When you sew a long, flowing skirt yourself you have the freedom to choose a unique fabric and sew a skirt especially for your body type and measurements. To create a slimming effect, sew a skirt that has little fabric at the waste but a flowing bottom. To create a lengthening effect that will make you look taller, sew a skirt that reaches all the way down to your ankles. Sewing a long, flowing skirt is fun and affordable, and guarantees you an eye-popping skirt that no one else has.
To sew your skirt you will need:
— Measuring tape.
— Cloth chalk or an ordinary marker.
— Enough skirt fabric to go around the widest part of your hips with an additional 24 inches. (Note: to save money on skirt fabric, choose a fabric that reaches to the floor when you wrap it around yourself.)
— Sewing thread that disappears into your skirt fabric.
— Sewing pins, 1 safety pin, and 1″ elastic band.
Now Here’s How to Sew Your Long, Flowing Skirt
Step #1. Measure Yourself
To begin sewing your skirt, wrap a measuring tape around the widest point of your hips. This will dictate the minimal size of the top of the skirt you are sewing. Next, measure yourself to determine the desired length of the skirt you are sewing. Add 3 inches to this measurement to allow for the top elastic and bottom hem. Note: Wearing the skirt at a low-waste rise will be especially slimming.
Step #2. Mark the Skirt Fabric
For the flowing effect, you will sew a skirt that’s made of four sections. Begin by spreading your skirt fabric face-up on a flat surface. Divide the measurement above in four, then using cloth chalk or a marker, mark this measurement at the top of your skirt fabric 3 inches from the side. Next, add another 3 inches at the opposite end and mark with a dot. After this, mark the length measurement on the skirt fabric, but this time there is no need to mark the dot that separates the additional 3 inches. Complete the marking of the first skirt section by drawing a curved line from the bottom (where you include the 3 inches on each side) to the top (where you don’t). To make sure you sew a skirt that is perfectly symmetrical, do not mark the opposite line (I’ll explain soon).
Step #3. Cut the Skirt Sections
To cut the sections for the skirt you are sew begin by cutting along the line you drew on the skirt fabric. (Remember that you include the 3 inches on the top but not on the bottom.) Now, to ensure that you sew a skirt that’s perfectly symmetrical, fold the fabric in half and cut the opposite side to match. After this, cut three additional identical skirt sections by using the first as a yardstick. Note: since you are sewing a skirt with identical sections, you don’t have to worry about whether the skirt fabric is facing up or down as you cut it.
Step #4. Sew the Skirt
To assemble the skirt you are sewing, turn the four sections face down and stretch them on your flat work surface. Connect them with pins, making sure the tops go with tops, and bottoms with bottoms. Then sew the skirt sections together. You should end up with a long, flowing skirt that tappers at the top.
Step #5. Sew the Skirt’s Elastic Top
To finish sewing the skirt, turn it inside out, then iron the seams flat. Next fold the top twice, to create a 1.5 inch channel for the elastic band. Use pins to keep the folds together until you sew the skirt elastic channel, making sure to sew along the bottom of the fold in the skirt fabric. Do not sew the skirt top all around, but leave a small space to slip the elastic through. Now, cut an elastic band to fit the top measurement of your skirt (add 1 inch for securing the elastic, and make sure the elastic band will go over the widest point of your thighs when it is fully stretched). Then place a safety pin at one end of the elastic band and use it to thread the band through the channel. Sew the skirt elastic tightly together where the two ends meet, then sew the narrow opening you had left in the channel.
Step #6. Sew the Skirt’s Bottom Hem
Now put the final touch on sewing your long, flowing skirt by hemming the bottom. You can either fold the bottom twice and sew. Or add a silk trim over the end of the skirt fabric, for a prettier hem that will add a little flare to the bottom of the skirt.
