Friday, June 3, 2011

The Easiest Skirt You'll Ever Make

I’m getting ready to teach a kids summer camp so I have been developing easy, cute, teen-friendly projects and discovered the easiest skirt ever.

It’s also green because I recycled an old men’s shirt. Which is especially nice because it means you don’t have to sew any side seams or hems!

 
To make your own easy skirt, start with an underused men’s shirt.
 Make sure it’s large enough to fit around the widest part of your hips.

Lay the shirt flat.


Use a yard stick to measure from underarm to underarm. Mark this line and cut on it, or use your rotary cutter.

Use a seam ripper to remove the bottom portion of the breast pocket—make sure you are careful because I ripped my first shit this way!

Overlap the front placket and sew the layers together. Make sure there is no button in the way—you may have to remove one.


 
Make a casing for the elastic. Start by folding the top edge in ¼”. Press


Now fold the top edge in 1” and press.

Edgestitch the casing closed. The easiest way to do this is to use an edgestitch foot (that’s the #10 foot for my fellow Bernina sewers). Line up the guide with the fold of the fabric and move the needle over to the right a few notches. This will give you a nice straight stitch.

Be careful of any buttons! You may need to remove the top button and sew it back on later!

Don’t Forget to leave a 2” opening to put the elastic through!!!


Cut a piece of ¾” elastic 1” shorter than your waist.
Pin a safety-pin to one end and thread the elastic through the casing.



Overlap the elastic 1 ½” and sew in place with a few rows of straight stitches.


Close up the casing opening and you are all finished!


Happy Recycling
~Melisa & Cordelia



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