Waist Casing: tips and tricks

I have to admit that threading the elastic through the waist casing is not my favourite part of the whole exercise. Here are a few tips that make the job easier.

• When I'm sewing down the fabric for the casing at the top of the skirt and when I'm putting up the hem at the bottom, I work out which way the side seams are going to lie. I make sure they lie in the same direction each time. I don't press the seams open.
• Then when I thread the elastic through, I make sure that I'm heading in that same direction again. This means that I can't get caught in a blind corner where the edge of the seam is on the inside of the casing.
• I use a few safety pins to thread the elastic. I put two in the end that I'm going to thread: that's one to use and one for a back up in case the first one pulls out. I pin the other end of the elastic to the skirt near the gap in the casing--that way I can't accidentally pull the end right through. It's also insurance against twisting the elastic while threading.
• The safety pin that I'm using to thread with points backwards, ie with the blunt end leading the way. I'll be pulling and pushing this end and I don't want to accidentally open the safety pin . . . believe me, I've done it and I have the scars to prove it!
• I have a huge safety pin I use for this job--nappy pins are ideal because they usually have some sort of safety catch.
• I check twice that I haven't twisted the elastic on itself before I stitch the ends together.
• I overlap the elastic by a couple of cm and stitch it together with a coule of rows of zig-zag stitch
• I stitch down the gap in the casing with the matching thread and add a little loop of ribbon to mark the back of the garment--this isn't really an issue with these skirts becasue the fronts and backs are identical, but it's really handy with shorts and slacks.