So, this is used to be one of those shapeless broomstick/ hippie skirts... it looked something like
this kind of skirt Anyway, I loved the feminine crinkly softness and color of the material, so I decided to release the inner integrity of the fabric. And re-create it based on a totally original design!
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So, I'm adding a tutorial now! Please bear with me, I'll try and do this clearly!
First of all, this project require a specific kind of skirt- namely, one that isn’t segmented and also, has a huge amount of fabric. The original skirt that I used was probably about 35” long and the length of the hem around this edge- which is all still retained the final dress- measures to be 16ft of fabric! It sorta looked like this:
You will need:
Your skirt
A pair of fabric scissors
A seam ripper
Large-ish safety pin
Pins
Marker
2 pieces of elastic that each go around your waist about ¼”
A piece of elastic for the straps that’s about 85” long, preferably ½”
Plenty of patience (Yeah, I know it sounds cheesy, but this could be a little difficult if you’ve never sewn with ruffles.)
Step 1:
Remove the waist. Make a clean cut right below the waistband, being careful to not un-gather the material of the skirt.
Step 2:
Slice the band on one side, where the seam is, and use a seam ripper to “splay” the fabric (turning the tube into a flat panel.) Sometimes the fabric is stitched right into the elastic, so this part could be really tedious, but you really need this section! You can iron it if you’d like.
Wrap this piece around the smallest part of your body and pin in place. This is where the waist is going to fall on you so make sure to cut the other pieces where you want the sections to fall in proportion to this one.
Step 3:
Use the elastic to measure at the top and bottom of the waistband. Don’t pull it tight, just let it sit comfortably. Mark with a sharpie. These are your two pieces to use for later.
Step 4:
Cut out the bust from the top portion of your skirt in a shape which is higher in the ‘front’ than in the back. It should be about 11” or so at the crest to allow for the top seam. Then cut a slit into the center about 2/3 of the way down (you can always cut further down later if you want to adjust.) Note: this will look like a weird, triangular shape, but trust me, that’s good!
Step 5:
Pin the first piece of elastic into the bottom edge of the bust portion. Try to keep it in place so that the gathers are evenly placed. Or better yet, use basting stitching. I used the widest stitch on my sewing machine around the edge, then I pulled the thread taught to pin exactly how I wanted it, then removed the thread after the elastic was permanently stitched in.
Step 6:
Use a wide zigzag stitch to hold the elastic in place, making sure that there is still a bit of stretchiness to it.
Step 7:
Now, make a tiny rolled hem at the top of the bust and down the center slit. Then fold the fabric over a little bit wider than your elastic. I.e., if your elastic is 3/4”, then turn the fabric over 1”. This is something of a ‘tunnel’ for your elastic to fit through.
Step 8:
Hook the edge of the elastic into your safety pin and then feed it through, bit-by-bit, into your fabric tunnel to the other end to create the straps. Afterward, you can either cover your exposed elastic with some fabric, or just leave it plain. (I had enough skirt fabric left over to cover mine but it would have looked neat with a different color, too.)
Squinch down the fabric a little bit, and you should have a nice, rounded edge.
Step 9:
Pin a rolled hem and stitch it straight onto the waist (I did this by hand in a contrasting embroidery floss color, in vertical stitches.) This covers the ugly zigzag stitching and creates a nice illusion with the gathered ruffles.
Step 10:
Take the remaining skirt fabric and then gather it with basting stitching as you did earlier, then zigzag stitch the other elastic piece to it. Then, attach the skirt to the waist the same way, putting the ugly sides toward the inside, and stitching with embroidery floss.
Congrats! A beautiful, soft dress! I hope this was somewhat helpful or at least educational!
Thanks to my gorgeous friend, Alana, for being my model.
