welcome to sew fun!! i'm so excited to share my love for sewing skirts with you! here you will find an introductory course into sewing with three different kinds of skirts: circle skirts, gathered skirts, and pleated skirts. make sure to look through the overview first to get all the background information you'll need to construct each kind of skirt! while there is a lot of information in the project, please read below for a comprehensive step-by-step guide to making any kind of skirt. there are also going to be many additional tutorial links :) press m to return to the menu at any time! use the arrow keys to navigate through the slides. ★ typical skirt process (with pockets) ★ 1. (depending on the project) make the pattern 2. gather the pattern, fabric, and elastic or zipper 3. carefully measure and cut out all of the pieces from the fabric 4. pin and sew each pocket piece to the sides of the skirt pieces 5. sew up one side of the skirt (remember to sew around the pocket, not through it!) (also remember to finish your seams!) 6. (depending on the project) gather or pleat 7. if using a zipper, sew up the other side up to the point the zipper would begin (bottom of the skirt up to zipper) 8. if not using a zipper, sew up the other side normally 9. -- try on the skirt to make sure it fits! (do this throughout!) 10. attach the waistband. (finish your seams!) if using elastic, make sure to leave a section unsewn in order to insert it 11. if using elastic, pull through the skirt and sew to itself to form a circle (make sure there are no twists in the elastic!!) 12. sew up the unsewn portion from the elastic insertion if necessary 13. if using zipper, attach it now (press z in the overview section to skip to this slide). it may also be necessary to sew in a hook and eye by hand, which is just an extra closure at the top to help you get the skirt zipped up and down. tutorial will be linked below. 14. hem the bottom by folding the fabric up twice with a specific measurement (such as 1/2") to ensure a straight hem (remember the circle skirt tip if necessary) 15. and you're done! wear that skirt!! you may be able to see why a simple step-by-step is difficult- there are so many different ways to make a skirt! however, this list should work for each of these kinds of skirts. it will take some problem solving, decision making, and serious thinking to construct your own skirt! here are a few shortcuts within the overview portion to skip between sections! press... C for choosing fabric F for finishing seams H for hems E for elastic Z for zippers P for pockets remember: cfhezp! lol ^^ now for the massive list of links!! ★ circle skirt calculator ★ https://byhandlondon.com/pages/circle-skirt-app (note that it does not give you a customizable skirt length, but that is fairly easy to figure out on your own. also if it tells you that a standard width of fabric will not work, there are ways to get around this! if you have questions about this let me know in the comments.) ★ extra tutorials ★ french seams - https://youtu.be/1IKzP65czM8 hand sewing (this is by Bernadette Banner) - https://youtu.be/39C_oYPgTpY detailed elastic casing tutorial - https://youtu.be/PnsR-by7kKk ladder stitching - https://youtu.be/WbE5hXt27uU zippers - https://youtu.be/oHDDhUzIXPY (she also has a great tutorial on pockets!) overview of pleats - https://youtu.be/Kloye-PRZVM another pleat tutorial - https://youtu.be/FMO2gRzA3qM ★ additional resources ★ the first skirt i ever made used this tutorial! it's a gathered skirt - https://youtu.be/aOUtmg5LQfI angela clayton is a great resource for tutorials and sewing content! take a look at this scratch project on hand sewing! https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/111813249/ if you already know how to sew and have 100% cotton fabric and 1/4" elastic on hand, please consider making masks for places in need in your area! there are many tutorials available on making these and there is a need for fabric masks in many fields. here is one such tutorial with connections to places that need masks: https://youtu.be/H_-YJ-Bsi6o once i learned how to use my sewing machine and the basics of sewing from a few sewing lessons, i learned everything else that i used to make skirts from youtube! it is a valuable resource as long as you do not fall down any rabbit holes of entertainment. stick to constructive content and you will learn a lot! also note that even if you can't go out and buy fabric right now, there are plenty of online fabric stores out there! one that i have ordered from before is califabrics.com. they have a wide variety of apparel fabric- but be aware of whether you are getting woven or knit :) i typically buy 2-3 yards of fabric for a skirt. if you have any questions about sewing or these instructions, please ask them in the comments! i would also love to hear about anything that you make as a result of this project :D i hope you are all staying safe in this time! #sewing #sew
