Sew a Quick Maxi Skirt
It is holiday season, and you might not have your holiday look together just yet! If you have a yard and a half to two yards of fabric and some elastic, why not sew a quick maxi skirt to wear to those holiday gatherings! Better yet, do some patchwork and make the skirt even more fabulous!
The length of the skirt is up to you! You do not need a pattern! All you really need is the waist measurement and length measurement for the finished skirt.
I made the above skirt in a few hours! It would have taken a lot quicker, but when I put the elastic into the waistband, the elastic rolled up and twisted on me. So I had to remove it and put it back in. In a few easy steps, you can make an elastic waist skirt! These are great for a holiday look, or even as a gift!
Grab a yard or two of fabric. Depending on the waist measurement, use a piece of fabric that is one and a half to two times bigger around the waistline. That way the skirt will fit well and gather nicely when you add the elastic.
Decide which side of fabric will be at the waistline, and then sew the perpendicular edges together. This will form a huge tube of fabric.
Fold over the waistband with enough width to feed the elastic through, then sew down. Be sure to leave an opening for the elastic. I used a knit fabric, and used a zig zag stitch for this part. That way it would still retain some stretch. If you are using a woven fabric you would want to use a straight stitch.
Pull some elastic around your waist, and then go about five inches smaller beyond that and cut a piece of elastic for the waist. This way the elastic is tight enough so your skirt will stay on but still comfortable to wear.
My elastic banding was two inches wide. Whatever the width of your elastic, attach a safety pin to one side, then feed it through the waistband. Now this is the important part! Straighten out the elastic as you go around, so it isn’t twisting. Then sew the ends together with a zig zag stitch, going back and forth over the ends to really lock them together. Next, add four rows of stitching approximately equal distance around the waistband. Be sure to gather the fabric along the elastic evenly so the gathers are even along the waistline. This will prevent the elastic from twisting in the future.
Last, hem the skirt. If you are using a stretch knit, you should just be able to trim the bottom hem and leave it because stretch knits usually don’t unravel. For a woven skirt, you would want to iron the hem and then sew.
