Striped Skirt Tutorial

[rickrackruby]

Hi girls,

Somewhere I read that someone was wondering how to make this type of skirt:



And it's really easy!  I use a serger.  If you don't have one, don't be discouraged.  First see if you can borrow one from a friend.  I believe you can have pretty good results if you use a regular machine with a zigzag but I have never tried it - sorry!

Please select fabric that is nice and stretchy.  There are different types of cotton knits - the 100% cotton fabrics are not the best for this skirt.  Try to find something with a little bit of lycra or nylon for "spring." 

First we will make the waistband.  I have started with a 10 inch wide by 30-inch long strip.



Then I serged up the short sides - right sides together to form a tube.



Then fold the waistband back over itself - wrong sides together and pin all the way around matching the raw edges.  Use a lot of pins!



Now I've cut a 42-inch square of fabric.  This makes a knee-length skirt.  A smaller square will make a shorter skirt.  A 36-inch square is a nice mini.  Place the fabric right side up and just leave it like that for the rest of the steps. 



Okay now HERE is the important part - please pay careful attention - this is it...the BIG SECRET of the skirt.... ARE YOU READY?


All stereos and tv's off please - this takes concentration....

DO NOT scroll down to the next photo yet. 




Find the center of the square - measure with a tape measure and just mark the center point with a pin.  Now look at the square in front of you and remember that you want the stripes to run vertically on the front and back and horizontally on the sides. 

You are going to CUT A SLIT in the square of fabric. 



NOT a circle.  NOT a circle.  NOT a circle. 




How long is the slit?  Measure across your sewn waistband.  Mine started as a 30 inch strip.  After I serged it, it wound up about 13.5 inches across.  So I made my slit 12.5 inches long.  That is - ONE INCH smaller than the length of the waistband.

 I placed my measuring tape with the 6.25 mark right at the pin in the center of the square.  Then I cut starting at the 12.5 mark on the tape all the way down to the end.  Now I have a 12.5-inch long slit cut in the dead center of the square with the stripes running PERPENDICULAR to the slit. 

NOW you can look at the photo 



How's it going so far?  The fun part is next!

With raw edges together I pinned the waisband all the way around to the edge of the slit.  First pin the center back seam, then the front center, the sides and then fill in.  Us a lot of pins and be sure that you have all three layers of fabric edges together.



Here is a close-up:



Remember this is the BIG SECRET of this type of skirt - once you have this down - the possibilities are endless!

Okay - time to serge the waistband.  Work from the inside like this:



Go slowly and be very very certain to remove each pin as you go.

Here is what the serged edge looks like:



Now unfold the waistband and you should have something like this!



If you don't mind the raw edge on the bottom of the hem you can consider it done!  I personally like to add a rolled hem with a slight lettuce-edged finish.  I think it looks a little more whimsical this way:



VOILA!

Please post any questions - I'd be happy to clarify any details.  Please try this skirt.  It is really easy I promise!

Sincerely,
Laura K

[Loveliness]

Fantastic! It looks great. I have been thinking about making a skirt like this and now I know how to make it. Thank you for the tutorial!

[neverendingjourney]

ohhhhhhhhh that is so nice!!
question........... couldnt you use this same concept for a shirt also?? tube/pregnancy top??
very nice! i love it!!
darla

[eyes of summer]

a rolled hem with a slight lettuce-edged finish.

how did you get the hem to look like it does in the picture? i like it very much!

Thanks for the tutorial!

[rickrackruby]

Thanks for your responses.  You can use this technique for lots of things - tops, dresses, etc.  Also, you can use two different fabrics for the waistband and the skirt part.  If you make the waist a little wider you can have more "play" in the waist for folding over or scrunching down.  Seriously - the options are endless.!

The hem is done on the serger.  It is called a "rolled hem."  It's done with three threads instead of the usual four.  Then you tighten the "differential" to cause the fabric to pull a little as it stiches.  This causes the "lettuce edge" effect.  It's not hard at all but it does require a serger. 

[bespectacled]

Thanks for the awesome tutorial! Do you think it would work with a jersey/stretch material for the waistband and cotton or some other type of material for the skirt part itself?

[rickrackruby]

Hi Bespectacled,

Thanks for your question.  If the skirt fabric is not stretchy then you won't be able to pull it on.   
But of course I have the solution for that!  Instead of making the skirt part from a big square of fabric you can make a regular gathered or pleated skirt and then attach it to the bottom of the waistband.  Easy!

[choirgirl]

Great tutorial! Many thanks. I think even I can manage this one

[PurpleHeather]

Wow - this is a really funky skirt -I love the colours and stripes, and it looks very comfy.

Would you be able to explain in a bit more detail about how you do the hem?  I've ogt a serger - do you not thread one of the enexles?  Is this somethng that is easy to explain?

Thank you.

[rickrackruby]

Hi PurpleHeather,

If you have the manual for your serger, just look up the instructions for a rolled hem.  you might even be able to find "lettuce edge."  Meanwhile, here is how I do it on my Bernina. 

Remove the left needle.

Thread the serger as usual: upper and lower loopers and right needle.

Tighten up the stitch length - this is a dial on the right side of my machine.  you are aiming for a solid row of stitching - no space between the stitches - like a satin stitch on a regular machine.  On my machine a 2.5 is a normal stitch length.  For the rolled hem I set it at 1.

On the stitch plate there is a lever that I pull forward for the rolled hem feature.  I'm not sure exactly what this does.... : )

Practice with this first on some scraps.  Adjust if necessary.  If your fabric is stretchy enough you might not need to adjust the differential.  On my machine this is another knob on the right of my machine.  If you turn it one way it PULLS the fabric and stretches it.  This creates the lettuce edge. 

Your best bet is to check your manual for "rolled hem."  This is not hard at all - trust me.  Please try this project!

Take care.

Laura K