DIY Simple Upcycled Skirt

Today I have another easy upcycle project to share with you, this time venturing into the world of dressmaking. This style of skirt is simple to make as well as being thrifty so it's perfect for a beginner project!

You will need: a piece of fabric (for my skirt I used a Spider-Man duvet cover but any piece of fabric will work!), a sewing machine, an iron, pins, 1" wide elastic, a tape measure & a safety pin

1. First up you'll need to cut your fabric to size, start by measuring around your waist. Next decide on what length you want your skirt to be, remember you'll need to add on extra to allow for hemming. If you're not sure what length you want measure from your waist to knee and use this measurement as a starting point.
To calculate the size of your fabric double your waist measurement - if you want a fuller skirt triple it!

For example, if your waist measurement is 27" and your waist to knee measurement is 22" your piece of fabric should measure 54 x 22"

Cut your piece of elastic to your waist measurement plus 1" - so in our example the elastic would be 28" long



2. Next up we need to turn the strip of fabric into a tube by joining together the two ends. To achieve a neat finish without an overlocker, fold over and iron the edges of your fabric then use a zig zag or similar stitch to secure in place.



3. Next, place your edges of fabric right sides facing and stitch together about 1/2" from the edge. Press out your seam so it's nice and flat.



4. Now we're going to work on creating the waist of the skirt. As before fold over about 1/4" and iron the top edge of your fabric, then fold over again this time just over an inch to allow space for your elastic to be threaded through and again iron in place.

5. Next you'll need to stitch this in place and sew all the way around the fabric approx. 1/4 away from the edge. Before you start to sew make sure you have left a gap of around 2" so that you have space to thread the elastic.



6. Attach a safety pin to the end of your length of elastic and thread through the channel you just created to make the waist of the skirt. When you reach the other end pull your elastic through enough so that you can fit it under your sewing machine

7. Overlap the two ends of elastic and stitch together - make sure you backstitch to keep it secure!



8. Thread the elastic back through the skirt and place under your sewing machine foot. Stretch out the section where you left a gap earlier so that it is flat allowing you to sew it up.

9. The final step is to hem the skirt. Just as you did to create the waist fold over about 1/4" and iron in place, then fold over again to the length you want to skirt to be and stitch in place.

We'd love to hear from you if you try out this DIY project - use the hashtag #eightandsixteen to share your photos with us!

Erin

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