I wanted to try my hand at making a simple summer skirt. I wanted it to be casual and easy to through on. So I headed to the fabric store and bought a yard and a half of a really thin knit fabric. This is how it turned out. It was pretty easy to make, too.





(I told you my legs were white. This picture is cross-processed, which makes them glow a little less. They are worse in real life :)









I started by making a waistband that was two layers of the fabric (just fold it over) and five inches high. Because all knits are a bit different it's hard to say how big around to make it. Some knits stretch a lot (like this one) and others are more tight. I measured a skirt I had that fits well and is knit. Just try on the waistband before you sew the skirt onto it.

You'll sew the waistband into a tube. As I mentioned, you'll want to make it two layers. That way it can hold the weight of the skirt better.

Now I made the width of the skirt about three times the width of the waist band. It's really full, but since it's a really thin knit it lays nicely without making the skirt feel too bulky. Sew the back piece and the front piece along the sides, creating a tube. (Invert it so it's right side out.) Sew a basting stitch slong the top and gather it until it matches the width of the top of the skirt.



I am usually a slacker when it comes to pinning, but this is definitely worth pinning. Since I left the top of the fabric exposed it's hard to make sure everything is lined up when you sew it. That means pinning it in place is extra important so you know you're not slipping off the fabric underneath.





Sew it on. I sewed another line an 1/8 apart from the top one for extra security and because it looked nicer. Remember that when sewing with knits you'll want to use a zigzag stitch so that it will still stretch. I didn't hem the bottom of the skirt. This particular knit doesn't even roll up. It just lays flat and I like raw edges.





I made it to wear low on my hips. The waistband is big enough that the gathered skirt starts pretty low. I like that because there's no bulk for my shirt to go over. It hits just right.









That's it. Now if I could get my hands on some striped knit I'd be making another skirt pronto. I want to make one where the stripes go vertical on the waist and horizontal on the skirt.









Thanks for dropping by.