Ok now don't be afraid the sewing machine will not hurt you and it is not super hard to manage. The skirt I made for this is so easy, it is possibly the perfect project to get you started on sewing if you have every thought about it. I always tell everyone that pillows and skirts are the easiest beginners sewing projects to make because there is not that many seams to sew and if you make a mistake (which would be VERY hard to do) it's either easy to correct or hide. This is also a great skirt to start because I kid you not, I made little to no measurements. I like to stay in denial about my measurements as much as I can so this was great!
I made this skirt in an hour, because that is how long my attention span is for a major sewing project (hence why it took me a month to make Hubby's curtains when we were first dating, don't get me wrong, curtains are simple, but Hubby had to make complicated requests.) I wore this skirt to work the next day and everyone asked me where I bought it from. :) That is an awesome compliment. Ok so lets get started. The materials you need are below:
Supplies:
- Get at least 1-2 yards of 2 3/4 " elastic. Now I couldn't find the 2 3/4" so I just got three inches. I like wide looking belts anyways so it woks out.
- Now you can get 1 yard of fabric, but I always like to be prepared for mistakes or redos, or measurements so get at least a yard and a half or 2 yards of fabric that you like. Cotton is the easiest to work with and that is what I used in this skirt. I would advise getting something with a little play and stretch, like a jersey. It is more forgiving if you didn't measure right.
Also, patterns are cute and great, but I do recommend if this is your first time making a skirt, stick with a solid color. You won't have to worry about your pattern matching up and flowing. I usually don't care hence I stick with solids, harder to mess up.-Get thread that you want to go with your outfit. I picked black because that was the color of the accent. It would help make it pop. You can do the main color, heck go psychedelic and get neon green. It's your skirt, make it yours.
- Optional- You can get some kind of accent or fringe. I went with a red and black theme, so I found some lace border material on sale, so why not!
So let's get started. First take your elastic and wrap it around your waist and/or where you want your skirt to sit. I like mine a little higher on the waist. Wrap it a little tight, so it gives some stretch, this is ok. I made mine natural and it made it a little big, so it slides a little. That's also easy to fix, just leave a message if you need that done ;)
Second, you are going to take your fabric and wrap it around your waist. Yup, don't measure it's a waste of time and if you are by yourself it makes it tricky to get an accurate reading. Wrap the fabric around to meet the end and I gave myself an inch or two extra wiggle room. I like my skirts to flow if I can. Then cut. Note: Make sure the fabric when wrapped around also meets where you want it to end also. So if you want the skirt to end at your knee, make sure the fabric meets there to, not just your waist.
Next, on the top of the fabric just do a baste line. Don't worry about the terminology, all it means is to sew a line from one end to the other. It helps prevent the fabric from unraveling and fraying. The picture below is mine.
Ok now take that elastic that you wrapped around your waist and cut. Fold it in half and pin the line. Then fold each half in half and pin, and then repeat once more. You should now have 8 little sections. Do the same with your fabric.
Now match each pinned section of the fabric to your elastic. Your fabric will probably be longer than your elastic, and that is ok. You want it to gather in those sections. This is a good thing.
Now I am not sure if you can see it here, but when I gathered my sections together I did kind of a fold. Imagine taking a piece of note book paper and taking once end to meet in the middle and the same with the other. That's basically what I did here.
Now I forgot to take picture of the next part but if you need me to, just leave a comment and I will go back and take a new one. So with the nice parts folded in (the outside of the skirt, the pretty side you want everyone to see.) You want the side ends to meet. Give yourself about an 1/2 to and 1 inch hem space on this, this will also depend on how much extra fabric you gave your self in the beginning, you know the part with the two finger space. Start with the elastic end (trust me, never ever start your side hem from the bottom, it is easier to fix if you mess up if you start from the top.)
I usually recommend pin your sides together so they don't slip but if you have been at this a while, your sewing a straight line again so no worries. Sew your side hem in a straight line from top to bottom, including the elastic. The next step is the hem. Now hems are not scary, no need to get fusing tape, that's cheating and plain lazy. Don't waste your money.
Once you have sewn your side hem, slip the skirt on and see where you would like the skirt to end. If this is your first time, try to get someone to help you fold your skirt in and pin so you can kind of see if you have a straight line. If you cut it crooked, that is the beauty of a hem, hide it there! Ok you can do this freestyle to form your hem, it's sloppy but I recommend using an iron. So lay your skirt down, fold in 1/2 inch of fabric and iron a crease. Then fold that in half so your raw edge is folded in and hidden, and iron.
Pin if you need to, but take this and sew your skirt hem. a 360 degree straight line. Then you are done. Flip it back out and slip on! Now if you wish you can add some trim like I did. I found some black lace trim and just simply stitched it on with the machine.
So I hope you enjoyed this post and try it, especially if you have never sewn before or you are afraid the machine is going to eat your hand. Please leave a question for clarification if you need, I would love to assist! Live, Laugh, Love!
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