Vintage Sheet Skirt Tutorial – with vintage doily pockets!

Today I’m so thrilled to be a part of Skirt Week at Crafterhours. There’s so much fun going on over there – lots of amazing tutorials and oh, the prizes!

Here’s the deal, friends. I’m in a super awkward wardrobe phase. If you’ve birthed a baby, you know this stage. The I-don’t-fit-into-maternity-clothes-but-my-regular-clothes-don’t-fit-and-my-body-shape-is-super-weird phase. [if you’re one of those who can wear a bikini within two weeks, though, just pretend to know what I’m talking about, okay?]

So I needed a skirt that I could wear now but would accommodate my changing body shape. And what better to wear in the summer than a flowy vintage-y skirt? [bonus: it’s ridiculously quick to make!]

Materials:

• 1 1/2 inch non-roll elastic
• vintage sheet
• vintage doilies
• stretchy t-shirt for lining [optional]

1. Wrap elastic around your waist and cut where it fits comfortably, leaving a little extra for seam allowance. Sew the ends together, so the elastic makes a circle.

2. Measure how long you want your skirt to be. Add 1/2 inch for seam allowance at the top. [Use the hemmed bottom of the sheet if possible, then you don’t have to add extra length for your hem] Fold the sheet and wrap it around your waist. You want it to go more than halfway around your body, so that you have room to gather the skirt a little. If you want your skirt to be very gathered, add more width. Cut straight up from the bottom hem.

3. Fold the sheet with the right sides together and sew the side together.

4. Gather the top of the skirt. There’s more than one way to do this. I usually sew a basting stitch – lengthen your stitch length and sew a straight stitch along the top of your skirt. Don’t backstitch! Gently pull on one of the threads to gather the fabric. Gather it until it matches up with your circle of elastic. [If you want your skirt to be a little more full and gathered, add a second or even third row of basting stitches]

If your sheet is thin like mine, you might need a lining. I snagged this super stretchy T-shirt from my upcycling stash to make mine. If I held this XL shirt up to my waist, I knew it would fit nearly perfectly as a lining. It’s a little shorter than my skirt, but you can’t tell that when I’m wearing the skirt.5. Cut off the sleeves and the neckline.6. Serge or zig-zag stitch down the sides. [By using the t-shirt, you don’t have to hem the bottom of this either! Win!]7. Layer the lining and skirt around the elastic waistband. With the elastic inside the skirt, the right side of the skirt fabric should be facing the elastic. Pin together and adjust your gathers if necessary. Pin the edge of the elastic along the basting stitch, so that your seam covers it. Sew the elastic to the skirt using your serger or a zig-zag stitch. If you use a zig-zag stitch, use pinking shears to trim off the excess skirt material.Last step… adding vintage doilies as pockets! Obviously these are not super functional. But they’re a great touch and who doesn’t love pockets?!8. Fold the doily in half and pin it in place where you want it [try the skirt on before you sew it on, just to make sure it’s in the right spot!] Sew slowly around the edge of the doily.
The perfect summer skirt!Is it wrong to wear this every day? Or should I just make one out of every vintage sheet in my stash? Yes, yes I should..

Thanks for popping in, lovelies! And thanks to Adriana and Susan for having me as part of Skirt Week and making me take time to sew for myself. Yay!

Don’t forget to check out all the amazingness over there and enter your skirt to win some of the fantastic prizes!