Point of View and The May Day Skirt Tutorial

Welcome to the first ever Point of View {a creative collaboration} reveal! The theme for March was skirts, and the members of Point of View definitely rose to the occasion. Without further ado, here are this month's skirt projects...

1. Amy from Ameroonie Designs

2. Michelle from A Little Tipsy

3. Camilla from Rosy Red Buttons

4. Gwen from Gwenny Penny (scroll down to find my tutorial for The May Day Skirt)

5. Stacy from Not JUST a Housewife

6. Jonie from Just Between Friends

Aren't they phenomenal? I love seeing each member's take on the skirt theme. You can check out each of the tutorials by visiting each of the blogs listed above, and scroll down here to see the tutorial for my skirt.

Do you have a skirt project, past or present, that you would like to share? Whether you made up your own design, used a pattern, used another blogger's tutorial, or refashioned an existing skirt, we would like to invite you to join the Point of View skirt link party over at Not JUST a Housewife. But before you do that, I'd like to introduce you to...

This is a simple skirt with a little something extra. See that thin purple line of fabric between the main fabric and the bottom band? Here's a closer look...

Isn't it pretty? I love that it adds a little extra interest and contrast to the skirt. This is the skirt that both of my girls will be wearing on Easter this year.

Want to make one? Here's the how-to...

Materials:

• main fabric (about a 1/2 yd)
• bottom band fabric (1/4 yard)
• accent fabric (thin band of fabric between the main fabric and the bottom band of fabric)
• 3/4" wide non-roll elastic
• 2 safety pins
• thread

Instructions:

1. Start by determining the size of your skirt. You'll need to take two measurements.
   Measurement A: Measure from the waist to the knee, or whatever length you want your skirt to be. Measurement B: Measure your child around the waist. Make sure it's snug.
   
   
2. It's time to cut your fabric. Cut a strip of your main fabric that is the entire width of your fabric (selvage to selvage... mine was about 42" after washing it and cutting off the edges) by your Measurement A. Once you have this strip cut, cut it in half so that you have two pieces that are your Measurement A by about 21". Next, cut your bottom band. Cut a strip of your bottom band fabric that is the entire width of your fabric (selvage to selvage) by 5.5". Once you have this strip cut, cut it in half so that you have two pieces that are 5.5" by about 21". Finally, cut a strip of your accent fabric that is the entire width of your fabric (selvage to selvage) by 1" tall. Once you have this strip cut, cut it in half so that you have two pieces that are 1" by about 21". All six of your pieces should be the same length. You should have two of each of these...





3. Take your two main fabric pieces, place them right sides together, and sew down both short sides using a 1/2" seam allowance. Serge or zigzag stitch in both seams to prevent fraying.



4. Take your two bottom band fabric pieces, place them right sides together, and sew down both short sides using a 1/2" seam allowance. Do not zigzag in the seam. Take your two accent fabric pieces, place them right sides together, and sew down both short sides using a 1/2" seam allowance. Do not zigzag in the seam. Press the seams open on both the bottom band and the accent fabric.
   
   
   
   
   Fold the bottom band and the accent fabric tube in half with wrong sides together. Press all the way around.
   
   
   


5. Now it's time to assemble the skirt. Turn your main fabric tube right side out. Slip your accent fabric tube around the bottom of the main fabric tube, lining up the raw edges. Also line up your side seams.
   
   
   
   
   Baste (using a very long running stitch) all the way around about 1/8" from the raw edges.
   
   
   


6. Slip your bottom band fabric tube over the bottom of the main fabric/accent fabric tube, lining up the raw edges. Also line up your side seams. Make sure you reset your machine to a shorter stitch length. Sew all the way around about 1/4" from the raw edges (the bottom). Serge or zigzag stitch all the way around the edge to prevent fraying.
   
   
   


7. Flip your bottom band down, turn your skirt wrong side out, and press the seam toward the bottom of the skirt all the way around.
   
   
   
   
   Turn your skirt right side out.
   
   
   
   
   Topstitch all the way around your skirt about 1/8" down from the top of your bottom band.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
8. Now it's time for the waistband. Turn your skirt wrong side out. Fold over the top (waistband) of your main fabric 1". Press all the way around. Fold over again (another 1") and press again.
   
   
   
   
   Sew all the way around about 1/8" from the bottom of the waistband, leaving a 3" opening.
   
   
   


9. Cut your elastic to length (Measurement B). Using a safety pin, pin one end of the elastic to your skirt near your 3" opening. Grab another safety pin, and attach the pin to the opposite end of your elastic. Use this pin to feed the elastic through the waistband casing, making sure it doesn't get twisted. Once you get the elastic all the way through, overlap the two ends of the elastic and zigzag stitch back and forth over the overlap several times.





10. Close up the opening in the waistband casing, being careful not to sew through the elastic. Now turn that skirt right side out, and you're done!

OK, now you can run over to the Point of View skirt link party at Not JUST a Housewife:) I'll be featuring some of your skirts in a post next week. Hope to see you at the party!

I'm linking up...