Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Knit Maxi Skirt

I LOVE Maxi skirts. I especially love knit maxi skirts because you look cute yet feel like you're in your pajamas. Yesterday was my first attempt at making a knit maxi skirt and I think it turned out pretty well. Take a look and let me know what you think.

I purchased 1 yard of knit fabric from Hancock Fabrics. It was a thicker knit which is MUCH easier to sew than thin knit material. The material was 36" x 60" .


Step 1: Fold your fabric in half Then cut it so that you have two pieces that are 36 inches x 30 inches.

Step 2: Cut a 4 inch strip down the side (cutting through both pieces). Now your two pieces should be 32 inches x 30 inches
Step 3: Pin your two large pieces together and then sew up the sides. Don't sew the top or the bottom.
Step 4: Take one of the 4 inch strips you cut out earlier and hold it up to your hip bones. Find the distance between your two hipbones and mark that. Double that amount and sew a circle. It will look like this when your done: When you hold this band up to your hip bones it should fit the length. (So make sure you allow an extra 1/2 inch for the seam when you sew it)
Step 5: You are going to attach your skirt to this band. The band will be significantly smaller than the large rectangular piece of material you now have. You are going to first attach the two sides of your "skirt" to the two sides of the band by pinning them together. Next you will pin the center together and then pin on each side of the center. Wherever you pin you will make a pleat. When your done, you should have about 5 pleats on each side, so that the band and the top of your skirt are now the same size.

*Remember, make sure that you pin the two pieces front to front so that the seem is on the inside of the skirt when you're done and not visible on the outside.

It was tough getting a picture of how this works but below is a picture of how it should look when finsihed.


Step 6: Once you've attached the entire band to the top of your skirt You will want to attach the other 4 inch band to the top of the band that is already attached. Again, remember to sew the two pieces front to front so that the seam isn't visible. You will have some extra fabric which will need to be cut off so that the two bands are the same size.

Step 7: Once the two bands are sewn together, sew the second band down and attach it to the inside of your skirt, where your first seem is. This way the band at the top of your skirt is double thick and there are no visible seams on the outside of your skirt.




Hopefully this tutorial wasn't two confusing. I didn't do anything with the bottom because I think it looks fine just the way it is. Since it is knit it won't fray. One thing you could do is sew a ruffle at the bottom if you had some extra knit material. For info on how to make a ruffle, click here.

And that's it! I think it looks great and I can't wait to wear it (and make it other colors!!)

1 comment:

  1. This skirt is so cute, and looks comfy! You could dress it up/down. Love it! Thanks for the link at my party - I'm following, now, so I won't miss any of your posts! Yay!

    Have a great week!
    -Heather
    Stringtown Home

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