I've had a bad case of spring fever lately. I am tired of jeans and sweaters and looking forward to the summer months of flowing skirts and bright colored tops. As a newer mom, I have noticed that getting dressed now consists of changing out of pajama pants into yoga pants. I am feeling like a change is needed. So when I saw some maxi skirts online, I figured it would be the perfect thing for a young mom to wear. They are still super comfy and you don't run the risk of your skirt getting hiked too high up as you lift your toddler!
I had the perfect jersey knit fabric, silvery gray! So I decided to attempt making my own. First I measure my waist and the widest part of my bottom half, around the hip area. I used these measurement to be sure that my fabric would be wide enough. I folded the fabric over itself and cut accordingly. I tapered out as I went.
Be sure you have right sides together and sew along your cut, creating one long seam.
Now this is where I worked a little backwards then some other tutorials I had seen. I actually hemmed the bottom next. I really wanted to be sure my skirt was the right length so I hemmed first and then decided how much needed to be taking off at the waist. I did a larger hem since knits tend to ruffle a bit if the hem is very small.
Note: I tapered the back down a bit, I like a little length in the back when I wear a long skirt with heels!
Next I put the skirt on and pinned where I wanted the waist line to fall. I then cut the excess fabric off. While trying the skirt on I noticed that it was a tad too sheer so I used the excess fabric to create a little mini-slip that I would be sewing into the dress. Since jersey knit doesn't fray, I left this mini-slip without a hem so that there would be no bulk showing through the maxi skirt.
I then took a piece of elastic and cut to the size of my waist. I folded the elastic in half and sewed it shut.
I took the seam allowance and pressed the seam open, sewing the two tails down on each side of the main seam . . . this allows the elastic to lay flatter at the seam.
I then stuck the mini-slip into the maxi skirt, matching the two waist lines up. I then folded the fabric over a quarter inch and pinned it to my elastic.
Be sure to stretch the elastic bit as you sew, it helps the fabric fall correctly and keeps your seams from ripping when the elastic is stretched for wearing!
And voila, all done!
Only an hour to make, great for beginner sewers and it will work for all seasons! Pair with cute boots for fall and winter, with flats for spring and with sandals in the summer. I just love a versatile skirt.
Happy Sewing!
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