This is the result of one old stained shirt and over 500 inches of bias cut strips of voile.
Instead of a tutorial, here are the basic steps:
1. Make a fold-over knit waistband.
2. Make a simple tube skirt, slightly a-lined. The front and back will be identical, the top should sit comfortably on your hips. Make sure you can easily sit down in it. Only sew 1 side seam together, leave the other side open. Hem it.
3. Cut about a yard and a half of fabric into 3 inch bias strips, sew all the strips together, then ruffle that entire long strip.
4. Sew the ruffly strip down to the top of your skirt all the way across both front and back (the skirt will resemble a rectangle when opened up). Cut the ruffly strip at the edge and sew down the next row, making sure the first row slightly overlaps it. Rinse and repeat. The last ruffly row should extend beyond the hem of your skirt.
5. Sew the fold-over knit waistband to the skirt.
Done!
It was time consuming, but incredibly easy. If you want a more thorough tutorial, I recommend this one (oh Disney, will we ever stop referencing your blog? I doubt it!)
I really love this voile. It’s not as buttery as AMH voile, but it is still soft and sheer and has a nice drape. Plus, it was only 5 bucks a yard here. And (oh my gosh you guys, please do not tell her I said this) I like this print more for adult clothing. Serious girl crush and this skirt notwithstanding, I was not a huge fan of any of AMH’s prints as clothing for my own self. For anything and everything else, yes please.
Oh, and I almost forgot to tell you the most important thing! The reason I cut all those strips on the bias was so they won’t fray, and therefore I wouldn’t have to hem them! Wahoo for saving another 5 hours off this project!
Now go make yourself one and then traipse around a mall and see the ones that every single store is currently selling. Ponder whether it would’ve been better to spend $15 on one and save yourself some work. Decide not.
So. Very. Cute.
You could have saved the money, but then, what are the odds of finding the print you want, the length you need, and the right amount of ruffles? That’s the joy of making things yourself – it’s always custom. And in this case, absolutely adorable.
I love this skirt. Beautiful!
love the shoes. and the skirt is super cute, too.
Definitely worth all the gathering! Navy and white combo is so classic looking, great job!
This is a beautiful skirt! I’m worried about not hemming the voile. Now you’ve had the skirt for a while (and I’m guessing thrown it in the wash) how has it held up? Has it frayed much? I’d love to know because I’m definitely going to make one I just want to know if I should take the time to hem all those strips :)
sweetunwrappinglife: I hope you see this since I couldn’t find your email address. It truly does not fray when cut on the bias. The edges might become a little soft, but not unless you get within inches and look for it. And to be honest, unless I spill spaghetti sauce all over myself (highly possible), this isn’t one of those articles of clothing that you wash every time you wear. Or every 7 times. Not because of the fraying issue, but because of the ironing! I would also recommend hanging it to dry. Again, because of the ironing headache.