June 7, 2013

DIY gathered girly skirt tutorial

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I rarely wear big girly skirts, but when I do, I go alllllll out with the flowers, bike, wedges, sparkly earrings, eyc. This skirt just screams picnic lunch or breezy bike rides, making your summer just a little more flirty. You can also make this edgy with the right fabrics and graphic tees. I definitely going to chop off five or so good inches and a graphic tee the next time I sport this! Pictures by Corey.
top: thrifted   skirt: self=made (below)   earrings: jewelmint   bag: mulberry (similar)  bike: globe   wedges: steve madden (similar here and here)



Supplies:
1.5 yards
elastic
sewing machine
thread
scissors
pins

Instructions:
*****Refer to this tutorial for extra help (but the waistband is done different)
1. Cut 2 rectangles - they will be the length you want BY selvedge to selvedge measurements (around 45″). For example, my rectangles were 45″ wide and length was 24″.
2. Cut 4 pocket pieces, shaped like image below, make sure to include a quarter to half inch of a lip fo attaching to the skirt. Mine were at least 4 inches longer than my hands.
3. In the top four corners of all 2 rectangles, sew the lip of the pocket (right sides of pocket and skirt together), quarter inch in or half inch in.
4. Gather the front rectangle (front part of you skirt) to half your waist size. Then gather the back of the skirt to be bigger than half you hip size. You will gather the back more when you sew it to the band. Or you can gather it after step 5.
5. Join the rectangle’s corners and sewn pockets by pinning and sewing around the edge of the pocket over and around the pocket into the 3 edges of the skirt, making sure to sew in just a little bit past the where the pocket was joined to the skirt.
6. Cut a waistband width you like (I like 2 to 3.5 inches), but doubled (4 to 7 inches) plus one inch for seam allowance. For example, I wanted 2 inches wide – so 4 inches (doubled) plus one inch (for seam allowance) = 5 inches. Make the length just as long as yours hips are wide plus 2 inches. Iron the waistband in half, making the long edges touch leaving a half inch on both ends for seam allowance.
7. Pin and sew the band to the skirt's upper gathered edge right sides together (front of fabric and band facing each other). When you sew the band's raw edges to the gathered part of the skirt, start at the side seam, but don't start directly on the seam, leave an inch or sewn unsewn, with extra band hanging out. So then you will be able to sew the waistband closed without a hard time. The right side of the skirt in the picture shows what it looks like flipped up.
8. Cut a piece of elastic that is the width and length of your back half (side seam to side seam). So half you waist...but stretched a few inches! It should still be able to stretch over you hips. Slide the elastic into the back half if your waistband till it gets to the other side seam (above the pocket). Then pin it there.
9. Join the ends of the waistband together by sewing the band's right sides together with the elastic slipped in as well. Try the skirt on, and see if you need to take it in....and make more adjustments if you need by either taking cutting of more elastic or taking it in more at the ends of the waistband. Make sure it can slip over your hips!
10. Replace the pin that is holding one of the ends of the elastic with a few straight stitches.
11. Sew a few rows of stitches to the elastic. I just stretched the fabric and elastic as wide as I could till the fabric wasn't bunching.
12. Hem the bottom.
13. IRON!

pink stripe skirt

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