https://www.cutoutandkeep.net/projects/draft-a-skirt-any-size • Posted by Laurinda P.
With about 2.5 yards of fabric, you can have a maxi skirt! I often fall in love with gorgeous quilting cotton, but I want to WEAR it, not quilt with it. Plus I'm a difficult shape to buy clothes for (a big-bellied apple) Also, I like pockets on my clothes. Here is an excellent pattern & tutorial for side-seam pockets https://mellysews.com/2019/04/how-to-sew-pockets-add-side-seam-pockets.html I'm not affiliated, just a fan I'm sewing this on a machine, but if you had enough patience, it could be hand-sewn. I use a Frixion pen for marking fabric now, but I've used regular pens & pencils in the past. I figure "It's on the inside, it's fine" Tailors chalk or other fabric pen would be fine too A special shout-out to the Fabric Fairy, for their beautiful temptations!
With about 2.5 yards of fabric, you can have a maxi skirt! I often fall in love with gorgeous quilting cotton, but I want to WEAR it, not quilt with it. Plus I'm a difficult shape to buy clothes for (a big-bellied apple) Also, I like pockets on my clothes. Here is an excellent pattern & tutorial for side-seam pockets https://mellysews.com/2019/04/how-to-sew-pockets-add-side-seam-pockets.html I'm not affiliated, just a fan I'm sewing this on a machine, but if you had enough patience, it could be hand-sewn. I use a Frixion pen for marking fabric now, but I've used regular pens & pencils in the past. I figure "It's on the inside, it's fine" Tailors chalk or other fabric pen would be fine too A special shout-out to the Fabric Fairy, for their beautiful temptations!
To start, Fold your fabric in half, lengthwise, right sides together. Then widthwise so you can cut out the front & back at the same time, & pin together (if you have an obvious print, cut it in half widthwise, & place one on top of the other, to maintain print direction) My waist is 50", but when I sit, it's more like 54", so I bumped it up to 56" Because the front & back are folded in half, we'll measure out 1/4 of that measurement, & mark that spot
Now measure from your waist, down to where you want your skirt to end. Using your yardstick, or other straight edge, measure from your mark, as far down as you want your skirt to end, & angle out towards the edge. Draw that line
On to the hem edge. You CAN go straight across, or you can curve it. If you measure straight down on the folded edge, then angled from the end of the top to the bottom at the outside edge, you'll see the bottom looks weird. It's okay, you can just pencil in a curve from the fold to the outside edge if you want BEFORE YOU CUT- you need to add 1/2" to all sides, for your seam allowance, & always measure twice, cut once
Pockets! I used my old pattern, & as you can see, I'm using a complimentary fabric (from Walmart) & I don't quite have enough. & that's okay, because I'm not entering this into a competition, I'm making it to please myself First sew them onto your fabric, then iron the seams open, or not, there's no sewing police. It just gives the pocket a sharper edge
Next is sewing the skirt sides together. First pin the front & back together, including the pockets, which will stick out like wings.You'll start at the top, go around the pocket, & down to the bottom, on both sides.
You can make a waistband. The same length as the top of your skirt, twice as tall as you want it, plus an inch for the two 1/2" seam allowances. Which is what I decided to do, & found out I didn't have a big enough piece
On to the waistband, first sew the short ends together, leaving an opening for the elastic. fold it in half lengthwise, wrong sides together, then pin it to the skirt, right sides together. Try to have the elastic’s opening facing in, & over a side seam
Also, try to get the top of the pockets in the stitching, & facing front After that, thread the elastic through the waistband, adjust it until you're comfortable, pin the edges to overlap, sew it together, & let it slip into the waistband
Hem the bottom, then admire your handiwork, because no one on the planet has a skirt like it! This is how I hem- I mark the amount on an envelope as a template, & iron it down, then sew. It's a pretty good shortcut
Here is a pocket, not caught in the waistband. It's not the end of the world, but I like them attached better- my phone isn't flopping around in it so much
Here are some others I've made. The brown one was a set of curtains from a tag sale. I also experimented with using a knit fabric for the waistband. The pink one was very expensive (for me) quilting cotton, & it's really my favorite, with it's loud colors & print