also allows for slightly more specific searching—that is, instead of just searching for courses (such as Calculus II) you can search for a specific topic or class (such as limits). You can also browse by subject, such as Computer Science, Environmental Studies, Literature, or Philosophy and Religion, as well as check out their featured courses and lectures. Each lecture is rated by users of the site, so you know which ones are good sources and which few you might want to steer clear of. Academic Earth also contains some of the universities not listed in the OpenCourseWare Consortium, so while it isn't necessarily better, it is another good resources to broaden your search a bit.

iTunes U

The last video resource is the ever-growing iTunes U (accessible through the iTunes Store at the bottom of the front page). If you're an iPod, iPhone, or iPad user, iTunes U is fantastic because you can download these lectures right to your device and take them with you. Furthermore, like Academic Earth, iTunes U allows for searching by specific topic or lecture, not just full courses. It also has a huge database, so if you're searching for something a bit more niche (like a course on American Presidents or Dead Media), you're likely to find it—the only problem is that it can get a bit overwhelming if you just want to browse courses. If you're looking for something more general, you're probably best off going through OpenCourseWare Consortium or Academic Earth, finding the course you want, and then looking it up on iTunes to download to your mobile device. That said, if you're looking to broaden your knowledge beyond the more traditional college courses, spending some time browsing iTunes U might yield some very interesting results.

Text-Based Learning


If you find it easier to learn reading at your own pace (rather than watch a professor drone on in front of you), there are a few sites that provide more text-based learning. In addition, if you find yourself getting lost in one of the above video or audio courses, you may find it easier to reference back to a text source. Unfortunately, probably since it's much easier to just videotape your lectures and put them up on YouTube than it is to write a book, you'll find less selection in this area—but we've still found several sites that can lead you through a number of subjects.

Wikiversity

Wikiversity (and its sister site, Wikibooks) is a fantastic resource for all kinds of information. Users can contribute their own projects or research to the wiki, and it hosts a ton of textbook-like resources, organized in a tree—for example, at the top level you have categories such as Humanities, Life Sciences, Mathematics, or Computer Science. Going to the Humanities portal allows you to choose from subjects like Art & Design, Law, and Language, which then breaks down further into specific courses. Courses can provide you with anything from links to a Wikibook for that subject (which is a very well-done online textbook), courses on other sites (including some of the sites mentioned above), and online textbooks from other universities. If you're looking for text-based courses, this is the place to go.

Textbook Revolution

We've also mentioned Textbook Revolution before, and it deserves a little more attention. Textbook Revolution's goal is to bring together as many free textbooks on the net as they can. They've got a fairly good database too, which is searchable or browsable by subject (such as Biology, Economics, or Health Sciences) and license. Some of the books are pretty good, but it's a bit of a crapshoot at times—I, for example, only found one statistics book on the site and it left quite a bit to be desired. Other subjects had a few different books of varying quality, so you may find something that works—it's just not the first site I would go to.

Straight from Universities

It's also worth noting that a few other universities offer online textbooks, such as Carnegie Mellon's Open Learning Initiative and the Supplemental Resources section of MIT's aforementioned OpenCourseWare (in fact, while OpenCourseWare focuses on video, they have a ton of other resources like online textbooks, lecture notes, and assignments for many of their classes—especially the aforementioned engineering classes they are known for). There doesn't seem to be a large database of which universities offer this, so you may have to search through universities manually (or see whether your chosen video course comes with an online textbook).

Your Friendly Neighborhood Search Engine
We'd be remiss not to mention that, if all else fails, Google is a great portal to finding other sources and putting together your own education. If you've mastered your search techniques and obscure tricks, you should be able to find pretty much anything you're looking for just by doing an internet-wide search. Again, it isn't the first place I would go—it can get pretty overwhelming—but if you're looking for something really specific or can't find what you're looking for on the above sites, you may be able to find it on Google.

Whether you're a current student looking for extra resources to help you out or you're just looking to expand you're learning, these sites should get you started down the right path. We tried to focus on the best options, but if you've got a favorite site that we didn't mention, share it with us in the comments.