I decided to make a simple lined skirt. A. Plain. Simple. Hassle-free. Skirt. I'm not going to lie: I have as much experience in sewing as any of us have in driving a two ton truck blindfolded. To make an analogy, I can sew just like I can drive but it depends on what it is I'm sewing--or driving.
I knew I had enough basic sewing skills to manage something like a plain simple hassle-free skirt without any guidance. I started the skirt and was about 80% done until I realized that my skirt looked too, uh, plain and almost ugly. So...back to the drawing board I went and this time, I took all the ideas that Anda (talented designer/seamstress and my beloved mother) threw at me. Mr. Chan offered some of his valuable time-saving and fabric-salvaging suggestions as he looked on in horror while I constructed what could only be identified as a hideous mess.
It was a gruelling march but I made it! The battle is over and the skirt I did NOT envision has been realized.
The following is a pictoral documentary on the making of the skirt. If you have time and feel like doing a little project(actually, it's really freakin' big), feel free to use whatever information I have provided to guide you along. Good luck.
Time required: 3 hours if you're good, 3 weeks if you're good like me
Level of difficulty (1 being easy - 5 being extremely difficult) : 5 - it's just like driving a truck blindfolded!
First, start by choosing your fabric and getting a 1 and 1/2 yard of it. I picked a lavendar cotton because I think the colour is seasonally versatile.
Even though this skirt is meant to sit high on the waist, use the measurement of your hips and tack on 3" for the length of the fabric you need (the extra 2" provide the gathering effect directly under the waistband and the 1" is for the seams). Add 3" more or so if you're going to make an overlapping slit down the front of the skirt.
For the lining underneath, I picked a silky gold polysester fabric. Use as much of the polyester as you would for the outer layer. Before sewing the two layers together at the top, surge along the tops first.
Draw and cut out the curves on the sides of both layers. Remember to leave at least 1/2 inch seam. The curved parts will overlap to form the slit. After you've made the curves on both layers, sew the seams up (sides and bottom).
Use the measurement of your waist to determine how much elastic you need for the waistband. I picked a thick 3" wide elastic because it creates a slimming effect around the waist, just like a belt does. Generally, you would want to minus an 1" or 2" from your actual waist measurement when cutting the elastic because it's an elastic and it will stretch. Surge the ends and sew them together to form a loop.
Wrap the skirt fabric around your hips to make sure that the finished skirt will actually be big enough for you to pull up to your waist. If you had included an extra 4" for the overlapping slit, this is when you should base the overlapping parts. Now, you have a waist for your skirt.
Take your skirt and divide it into 4 equal vertical parts. Mark the center of the overlapping section and fold at the mark to get the halfway point on the back of the skirt (refer to Step Three in above picture). Now your skirt should be divided into 2 equal vertical parts. Do the same for the sides and you should get 4 equal vertical parts.
Divide the waistband into 4 equal parts using the above method.
Line up a chalk mark on the elastic to one on the skirt. Sew from chalk mark to chalk mark along the base of the elastic. You'll need to pull on the elastic while you do the sewing in order for the marks to align. As long as your marks align, there should be equal amounts of fabric gathering along the elastic.
Put on your skirt and hike it up to wherever you want it to sit. This is when you adjust the length of the skirt. I like mine just above the knee so I folded it up, re-cut the curved hem, and sewed the seams up.
Sew the buttons on--as many as you want--along the top front flap.
Voila! Here's my cute tulip skirt. I like that it's simple because it gives me many outfit options. It could be a work skirt or a dinner party skirt.
