Circle Skirt Tutorial from Who Is That Girl Mo?

Hello!

Today's guest poster is Mo from Who Is That Girl Mo? and another member of Stitch Once, Rip Twice!  She let me be her "plus one"at Mimi G's conference, which she mentioned in this post.  So basically, we're fabric shopping buddies now.  :)  I even shared a few tips on how to bargain with the fabric vendors, like I do when I head to the swap meet.

First check out her post below on how to draft and sew your own circle skirt.  Then, check out her blog for her fashion and sewing tips!  She's a full-service blogging sewist, for real!  Drafts a garment, shares the tutorial, sews it up, and shows how she styles it.  Awesome!

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Hey! I'm Mo and my blog is all about sharing my personal style and diy projects.  I started my blog just before Christmas last year and since then my style has evolved tremendously. I also love to refashion pieces of clothing with little to no sewing. Easy and fun is what works for me. I'm also a beginner sewer and today I'll be sharing a tutorial on how to make a circle skirt. I hope it will inspire you to make one of your own. :-) Thanks!

You should know by now how obsessed I was with skater skirts. If you didn't you can read about it in this post. Since I didn't have a skater skirt I decided to make one on my own. I read some blog tutorials and watched a couple of youtube videos and took different pieces of info from what I learned and combined it. It was pretty easy to make. The most tedious part for me was sewing the hem of the skirt. It was so long all I kept thinking was "FML" and when I finally finished, of course I didn't like the skirt. I was extremely tired but I actually do like it and now that I have made my own I am no longer obsessed over the skater skirt trend. Yeah, I know it's only been a couple of weeks but that's me, I get over some things quickly. Here's my tutorial.

Supplies needed:

1 1/2 - 2 yards fabric

7 in or longer zipper

matching thread

chalk or marking pencil

measuring tape

scissors

sewing machine

1. Make sure fabric is at least 50 inches wide. The wider the better. My fabric was only 44 inches but I got lucky.

2. Fold the fabric in half lengthwise. Make sure the raw edges are lined up and the fabric is smoothed out.

3. Fold it in half again. You should have a square shape or something close.

4. Take your waist measurement where you want the skirt to be. Skater skirts are usually around the belly button. Divide your measurement by 6.28. This is your waist radius.

5. Using the corner of the fabric where there are no raw edges only folds, measure your waist radius and make a mark. I used a plate to get a even round circle and connected the mark with the ends of the fabric.

6. Take the measuring tape and place it diagonally under the marked waist line and mark the desired length of the skirt.

7. Use a ruler or something round or you can just eyeball it and mark the bottom of the skirt. I used a skirt I already had. (This is when I realized I indeed had a skater skirt from a longer skirt that I  thrifted and cut shorter.)

8. Cut both marked lines. When you open the skirt you should have a full circle with a hole in the middle.

9. Fold the skirt in half where it looks almost moon shaped. Cut straight down the middle only on one side. You can also cut down on the fold on the side of the skirt.

10. Using the excess fabric, cut  a rectangle the length of your waist measurement for your waistband. Make sure one side is on the fold. Cut it as wide as you like. I think I cut mine about 2 inches wide.

11. Sew down the open edge of the waistband wrong sides facing each other. Iron the band flat.

12. Pull the waistband through so that you can see the right side of the fabric.

13. Pin the waistband down to the waist of the skirt right sides facing each other with the seam on the edge of the waist. Make sure the ends of the band are lined up with the open split of the skirt and the.

14. Sew around the waist about 5/8 in from the seam of the band.

15. place and pin the zipper down to the open edge of the skirt. Make sure the top of the zipper is even with the top of the skirt.

16. Sew a seam along the edges from the bottom of the skirt and stop where the zipper ends.

17. Using a zipper foot, sew each side of the zipper to the skirt.

18. Fold the bottom of the skirt about 1/2 inch twice to create the hem. Iron flat.

19. Sew a straight stitch around.

20. I ironed creases on my skirt to give it a pleated look. You can also sew pleats onto to the skirt.

Outfit Details:

Tee (old) - Forever 21

Cardigan (old) - H&M Men's

Skirt - DIY

Boots - Dillards

Necklace and bracelets - DIY

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Thanks Mo!  I love the one skater skirt I own, and now I know how to make more!  It'll be a good reason to cut into that huge fabric stash that I keep adding to.  :)

Remember to visit Mo's blog for more fashion and sewing tips.  Thanks again!