Easy Gored Skirt Tutorial

I thought I'd make my daughter a gored skirt, too, just based on measurements -- and it worked!  So, here's a tutorial.  It's probably not perfect, so feel free to leave any helpful comments if you give it a try.

For your fabric width:
1.  Measure around your hips (widest point around your bum -- your skirt needs to fit over this widest point) =  _____"
2.  Add 2"for give = _____"
3.  Add an inch for each seam (# of main panels, in my case 6") = _____"  (I ended up doing 1/2" approx. seams, so that really only adds 3" extra in addition to my extra 2" for a total of 5" wider than the hips.  This left a good amount of wiggle room, but not too much.)

**So, for my daughter's skirt, I took her waist measurement of 25", added 2", then added 6".  This gave me a width of 33".

For your skirt length:
4.  Measure from your waist to however long you want your skirt to land = _____"
5.  Add 1.25" for the waistband = _____"
6.  Add 3/4" for the hem = _____"

7.  Cut out your skirt fabric according to the above width and length.

8.  It's easiest if you are doing an even number of panels in your skirt.  You could divide the width by the number of desired panels and measure them out and cut them, but I just folded my fabric in half and then thirds and then cut it down the folds to get my 6 panels.

 9.  Next, I cut some long triangles to fit between the panels.  I didn't do any magic math or anything, just hoped it would work.  The width at the bottom of the triangle is just a bit smaller than than the width of the rectangles.  I think, though, I did try to get the triangles to end right up about the height of the pubic bone.

10.  Now, sew in the triangles.  Just place a triangle and a rectangle, right sides together, sew, then zig zag (or surge it together if you have one!).  Then, place a second rectangle over the combined triangle/rectangle piece and sew that together the same way, but securing all the way to the top of the rectangles.  It's a little tricky lining up that second rectangle piece as to not let the tip of the triangle poke through wrong.  You may have to pick out a time or two before you get used to it.  Continue piecing together all the way around.

11.  I realized that my skirt was going to end up a little short, so I added enough fabric at the top for the waistband casing and a couple more inches.  To make the casing for your elastic, either fold the fabric under 1/4" and then another 1 1/16" (or just a little bigger than the width of your elastic) or zigzag your edge then fold it down and stich all the way around a little wider than the width of your elastic leaving an opening to feed your elastic through with a safety pin.

12.  Feed your elastic through using a safety pin.  I like to cut my elastic an inch or two smaller than the waist size. I  used Wal-Mart elastic, so it is kind of stretchy, so 23" for the elastic seemed good.  Stich the waistband casing closed.

13.  Hem the bottom of the skirt.  I just folded the bottom under approximately 1/4" and then again 1/2" and stitched.

14.  Let your little girl wear it with something that doesn't really match!

Patriotic Skirt

My SIL gave us the darling skirt in the top picture for the baby.  I thought I'd copy the idea into a patriotic skirt.  I think it turned out really cute.  We gave it away for a b-day present.

Cut-offs to Skirt

I cut off the lower half of some of my daughter's jeans that had holes in them and hemmed them into shorts.  The bottom parts that I'd cut off looked like they'd make a cute skirt for little sister!  I also added birdie shorts underneath!  She loves her new skirt!

Patriotic Infant Peasant Dress

 I managed to make this little dress from Sew Much Ado yesterday (free pattern!!).  Took around an hour.  I think it turned out cute.  Now we can all match for Independence day.

Gored Skirt

I got yards and yards and yards of this fabric from my aunt.  Last year, I made my girls some patriotic dresses with it:

I never got around to making me something, though, until now.

As I searched for a "patriotic skirt" for ideas, I came across a "propaganda dress":

I searched for other 1940s dresses and found a cute wrap around dress:

I tried to make the dress over the last couple days by adjusting a pattern I had, but didn't have luck.  I gave up and took it apart and just made the skirt.

I've never found making a gored skirt quite so simple!  I didn't use a pattern, and I think it was easier.  I may have to make a tutorial. The skirt turned out longer than I wanted, and maybe too much width, but I'll work out the kinks.  I entered it into the Crafterhours skirt week contest.  Funny because the contest ends tonight and I made the skirt today.  I don't think it's that cute, but it's fun that the girls and I match.

Somehow I made the above skirt just a bit bigger than my liking.  I pulled out a couple panels and it fits much better!

Easter Activity

So, this isn't a craft, but it was a fun Easter activity for Family Home Evening tonight.

My husband began by talking about Easter and the resurrection, where Christ was crucified, where His body was put when He died, etc.  Then my husband asked the kids about who came to the tomb and what happened -- Jesus wasn't there.

To demonstrate, after we reviewed the story, my husband pulled out a paper sack to represent the tomb and asked one of our daughters to put a Lego guy in it to represent Jesus (I hope that's not sacrilegious) and roll up the bag.
 

 

When it came time to open the bag (when Mary came), Jesus was not there!

You should have seen the look on the kids' faces!  Where did the Lego guy go?  They were pretty amazed. 

Well, it's pretty obvious to us, I'm sure, but just in case to make it clear, he previously cut a hole in the bottom of the bag and grabbed the Lego guy out as our daughter rolled up the bag.  He hid the Lego guy in his hand until it was time to be "resurrected."

You'd think someone would have taught this part of the Easter story like this, so maybe you've never thought of it either.

After this activity, we needed to fill some Easter eggs for an activity on Friday.  We asked the kids what Easter eggs have to do with the resurrection of Christ.  Our 8 year old son was quick to share an answer.  He said that the Easter egg is like the tomb, and when you open it up, the candy inside is like Jesus coming out of the tomb.  That's good, I'm glad he can put pagan with Christian.  We may as well think of it like that these days.

Then we asked, so what do Easter bunnies have to do with Easter?  Our 8 year old summarized a story he'd heard at the school library about some witch and some birds and the witch turned the birds into bunnies and that's why Easter bunnies lay eggs.  It was pretty funny.  He knew it wasn't real, but it was the best explanation as to why in the world Easter bunnies lay eggs.  I'll take the Cadbury type any day.

Then we had fun telling the kids that, really, the bunnies and eggs have more to do with Spring, which can very well remind us of Easter, but rather than focusing on them, we try and remember the resurrection of our Savior.

Kite Bag

One of the first times I conversed with the guy I would later marry, he was talking about his kite and his kite gloves.  Kite gloves?!  Yeah, kite gloves.  I totally made fun of him for his kite gloves.  Like who has those?

I should have bit my tongue because I just made him a kite bag to carry his kites.  Yes, kites.  Plural.

These aren't just your run of the mill crapperware*, I mean kites, these are really, really nice ones.

Some people are really into these things, and he's gotten more into them since he graduated from college for the 2nd time.

Kite bags online were running $130-$150, and we figured I could probably make something that would work just fine.  It's interesting watching my sewing skills* evolve over the years.  When we were first married I was annoyed that I didn't have a sewing machine because I wanted to do simple things like hem pants.  Once I got a machine, I realized I could do useful stuff like make humanitarian baby blankets and window treatments.  Then, I got all historical and started making re-enactment clothing.  Now, I've had my hand at maternity-wear.  Who knows where your sewing will take you?

I thought of making this into a tutorial, but since we didn't know what we were doing, I didn't bother. Hopefully, though, if you want to make your own, you can get the concept and go for it.

It was slightly difficult working on this project, as Evan did the design rather than me.  It's a little hard interpreting what exactly the other person wants when you're using slightly different terms to explain the same thing.  The biggest trick was figuring out the buckle/handle system.  We had to fix it 4 times!  We did put a dowel in the edge by the handle so it won't gape open when he carries it.

 

There's room on the left for another big kite, or we can divide the pocket for two more smaller kites.  On the right at the top is a n open pocket, and below that is a pocket with a top flap.  We didn't put Velcro on the flap, but we could.  Another option would be to make a zippered pocket.

You can see the bottom pocket with the flap in this picture.  You can see the buckles out to the side.  Most of the strapping/buckles we cut off of old backpacks (even bought a new bag at the DI to use some of its "hardware."  We also bought some of the notions at the fabric store, but it was way cheaper to buy a bag at the 

DI and cut it apart.

All rolled up with adjustable straps and handles.

He can carry it down or over the shoulder.  He thought maybe we should have made it with camouflage fabric so people would think it was a gun.

In the end, he said, "Wow!  This turned out better than I thought it would!"  (What?  You doubt my sewing skills? ;) )  He also said, "I just can't believe you can make stuff like this without a factory full of Chinese immigrants!"

Total cost around $30.
Total time 5-6 hours.  To make another would take probably less than half the time.


*Have you seen Napoleon Dynamite?