Lyanna Pinny - Suspender Tutorial

There was a suspender option in the original Lyanna pattern, but it was cut to make room for a few other options.  Our testers loved it so I thought a tutorial would be a great way of sharing. The Lyanna isn't a skirt pattern, but it can be used as one without the pinny bodice.

Before we begin, You will need a copy of the Lyanna Pattern and can purchase it from our Store or Etsy. If you don't have the pattern, you can use the cutting charts provided at the bottom of this tutorial.  You can also use your favourite skirt pattern, as long as it has been drafted to sit at the natural waist. 

In the Lyanna tutorial, we show you how you can attach the straps to your skirt in a few different ways. We have added a concealed button or snap option as well.  

What you will need

Use pattern piece C which is the 1 piece strap. We are going to cut 4 instead of 2. This will give us a wider suspender strap which will finish at 4 cm ( 1 1/2") wide. 
You can interface the entire strap or the back bottom of the strap where the button hole will be sewn. 

Method 1.

A: Interface 2 straps. Sticky side of the interfacing facing the wrong side of the strap.
B: Sew straps together, right side of the fabric facing each other, using a 1 cm seam allowance. 
C: Turn out each strap. I use a long, flat nose screw driver. 
D: Press the straps, top stitch and finish with the button holes. 
Attach the open end of the straps to your waistband, front or back. Attach buttons to the waistband as marked on the waistband pattern piece. ​

Method 2.

For this method we are going to use Pattern Piece D​ which is the Ruffle Strap. Instead of cutting 4 straps we are going to cut 2 on the fold. This will give us a strap that finishes 3 cm wide. You can add width if you would prefer a wider strap. ​

 A: Cut 2 x Ruffle Straps on the fold + Interfacing.
B: Interface both straps. Sticky side of the interfacing on the wrong side of the strap.
C: This is optional and how I like to save myself from measuring when I'm at the ironing board. I run a stitch around each strap using the allocated  seam allowance of 1 cm ( 3/8"). 
D: Press the side seams and one end of the strap in 1 cm ( 3/8").
E: Fold the strap in half and top stitch to enclose the strap. Begin and finish at the open ends of the strap.
F: Press and finish the strap with buttonholes. 
Attach the open end of the straps to your waistband, front or back. Attach buttons to the waistband as marked on the waistband pattern piece. 

Method 3 - Adding Ruffles

We are going to use Pattern Piece D for the strap and Pattern Piece E2 which is the Pinny Ruffle.
​Prep your straps using A - D in Method 2 above.  

Prep Ruffle
A: Roll hem the outer curved edge of the ruffles. Use your preferred method.
B: Gather both ruffles along the straight edge of the ruffle. Using your preferred method and less than the allocated seam allowance of 1 cm ( ⅜” ). 

A: Attach the ruffles to one side of each strap, right side of the ruffle facing the right side of the strap, (mirror image). 
B: Fold the strap in half and top stitch to enclose. Begin and finish on the open end of the suspender strap.
C: Press and finish with buttonholes.

A big thank you to Ahn and Paige for the images. You can see Ahn's beautiful creations on her facebook page or on Insta. You can also join the​ Ana ma Petit Tresor's VIP group! Be the first to see all sneak peeks and previews, as well as exclusive offers or custom spots, plus sale items.
​Follow Paige, from My Sweet Violet on facebook Paige's tests for many wonderful designers and her sewing journey is inspiring to watch.