craftgrrl | Pink Skirt Tutorial- requested in Craftygoths, but I thought you guys might appreciate it too. :D (Reply)

Pink Skirt Tutorial

This is a pattern making tute as much as a sewing tute- I hope I don’t confuse anyone too much.
I am an Aussie so all measurements will be in metric.

Sewing level- Basic with a fuckload of patience.

You will need

4 meters of shiny fabric

(the pink in the photo though really, any fabric will work as long as it’s not too thick and I say shiny because it contrasts well with the opaque netting, but don’t take this fabric choice as the be all end all).

3 meters of stiffish netting

Lining/ interface/ spare shiny material

Eyelets and ribbon.

A sewing machine, or just needle and thread if you’re some sort of masochist.

Waist band

First off, measure around your hips/waist where you want the top of skirt to sit. (I like it just below my navel, but your mileage may vary).

Then measure how long you want the waist band to drop (Again personally, I like 15 cm to hide my pot belly)

Then add to you length total an extra 12 cm. This is to leave room for the 2 lots of corset style eyelet band fastening + seam allowance of 2 cm.

The number you have now is the top measurement for your waistband. Add 6 cm to this and you have the bottom measurement for your waist band.

Divide all measurements by two and there is your dimensions for your waist band.

Lay out your fabric, double it over and mark out your measurements. However, to get is to sit comfortably close to the skin, there is a bit of maths to make it a rhombus shape like so:

I usually mark out a rectangle then mark the extra 3 cm, then draw a diagonal line between the two. However, if you possess a set square it’ll make all the much easier.

Cut out.

Eyelet detail
These can be put anywhere on the waist, but I prefer it on the sides. It makes no difference to the material needed.

Mark a 2 cm strip on your waist band like so

Then fold it evenly – 1 cm each side

Sew down the base of the flap where the two material joins. You should then have a 1 cm flap sticking out

Repeat this step 5 cm along the fabric. (you can put a wider or smaller gap, again, up to you and you don’t have to worry about extra fabric)
Mark where you would like to put your eyelets, and bang them through.
I have a eyelet clamp, but there usually available in all good crafting stores. (For my fellow Australians, NOT LINCRAFT. Because they are corporate whores. Spotlight, however, Good as gold).

Make sure whenever you sew your top hem, to pin the eyelet flaps inward, so the wrong side of the eyelets lay hidden.

Skirt Panels

First off, measure how long a drop you want, taking into account where your waist band ends. Add 2 cm seam allowance. This is the length of one skirt panel.

Then take your waistband bottom measurement and divide by 11 then add 2 (for seam allowance). The answer is the top width for one skirt panel.

Then multiply this number by three and that is your answer for the bottom width of a skirt panel.

Mark out a rectangle using the top width and drop length, then mark the bottom width using the diagonal line technique discussed above, and illustrated below.

Once you have marked out one, it’s pretty easy to mark out a few like this- and causes less waste material too.

Cut out, sew, make you’re your zigzag or bind off (if your are lucky and have an overlocker) the edges before attaching the panels together.

Netting Underlay

Oh how much fun. This material is frustrating as all hell, but the results are worth it. :D

Measure how far up the underside you want the netting to go, I recommend halfway because that shit is scratchy. Then measure roughly three times the width of the bottom length.

Don’t be too worried about exact measurements or folds with this, I’ve found the uneven look works really well with this material..

Take the netting and fold it over , I use a half assed pleat fold like so:

Pin it carefully and securely. I used pins both at the top and bottom.

So it will look something like this

Then grab your lining/interfacing/spare shiny material and fold it over the top

And sew along it several times, trapping the netting in that ruffles formation.

Repeat as above until you have enough to cover the entire bottom length of the skirt.

Then attach to the sewn together shiny material panels, I found just sewing back and forth a few times worked fine. Make sure the bobbin thread matches your shiny fabric!

Then attach the waistband, remember to zigzag or bind off the edges.

Thread ribbon through the eyelets and you’re ready to break hearts!

Time- It took me two weeks of 4hr + sewing a day, however I kept on stuffing up and I also had a steep learning curve on how to sew netting. So I’d say, for an experienced and patient person it would take maybe a week, keeping the same hours.

I hope that wasn’t too confusing and my scribbles help more than hurt. :D