Making A Skirt

I had two white eyelet dresses hanging in the closet. 

I'd gotten them both at the thrift store. 

Neither one of them had ever been worn so they were discarded in the great purge of 2016. 

There is something odd about a white dress. 

"Are you trying to be a bride?"

 I've heard that it is bad manners to wear white to a wedding but generally that is the only time I'll put on a dress in the summer.  That is one reason they sat in my closet without being worn.

I wear so much black because it is slenderizing. 

Does that mean white is volumizing?

I feel like it is. 

That's the other reason that the dresses weren't worn. 

While I was shopping for fabric to make a purse organizer, some white eyelet caught my eye. 

I stared at it and fiddled with it as a vision of a skirt flitted through my mind. 

 A skirt could replace those two dresses that didn't quite work out. 

Should I try again with white eyelet?

 The cutter helped me decide where to cut and how much fabric I needed.

 

The grand total for two yards of fabric was $32.00.

The elastic was $2.98. Making your own clothes isn't the bargain it used to be.

All my patterns were donated to the thrift store in another great purge. 

A pattern was not necessary for this project.

I knew what to do but a quick search for YouTube tutorials confirmed that I was on the right course. 

Here is the link: 

I sewed the one yard sections together on one side.

The rule of thumb, according to the video, was fabric widths double the size of the waist. 

I knew that would make my skirt way too full because I have a freakishly wide waist. 

I always have. 

No hour glass curves for this girl even when I was a size 7. 

I'm more of a box shape. 

The good Lord was all out of hour glasses when He made me. 

 

One fabric width was too little. 

Two fabric widths was too much. 

In the end, I went with a fabric width less than 1 1/2.

You could adjust to your desired fullness if you got one of those hour glass figures. 

Once the front and the back are sewn together, press open the seams. 

Fold 1/4 of an inch and press. 

Fold another 1/4 of an inch and press again to create the hem. 

Top stitch the hem. 

Roll and press 1/4 inch selvage at the opposite end and press. 

Fold a casing slightly wider than the width of the elastic. My casing was about an inch. 

Top stitch the casing. 

Leave a two inch opening in order to slid the elastic through. 

 Wrap the elastic around your waist to see how much you need- again, freakishly large. 

 Putting a safety pin on the end of the elastic is key. 

Thread the elastic but make sure you grap the other end before it slips into the casing otherwise you have to start over. 

Sew the two ends of the elastic together and top stitch to close the opening.

Check your work. 

My skirt ended up being too full so I cut off some more on the side. 

It meant taking my skirt apart at the top and at the hem but it worked out okay. 

Press when finished. 

I like the skirt. 

I paired it with a black shirt,

navy

           

and white. 

Just in case I want to wear it to a wedding and upstage the bride. 

;)

 

 

That is it for now, my friends. 

I was a complete slug this week except for this project so all my Spring Break projects have been pushed back to summer. 

  I've got some reading to do about Bill's diabetes.

We are renaming our cars Pimples and Dimples since it will be weeks before we can even get an adjuster to look at them. 

I haven't heard about our homeowner's claim. 

We are off to the boat show tomorrow. 

Wish me luck that I will not become the owner of a brand new bass boat. 

Have a happy Saturday!

Katie 

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