Quick and easy skirt

For the record, the ‘dess’ was actually a skirt, which satisfied her anyway. So much so that she wore it for days and snuck into my fabric stash and pulled out another piece of fabric she wanted transformed. Since I was making another, I figured I’d make a tutorial out of it.

Here’s the method to my madness…

Quick and Easy Skirt (for kids)

Measure your victim kiddo from waist to how long you want the skirt. Add 2.5 inches. This is the height of your fabric. (I had already ironed my hems and casing so this will be the finished length of the skirt).

Take a 45 inch wide piece of fabric. Assuming your raw edge is straight, measure the length you want the skirt to be along the selvage, snip, and rip. The edges will be a bit wavy, but it will work out fine. If you don’t trust me, or if your raw edge is uneven, you can measure and cut instead. 45 inches is convenient and works well for the 2-5y crowd. Much bigger or smaller and you’ll want to measure the waist and double it for your measurement instead.

You will end up with a piece of fabric 45 inches long and as wide as you want the skirt long (with extra for hem and elastic). Clear as mud?

Sew the selvage ends together (right sides together).

Fold up one raw edge 1/4 – 1/2 inch, then another again. Sew around. This is the hem. I ironed my hem and elastic casing this time and it was very nice, I highly recommend it.

On the other raw edge, fold up 1/4 inch, then another inch (or the width of your elastic + 1/4 inch).

Sew around close to the edge. This is your elastic casing. You can sew along the top edge of the whole casing at this point if you want. If not, still sew on the top part of the casing at your back seam (about 1/2 – 1 inch on either side).

Now, on the inside of the skirt, take your seam ripper and rip the seam that is between your two stitching lines on the elastic casing (on the inside of the skirt only, just that inner layer of fabric). This will make an opening for you to thread the elastic.

Measure your elastic (waist size minus 1 inch). Get a small piece of scrap fabric and sew your elastic to it on one end.

Thread the clean end through your casing. The piece of scrap fabric will catch at the hole and stop it from pulling through.

When you get the elastic all the way through, sew the other end to the scrap of fabric (be sure it’s not twisted).

Trim fabric and tuck into the casing.

Now you can sew up that hole or leave it for adjusting the waist size at a later date.

And you have a skirt.

Enjoy your ‘dess’!

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