A Fall Skirt

This past weekend, I made a quick stop by my local quilt shop. In addition to a few quilty purchases, I also picked up this pretty batik from the sale shelves. My wardrobe needs a few additions for fall, and at $7 a yard, it was also a great bargain.

Sassy Skirts by Cindy Taylor Oates is my go to book for skirt making. There are lots of variations in the book but I confess that I have only made the simple A-line, elastic waist version. That is mostly because I tend to wear busy print skirts with solid tops so most extras in the sewing pattern end up getting lost in the busy print of the fabric.

There is only one pattern piece which is used to cut the front and the back of the skirt. I always make french seams on the sides to prevent ugly fraying over time as the skirt is washed and worn. To make a french seam, sew the wrong sides together first using a 1/4" seam. Press the seam allowance to one side. Then turn the skirt so that right sides are together and stitch a 3/8" seam. The 1/4" seam is caught inside the 3/8" seam so no raw edges are visible.

Then press under a 1/4" on the top of the skirt, and press again 1/8" wider than the elastic you will use in the waist band. The pattern calls for 1/2" elastic but I like mine wider so I used 1 1/4" wide elastic and pressed under 1 3/8" to form the waist band. Stitch it down near the edge leaving an opening to insert the elastic. Once the elastic is in, finish stitching down the waist band. I love how fast this goes together and how neat and finished it looks.

In the same way the waist band was pressed under, turn under and press for the hem. 1/4" first, then whatever width you need to make the skirt the right length for you. If this is more than a couple of inches, it would be better to cut off some of the length and then turn under the hem. I like to top stitch the hem and added three rows for this skirt.

This skirt is a little longer than what I usually make but is a good length for fall and also looks pretty snazzy with my boots. It's almost boot season! From start to finish, this skirt took a little more than an hour to make. What a fun way to spend a sewing evening.