So everyone knows I can make clothes for little girls, but I’ve never
made my own adult piece of clothing from scratch up to this point. Kids stuff is
so much easier because everything is adorable when it’s LITTLE! The idea came
about when I was trying to come up with a cute gameday outfit, and wasn’t
thrilled with the idea of showing up wearing the same exact dress as another
girl (when you pay CRAZY amounts for that adorable “one of a kind” look).
Naturally, I figured I should make my own. The problem with that is that adult
apparel has factors that you can’t overlook the way you can with kid’s clothes,
because let’s be real… when adults show up somewhere looking like a hot mess,
it’s not “cute” anymore. So I knew I had a lot of factors to consider: clean hem
lines, avoiding cheap or see-through fabrics, and finding a pattern that was
flattering on an adult figure.
I picked my fabric (a sturdy 100% cotton, cream and gray chevron print)
and bought about two yards from Hobby Lobby using my standard 40% coupon, and
walked away spending $11 on fabric. I bought two yards because I planned to
double up on fabric (not risking the see through factor). I found an awesome
DIY blogger (see the link below!) who offered a great and very easy tutorial on
how to make an elastic waist band skirt. The genius behind the design is that
the elastic does not go all the way around, and takes care of the second factor
(the fabric draping in a flattering way) that I was concerned about. I decided
to forgo the pockets on this tutorial since it was my first piece, but I
followed the instructions on everything else. The only part I had to navigate
myself was the measurements for the waistband, as this is more of a tailored fit
than a one-size-fits-all type skirt. After finishing the skirt it was clear that
was really a trial and error type experiment, but I have to say all in all it
turned out awesome!
I wore the skirt to work today, and it withstood the test of all the
elements—making it through a whole day comfortably, braving a ridiculous rain
storm, and not being called out as a homemade production ;) I would have to say
that this is the most adorable $11 skirt I’ve ever made
owned!
Check out this FABULOUS blog and tutorial if you are interested
in learning how to make your own skirt:
http://www.mygrowinghome.com/2011/05/elastic-waist-flirt-skirt-inspired-by.html