Sewing a Straight Skirt
Use Stretch Fabric to Make a Flattering Skirt of any Length.
You'll get rave reviews from your friends when you step out the door in your new skirt. You can sew this straight skirt in any material with some stretch in it. This could be velvet, knitted fabric, suede fabric with stretch in it, or any summer weight fabric with a little stretch.
A Skirt for Different Occasions
You can sew this skirt the length of your choice. For a gracious hostess skirt or a relaxing summer skirt to put on when you've been long enough in the sun you might want ankle length. For a business like skirt you may want below the knee. Alternatively a shorter skirt is good for moving about in warmer weather. Go with the fashion, or with your own creative whim.
For a Straight Skirt you Need: -
- Stretch fabric (Work out the amount of fabric you need by reading 1 below)
- Sewing cotton
- Wide elastic for a waistband
Sewing Your Straight Skirt
- Begin by cutting the fabric so the stretch goes widthways. Stretch the fabric with your hands to see which way has the most stretch. This is the way your skirt will go around your body. Take a tape measure and measure around your hips at the widest part. Then add 1cm/half an inch to your measurements for the seam allowance. This is the width you want the material to be. Some shops will cut the right amount for you off the bolt of fabric.
- Decide on the length you want the skirt to be. You can measure a skirt you already have that you like the length of, or alternatively, measure from your waist to whatever length you would like. Now cut the material to that length. You may find it helpful to draw a straight line with tailors chalk as a guide to your cutting. Depending on the material you have bought you may not need to cut it at all. If you want an ankle length skirt you might just be able to put up the excess amount in the hem.
- Put right sides of the material together lengthwise and sew the seam on your sewing machine. For a longer skirt, sew the seam so that you have a slit at the bottom for better movement. You can make the slit whatever length you would like. For shorter skirts you may not need the slit. Make the slit by finishing the side seam where the top of the slit will be. Sew down the two sides of the slit on your machine. Sew across the top a stitch for about half an inch/1cm to firm the seams.
- Take the wide elastic and sew it together at the ends. Pin it around the top of the skirt on the wrong side of the fabric. Make sure the material of the skirt is evenly spread along the elastic. Machine stitch the elastic to the skirt using a zigzag or stretch stitch. Now turn the elastic over on the wrong side and machine stitch at the bottom to form a neat looking waistband.
Finally, pin up the hem allowance at the bottom of the skirt. Check that it's straight. Sew by machine or hand, whichever your prefer. Hey presto, you have your new skirt. Step out with confidence.
