Hay Ladays! Wanna make yer own skirt?

I have yet to hit the streets in this obnoxious garment and NOT get complements. Probably because of it's crazy Star Wars print, but overall it's a VERY easy pattern and a VERY easy and cost effective way to expand your warm weather wardrobe. Depending on what fabrics you choose, it can easily be business casual or even business professional!
This type of skirt is very full, and is described as a 3/4 circle skirt. I picked up this when trying to figure out how to make an easy skirt for Gothic Lolita wear, as it's full enough to go over a crinoline:

All it takes is various embellishments.
So let's start!

Measurements:
a-b: waist to knee; square up
a-c: 5cm (2"); square across
c-d: 1/2 waist
b-e: 1/2 hip + 10cm (4"); square up
d-f: waist to knee
Draw lines at right angles to
d-f at either end and use these as a guide to the curves. Note all the right angles as these are important.
g-h shows a typical place to throw some trim on a lolita skirt.
b-g and
f-h are 1/5th waist to knee.
Mark your pattern with the symbols show. The straight double-headed arrow <-----> is the direction the piece is to be placed on the fabric and should be parallel to
a-b. You do this so that the grain of the fabric remains the same. The other one that looks like
-->
|
|
-->
means that's the part where the pattern will be placed on the fold of the fabric. Remember after you cut this sucker to write what it is on it, and note "cut 2 on fold", it will make your life easier when you look at it a few months down the road and go, "WTF is this paper thingy?"
To make a waistband:Measure the curve
a-d. Multiply by 4 to get the length. The depth should be twice that of your elastic.
Seam allowances:Add 5/8" (1.5cm) to the side seam and 3/8" (1cm) to the waistline. If you are adding lace or other trim to the hem, only 3/8th is needed, otherwise add at least 2" and remember it's a curved hem and WILL be a pain. The waistband should have 3/8" on the long edges and 5/8" at the ends.
Remember that
a-b can be any length you want, but fuck around accordingly to make sure that it fits properly over a crinoline. The Star Wars skirt I made turned out to be too long for the potential lolita project it was going to be, hence why I just wear it as is. The trim I have on that is black blanket binding and added close to 2".
Cutting layout:
That is how you will want to place your pattern on the fabric. The waistband will probably be cut in half as well. I make my patterns out of 18"x24" sketchbook paper, but newspaper works just as well.
I would estimate about 2-3 yards of fabric, though you probably won't need that much. Just remember you have to cut it in the direction of the design or grain of the fabric, which CAN make a difference in the yardage you will use. Also think about lining if necessary. (I will not describe how to line in this post.) If anything, use the leftover fabric as window treatments, capes for your pets, or making a bag. I made a long bag for my Master Replicas lightsaber for transportation to and from events.
Once cut, you sew together the side seams, wrong side out. Then sew one side of the waistband down to the top, fold it over, and stitch down the other side by folding it over and creating a finished hem and a casing for the elastic. Attach a large safety pin to one end of the elastic and run it through the casing. Once through, stitch the ends together and sew the casing opening shut.
Hem the bottom of the skirt and trim to taste. And you're done! Estimated project time: 1-2 hours. Tops.
Tips:If you don't know how to hem, there are a variety of different methods, I would fold the fabric over twice to hide the unfinished fabric edges, or, if you have access to a surger/overlock machine, you can use that. I don't, so I have to roll all of my edges.
Finish all seams with a zigzag stitch after the running stitch to help deter fraying as well. Or you can French seam, which I will probably demonstrate in another post because it's WONDERFUL for nicely finished projects if you don't have a serger.
Yes, you
can handsew all of this, but you can also buy a decent sewing machine at Wal-Mart for 50 bucks. Do yourself a favor and invest in one, because you'll use it more often than you think.
Questions? Comments? Concerns?
Oh, and the men's ensemble is completely done. As soon as I can get my friend down here for pics I'll snap them and post them.