Maxi Skirt Tutorial

Here is a maxi skirt I made and wore for Thanksgiving. It is so easy and inexpensive to make! 

Material:

Fabric: You will need to pick out the fabric material and color you want. I used a stretch knit from Joann's Fabric. (Don't forget to use your coupons when buying your fabric!)

Elastic band

First, you will need to measure how much fabric you will need. I measured from where I wanted the skirt to start, down to the floor, for the length. For my skirt, I got 45'' in length (keep in mind the type if shoes you will be wearing with your skirt. For flats, it will need to be shorter, for heels, measure longer.) The great thing about this material is that I did not need to finish any edges! It will not fray and looks fine unfinished. Woo hoo! :)

Next, you will need to measure your waist for the elastic length. Keep in mind that your length will need to be about an inch shorter than your waist measurement. The elastic will stretch and fit your waist snug. If you get the same exact size, your skirt waist might be too lose.  I bought a 1.5'' wide black elastic band. 

You should use elastic thread when attaching the skirt to the waistband, but I did not have any on hand, and forgot to buy some, so my skirt's waistband is attached with just plain old thread. 

Once you have all your materials, it is time to sew!

Since your fabric should already be cut to the length that you need, you don't need to do any cutting. Take your fabric, and on the longest stitch, sew along the top of the skirt. This is to make the pleats for the top. Once I started sewing, I back stiched right away.

When you get to the end, DO NOT back stitch! make sure you have some extra thread before you cut. This is the end we will pull to make our ruffles/pleats.

Separate the top thread from the bottom one, and pull on one (i pulled the top) to create your ruffles. If you need more information on how to ruffle, look at my post here on ruffling.

Ruffle until you  get the width of your skirt to be the same width as your elastic.

Once you  have the skirt the width that you want, tie off the open end with the thread. Double knot it, so you do not lose any of your ruffles. 

Next, pin the top of your skirt to the elastic, and sew it in place. I sewed mine to the top of the elastic, which looks good, but next time, I will sew it to the bottom (where the arrow is at).

 The inside of the skirt should look something like this

The outside of your skirt should look like this.

Now to sew the edge of the skirt, and finish it off!

Fold your skirt in half, with right sides together.Make sure the ends of your elastic match up.

 Pin the edge, all the way down to the bottom of the skirt. 

Now sew! Make sure to back stitch! start from the top and sew towards the bottom, back stitching at both ends. 

Once you are done, trim off excess thread and you are done!

Ok, so there wasn't that great of a picture of me wearing my skirt on Thanksgiving, so I had my hubby take this one. Not so great, but you get to see what it looks like. :)

Enjoy your skirt! You can always make a shorter version, or even one for your daughters! So many possibilities...

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