Finally! A straightforward tutorial on how to make one of these cute bottoms that I’ve always wanted but never can wear. These skirts have a great silhouette and are pretty much a spring essential. But the ones I’ve seen in stores are always too long or too short. As a tall, lanky lady, I wasted $50 on a short one before realizing I didn’t really enjoy sitting on my bare ass in the subway. Whether you’re short or tall, this guide is perfect because now you can easily alter the length to your liking. No more flaring out and revealing your ladybits to the world! Success.
Materials:
– 2 meters (or around 2.4 yards) of linen fabric
– Sewing Pins
– A hook and eye fastening
– Scissors
– A skirt zip
– A sewing machine
1. The first thing to do is to take your fabric, fold it in half and then fold it again.You then want to cut the skirt out following the diagram below. I wanted mine a little big so I could add some pleats in the back so I added a few inches to my natural waist.
2. Now you will have a big circle of fabric with a hole in the middle. Hopefully the hole will be the right size for your waist. If it is slightly too big, you can make a few pleats in the back like I did – I preferred this because it added volume to the skirt. Cut a seam into the skirt as shown below.
3. Now, first run the zig zag stitch along both new seams to prevent fraying. Then pin the seam on the inside and the zip in as shown below. Using your sewing machine, sew the seam shut and zip in.
4. To finish off the skirt, hem the waistband and the lower hem. You can add a waistband but I just chose to hem the raw edges – I think this looks more simple.
I suggest you use bias binding to do this to get a clean hem – it can be tricky to hem a round edge like this and bias binding is a great way around it. I didn’t have any on hand and needed to finish the skirt in less than half an hour to wear out (yes, that’s how I roll) so instead I went around the raw edges using a zigzag stitch to prevent fraying and then did a single fold hem. If you have a serger that would work even better. Add a hook and eye to the top of the zip so it is more secure.
Source: A Pair & A Spare DIY
Photos via A Pair & A Spare DIY
