I am not a trendy person. I don’t really “get” fashion for the most part, even though I love it. But every now and again, I see a trend that I feel is worth the effort of trying. Bring in the Midi-Skirt. I tend towards classic lines as it is, so this elegant length is right up my alley. When I went out to make this skirt, I decided that I would do something a little risky and incorporate 2 trends! Crazy right? I also decided to hop on the “shear” tend bandwagon for this one. So here ya go: a two-in-one deal J

I will say right off the bat that I didn’t measure out my yardage, so it’s all just an estimate.

 

What you’ll need:

-

. I chose silk chiffon in navy (because it was $2.97/yd at G-Street). You’ll need roughly enough fabric to go around your waist twice

 

-A lining fabric, enough to go around your waist 1.5 times

-Small amount of stiff fabric

-Zipper

 

*** I oriented my fabric so the selvage would be along the waist line, it just makes it easier***

1. Pleat the top edge along the whole length like so. Once you have it pinned in place, sew and press.

2. For the lining: You are going to make 8 pleats, each 0.5” like in step 1. To do this, wrap the fabric around yourself, leaving the back open (that’s where the zipper will be). If you have a dress form, this part is much easier. You are going to have 2 pleats on the front, one on each side, and 4 in the back. You don’t need to be terribly precise, because this is the lining. You just need the pleats to add some volume and make it easier to move

3. Now comes the waist band. Take your waist measurement and divide by two, then add 1” for seam allowance. Using a bendy ruler, make a 2” wide strip seen below. Cut 1 out of your lining, and 1 out of a stiffer fabric (this will be on the inside)

4. Take your measurement from step 3, divide by 2, then add 0.5” for seam allowance. Cut 2 of lining and 2 of the stiffer fabric

 

5. For each waist band set (the lining and the stiff fabric) sew the back pieces to the front, 0.5” seam allowance

6. Now we will pin our pleated chiffon to the waist band made from our lining fabric (Make sure right sides are together!)

7. Now pin the lining to the waist band on the opposite side as the chiffon. So it will look like so:

8. Sew using a 0.5” seam allowance. Press

9. Take your waist band made from the stiffer fabric and finish the bottom edge. You can surge it or roll it, it doesn’t matter

10. Sew the top of the waistbands together

11. Press out this seam. You are then going to sew the seam allowance towards the back (stiffer fabric). You want the stitch to be as close to the seam in step 10 with out actually being in it.

12.Press down stiff waist band so that the bottom edge covers the seam from step 8, pin

10.On the outside of your skirt, sew just below the seam in step 8, as close as you can with out being in the seam. When you do this, you want to be sure to catch the stiff waist band

11.Now is the point to decide your length. I wanted to wait till this point so I could really see what it would look like. I went for right at the knee so that I didn’t look too chopped off (about 22”). Then I went 6” shorter for the lining. I thought it would make the overall look a little “younger”. Cut your layers, leaving 0.5” for a hem

12.A rolled hem is the best for these types of fabrics. So I ended up with a ¼” hem

13.Finish the open edges on the back of your skirt. You can roll them or surge (although not recommended for chiffon), or whatever else you may want to try.

14.Install your invisible zipper, about 5-6”. You don’t need much

15. Sew your back together below the zipper. Then you’re all done!!

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