Simple Skirts Tutorial

Hello again :-)

My pal had asked some time ago about the possibility of a skirt made from the ladybird fabric seen in my other post.

The skirt is a really simple elastic waist version and so a little tutorial is in store!

You will need:

• 2 rectangles of fabric
• Thick elastic (I think this one is 4 inches wide - found on eBay)
• Pins
• Thread

Step 1 - Cut your rectangles

Take your hip measurement and divide by 2. Then add a couple of inches to this figure to ensure the skirt gets a bit of shape to it and fits over the hips comfortably. This figure is the width of your fabric rectangle. Then decide your length to whatever you fancy. This one is just on the knee. The length of the skirt will be the length of the fabric rectangle (don't forget to add an inch for a hem :-)

Step 2 - Attach rectangles together and hem

Sew up both sides of the rectangles to form a tube of material. Neaten the bottom edge (serger, zig zag stitch or simply pinking shears to stop fraying), fold up and hem.

Sew side seams

Neaten and hem bottom edge

Step 3 - Neaten top edges

Neaten the top edge of the skirt tube if necessary (I didn't bother as my top edge was made of the already neatened end of the fabric roll!)

Step 4 - Cut the elastic

Take your elastic and fit it around your waist, ensuring it pulls a little to fit snuggly. Cut the required length of elastic. (If you want to do this numerically, take your waist measurement and subtract 2 inches for negative-ease (ie stretch factor!))

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Step 5 - Sew the elastic

Sew the ends of the elastic together to form another tube.

Step 6 - Mark the elastic and fabric with pins

Mark both the elastic and skirt with pins, in quarters all the way around. (4 pins each). You have to eventually get a long piece of skirt fabric to attach to a short bit of elastic, the easiest way to guide this is to mark with pins the matching points to attach.

 Step 7 - Pin the elastic to the fabric

Match the pins up and attach the elastic to the skirt. The seam in the elastic should be at the centre back of the skirt. Feel free to break the quarters down further and do some extra pinning - the more pins the easier the sewing will be! The idea is that when you hold 2 of the pins and stretch the elastic, the elastic and fabric will be the same size and fit nicely onto each other.

Pinned at equal spaces

Pulled taut

Pin pin pin!

Step 8 - Sew the elastic to the fabric

The slightly trickier part. Secure the skirt and elastic under the needle with a couple of stitches. Now select a ZIGZAG stitch on the machine. Pull the elastic as you sew, so that it is taut against the fabric. Keep going, section by section, taking your time on this bit. (The more you pinned earlier, the easier this bit will be!) - (You need a zig zag stitch as this allows for stretching on your finished skirt.)

Secure fabric under the needle

Pull fabric tight as you sew

All sewn up with zig zag stitch

Step 9 - Wear your skirt!

Turn it inside out and you have a skirt to give to your mate! (Whether she wants one or not - it is about 4 months since she asked after all ;-)

If anyone decides to give this a go, please do share your pics! (See facebook page, twitter and comments :-)