Aw, man! It’s been aaaaages! Actually a matter of a few weeks but it feels like ages. My new job has been taking up alot of my time & energy over the Christmas period and then….then my sewing machine went and died on me (she’s better now you’ll be pleased to hear!). But thankyou to all of you who have dropped me a line to check I haven’t fallen off the face of the earth!
Whilst said sewing machine was out of action I’ve had a bit of a dabble with my new overlocker (yay for Aldi!). I have to say, I’m slightly smitten! If you want a quick dressmaking fix and the ability to whip a garment up in under an hour….you can’t beat a bit of overlocking to fill the sewing void! This skirt is a case in point. Made from an Aztec ponte esque double jersey from Minerva Crafts currently in the sale at £4.99 per metre; whipped up in less than 40 mins; sooooooo comfy and sooooo easy! Look, adjustable length too! No magic to that… it’s just because it sits comfortably on the hips or the waist, depending on your preference….
Start by creating a simple tube, serged down both sides, that fits you snugly and is several inches longer than you want the finished skirt to be. Then lop a band off the top that is double the width you want your finished waistband to be, plus a bit of seam allowance…
Serge about 1 1/2″ off one side of that band so it is slightly shorter than the width of your skirt top. Then fold the band in half, wrong sides together with raw edges even…
To attach the waistband, turn the skirt part right side out, then pin the band, right sides together, to the top of the skirt, with raw edges all together. Serge all the way round…..stretching slightly to take up the slack of the skirt top, which is obviously slightly larger than the band…
Then flip the waistband up and press…ta dah! I PROMISE, this is the comfiest waistband EVER! Then simply hem the skirt to the desired length and your’re done 🙂
Please feel free to share your super quick and easy serger projects in the comments section….I’m on the lookout for more! Consider me hooked!
Makes me wish I had a serger! One day…glad to see you back! I love your style and this skirt is gorgeous 🙂
Hurrah! You are back! This is a great skirt. I haven’t been using my overlocker that much, but hoping to get to grips with it more this year. Love your hair! It really suits you!
So glad your back Portia and with a very cool skirt. Also, is that a new, cute haircut again? You look like a cute, little pixie!!!
Dang…that’s impressive! And that skirt looks great on you 🙂 Hmmm…maybe I should stop being a wimp and look into a serger?!
Deer and Doe just released a free top pattern for knits. It sounds like it’s a pretty quick make and it has a lovely tunic feel to it.
Nice to see you again! What a fun skirt!
So simple but so effective! So Aldi for an overlocket? Was that a while ago? Wish I’d known about that!
That’s lovely fabric. And I like your softer hairdo!
Great skirt, love the fabric!
I love the print of this fabric! Also, your hair looks AMAZING. I wish I didn’t have insane curls so I could cut it short and cute like yours! I’m definitely going to try this skirt – I think it’ll look super cute with a Victory Patterns Satsuki top over!
I am going to try that trick for waist band when making leggings. Thank you so much for the clear tutorial. I love the skirt!
Such a lovely skirt Portia, that fabric is fab. Thanks for such a great tutorial. Hope you’re machine gets fixed soon x
Very cute:) also is your hair different or am I crazy? 🙂
I like that waist band trick! I’m learning how to sew and working on a skirt. Love your blog!
http://whenthecowscomedancinghome.blogspot.com/
Your skirt is almost as cute as your hair. :o)
http://www.dressupnotdown.blogspot.com
Loving the fabric, the method and the final result – will replicate (to a total rip-off) 🙂
You’re looking gorgeous, and I LOVE the new skirt! Beautiful with simple, elegant black – perfect outfit! 🙂
Hi Portia, great to see you back. I first read this on my phone through a reader so I didn’t take much notice of the photos then just saw your latest post and clicked right through to check out the hair style! Love it, very cute and much easier to look after I should think. Great skirt too!
Portia, I am just starting to get caught up on blog world after being away for quite some time. I wanted to take a moment to tell you that you are looking fabulous. I love the new hair cut and your natural color is just beautiful. The skirt is a great staple, I love the way you styled it for these photos.
Aw, thanks Annabelle! Nice to hear from you after so long!
Px
Thanks for the tutorial. I have made the exact same skirt and love it!
http://littleblackduckblog.wordpress.com/2014/03/31/tube-skirt-inspired-by-miss-p/
Hi love this skirt, how much fabric did you use, I’m a beginner.
Thanks
Anna
Thanks Anna! Gosh that was ages ago! Basically you’d need no more fabric than the length of skirt you want to make (plus say 5″ for folded waistband/hemming). The width of a standard 60″ wide fabric is sufficient to cut out the front and back for all sizes. Even a 45″ wide fabric should be wide enough for most as it’s a stretch fabric. So you need only consider how long you want your skirt to be (including waistband) when deciding how much fabric to buy. Then probably round up to the nearest quarter metre. (ie always buy a little more than you think you need) So half a metre would do a mini to knee length skirt. A metre would do a maxi length. Does that make sense?