The quick way to shorten and tighten a skirt.

I've really been wanting to find skirt for my huge belly, and I finally scored at DI the other day. Not only was it roomy with lots of gathers and pleats...it had elastic...a pregnant women's best friend. Loved how it turned out so much that despite wanting to wear it to a graduation tomorrow, I had to put it up today. Impatience is something I've mastered. There is another way this skirt can be taking in a little more professionally, which I will post another day when I have time, this other way is a bit time consuming (impatient remember?).  

I know, I always post a picture of Beck...I can't help it. I need to buy him a balance bike, he hates anything with pedals and his firetruck is getting a little to small. Don't you think?

 Supplies:

skirt

sewing machine

thread

pins

fabric marking or marking chalk

scissors

measuring device (I used a hem gauge) 

Iron

Instructions:

1. Try on the skirt and measure how much you need to take and/or up. Mark with pin, pen or chalk.

2. Pick the seam you want to use to take it in. Luckily I had a seam in the back, so I didn't have to take it in the sides where the pockets were. Loved holding onto those pockets. If you don't have pockets, or you are only taking in a little bit, then use the sides seams. Tutorial here.

3. Pin the area you are taking in as flat as you can. 

4. Sew a straight stitch - making sure to taper a LOT to prevent any weird bunching or seams.

5. Cut and serge the extra off (if you don't have a serger, you can use a zig zag stitch on the ends to prevent fraying).

6. Cut how much you want off, leaving extra for an inch or so of seam allowance. I used a ruler and tried (wasn't as straight as I liked) to cut a curve that matched the original hem.

 7. Sew a baby hem on the wrong side of the fabric. You do this by rolling or folding twice (the raw edge under a 1/8 inch, then fold again a 1/4 inch), and slowly, inch by inch sew on the top edge or the hem (I stuck my needle position way to the left to help myself out with that) working your way around the bottom of the skirt. This baby hem will make it not flip or fray. It is a lot easier to sew this hem when the skirt has any sort of curve.

8. Iron.