I've been working on this project in little bits for a while. I've actually used it a number of times, but I've never sat down and drawn it out before. It's easy; it doesn't really need drawing out, but why figure it out each time when I could have Cliff Notes?
I'm in the middle of Simplicity 7885 and working on a deadline so I won't have pictures of an actual skirt being assembled for a while, but I can put up the basics right now. (It won't be long: I have fabric in line for one of these, and I'll probably do it next, I just have to finish 7885 before I take on even a really simple project.)
This is an easy, super-basic, yardage-thrifty, casual skirt. Frankly, it's a tube with elastic around the top (see? I told you it didn't really need a pattern). I prefer to make A-line skirts for the sake of appearance but this is even faster and it works well for prints in bold stripes.
I'm in the middle of Simplicity 7885 and working on a deadline so I won't have pictures of an actual skirt being assembled for a while, but I can put up the basics right now. (It won't be long: I have fabric in line for one of these, and I'll probably do it next, I just have to finish 7885 before I take on even a really simple project.)
This is an easy, super-basic, yardage-thrifty, casual skirt. Frankly, it's a tube with elastic around the top (see? I told you it didn't really need a pattern). I prefer to make A-line skirts for the sake of appearance but this is even faster and it works well for prints in bold stripes.
What you need:
1) Two yards of fabric. I use quilting cotton for pretty much everything, but the type of fabric is your choice. Always pre-wash in hot water to get the sizing out and to make sure everything is shrunk before you sew it; you don't want your seams puckering in the laundry, and you don't want your skirt to end up a size too small.
A non-directional pattern is best. That means a solid color or a scattered all-over print. We will be cutting the skirt horizontally across the fabric, which means that a print that runs horizontally across the bolt from selvage to selvage (instead of vertically down the length of the bolt) will end up running vertically from waistline to hem, and print that runs vertically down the length of the bolt will end up running horizontally across the skirt. It's up to you; if you don't mind that, go for it.
I don't really think this will work well with heavy or stiff fabrics. Leave the corduroy and brocade for something more tailored.
2) Wide elastic. I like 1" no-roll elastic for heavy fabrics (it will say this on the package), even if I'm not using heavy fabrics. You need enough to go around your waist, minus an inch or so.
3) The obvious: Thread, sewing machine, iron, scissors, pens and/or tailor's chalk, any trim you wish to use. A rotary cutter and mat are nice but not necessary.
1) This is based on my measurements, which are 5'7" tall and with 39-inch hips. If you are considerably smaller, adjustment is easy: You'll just make the skirt shorter, and you can either make it more full or you can trim down the sides. If you're wider than I am, you may need more than two yards. If you're taller than I am, you may need extra yardage to make pockets because what would have been used for the pockets may be scavenged for extra length.
2) You can have a flounce/ruffles or you can have pockets, but you can't have both unless you buy extra fabric. Again, this isn't a crisis: You can skip the pockets (not an option for me), buy more than two yards, or make pockets from another fabric (something I do all the time with side-seam pockets, which don't show much).
3) This is a compromise between bulk and fullness. It's not as full as a classic dirndl skirt because it would be very bulky around the waist, but it's easier to make.
A non-directional pattern is best. That means a solid color or a scattered all-over print. We will be cutting the skirt horizontally across the fabric, which means that a print that runs horizontally across the bolt from selvage to selvage (instead of vertically down the length of the bolt) will end up running vertically from waistline to hem, and print that runs vertically down the length of the bolt will end up running horizontally across the skirt. It's up to you; if you don't mind that, go for it.
I don't really think this will work well with heavy or stiff fabrics. Leave the corduroy and brocade for something more tailored.
2) Wide elastic. I like 1" no-roll elastic for heavy fabrics (it will say this on the package), even if I'm not using heavy fabrics. You need enough to go around your waist, minus an inch or so.
3) The obvious: Thread, sewing machine, iron, scissors, pens and/or tailor's chalk, any trim you wish to use. A rotary cutter and mat are nice but not necessary.
Limitations:
1) This is based on my measurements, which are 5'7" tall and with 39-inch hips. If you are considerably smaller, adjustment is easy: You'll just make the skirt shorter, and you can either make it more full or you can trim down the sides. If you're wider than I am, you may need more than two yards. If you're taller than I am, you may need extra yardage to make pockets because what would have been used for the pockets may be scavenged for extra length.
2) You can have a flounce/ruffles or you can have pockets, but you can't have both unless you buy extra fabric. Again, this isn't a crisis: You can skip the pockets (not an option for me), buy more than two yards, or make pockets from another fabric (something I do all the time with side-seam pockets, which don't show much).
3) This is a compromise between bulk and fullness. It's not as full as a classic dirndl skirt because it would be very bulky around the waist, but it's easier to make.
Getting started:
1) Choose your materials. Fabric, trims, elastic, etc. Collect your materials and decide on a design. (This one's entirely up to you.)
We are assuming 42-44 inch fabric for this, since that is the standard width for most bolts.
4) Calculate your total length. This is the finished skirt length + the waistband fold-over + the hem allowance. For my example, that would be 28 inches + 2 inches for the waistband + 4 inches for the hem, which equals 34 inches. The waistband channel will end up wider than the elastic, which will make the elastic easier to feed and the bunching easier to distribute comfortably once the skirt is finished. Hem depth is sort of arbitrary; you can make it less.
Click on the diagrams, then right-click to save the images, if you want.
2) Choose your length. I like a longer skirt so I usually do 28 or 30 inches, which falls about four inches below my knees. I think 24 inches is popular with most young-ish women. The diagram is drawn for a 28-inch skirt.
3) Prepare your fabric. Pre-wash, iron, and straighten. Straighten the grain and trim the ends so that they're even and so you have clean, non-raveling fabric to sew. (The ex-veterinary assistant in me thinks of this as debridement, but I don't want to gross y'all out.) This will make your fabric slightly narrower but, unless it was extremely crooked and you had to cut off quite a lot, it will be OK.
3) Prepare your fabric. Pre-wash, iron, and straighten. Straighten the grain and trim the ends so that they're even and so you have clean, non-raveling fabric to sew. (The ex-veterinary assistant in me thinks of this as debridement, but I don't want to gross y'all out.) This will make your fabric slightly narrower but, unless it was extremely crooked and you had to cut off quite a lot, it will be OK.
We are assuming 42-44 inch fabric for this, since that is the standard width for most bolts.
4) Calculate your total length. This is the finished skirt length + the waistband fold-over + the hem allowance. For my example, that would be 28 inches + 2 inches for the waistband + 4 inches for the hem, which equals 34 inches. The waistband channel will end up wider than the elastic, which will make the elastic easier to feed and the bunching easier to distribute comfortably once the skirt is finished. Hem depth is sort of arbitrary; you can make it less.
Click on the diagrams, then right-click to save the images, if you want.
I've added a template for an in-seam pocket. You could also forage one from another pattern, or you could do patch pockets. I'm a big fan of patch pockets, myself, but if I don't quite have enough fabric to go around, side-seam ones can be made out of a different fabric and won't be too noticeable.
You can round the corners to make it look better.
You can round the corners to make it look better.
More to come . . .
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