Editor’s note: In Threads #215 (Fall 2021), Digital Ambassador Marcy Harriell shares a clever and quick method for sewing a faced hem on a full skirt. Necessity is the mother of invention—find out how Marcy invented her technique. Take it away, Marcy.

Cosplay overload

Summer was coming to a sweltering end, and the fabric of our existence was made of actual fabric. Cosplay fabric, to be exact. Superhero costumes, in various stages of completion, had taken over our small Manhattan apartment. They were spread out on the floor, exploding from stuffed suitcases, dangling from floor lamps. We kept a narrow path of wood cleared to give access to the bed, the bath, and the kitchen. However, we didn’t do much cooking, as temperatures had been in the high 90s since July.

During this heat wave, Rob, my ever agreeable partner in crime, ended up in a gold basketweave pleather jacket, PVC elbow-length gloves, denim coated in multiple layers of acrylic paint, and a shoulder-length wig. Suffice it to say, this was a style departure. My superhero deserved a prize for keeping his cool in the clutter of that summer, and I was determined to give it to him, in something a little more his taste.

Transition to fall gala wear

The gentler temperatures of September were on the horizon, heralded by New York City Ballet’s fall gala. With the cosplay completed, and a week to sew, I wasn’t about to make a tux. But I could provide a classic white shirt with French cuffs and a black silk tie. Days quickly evaporated as I tweaked the fit for Rob’s sloping shoulders and athletic build, getting the cuff length just right for the suit…