Skirt tutorial (part 1 of 3)

(Please note that few of these numbers require adjustments for seam or hem allowances.  This is in part because most of the measurements are not critical; if the bottom hem of your skirt is 116" around instead of 120" it won't look any different.  Also, as in the last tutorial, this is a general explanation of the pattern, rather than a true step-by-step.)

The skirt is made up of two main parts, the body of the skirt and the waistband.

PART I:  Basic measurements

1.   Measure around your waist.  Decide how long you want your skirt to be.  Write down the following numbers:

Measurement A= waist circumference * 2.5
Measurement B= A*1.5
Measurement C= skirt length - 1.5"
Measurement D= A/6
Measurement E= B/6
Measurement F=waist circumference-6"

PART II: Body

2.  Cut out six trapezoids with the following dimensions:

Keep in mind the following:  E is the bottom edge of the skirt.  If your fabric is patterned directionally, make sure that all pieces are cut so that the fabric faces the same way.  If your fabric does not have a directional pattern, you can reduce wasted fabric by cutting half of the pieces upside down so that they nestle into each other like this:

Measurements D and E do not need to be exact because the width of the skirt is very forgiving.  The length of the skirt, however, should be a little more precise.  If you are going to do a fold-over hem, you will need to add extra length to measurement C to compensate.  If you are going to use bias tape, you do not need to add anything.

3.  Sew the pieces together into a tube, so that the D sides are all aligned on the top of the tube and the E sides are all aligned on the bottom.  Trim the edges a little to round them out:

4. Hem the bottom edge.

PART III: Waistband

5.  Cut two rectangular pieces like so:

If you don't have a single piece of fabric that is F long, you can piece several together, as long as the final rectangle is F long, the piecing won't negatively affect the look of the skirt.

6.  With the wrong side facing, fold over and iron down 1/2 " of each long side, like so:

7. Fold each piece in half lengthwise, wrong sides facing, so that you now have two pieces that are 2" wide.

8.  Fold in 1/2" on the longer piece, so that all edges are folded, rather than cut.  I also like to iron on interfacing to longer piece.  The sturdier the waistband, the more flat it will stay when worn.  Also note that I did not add any extra allowance for the length lost in this step.  The skirt is designed to have about an inch of negative ease.

(continued in next post)