30 minute skirt

Today I managed to make something for myself from my fabric-a-brac stash while Ellie was having a little nap. I didn't really have the time, or the amount of fabric, needed to make the flowing skirt I was imagining, so I tried to make something wearable, hoping the gorgeous fabric would catch people's eyes, rather than my shocking sewing!

I cut out a waistband and stiffened it. Cut out a big rectangle of fabric and ran a couple of rows of gathering stitch along the top and gathered it to fit the waistband. I then stitched the two together, stitched up the back and added a zip that I had lying around. Then Ellie woke up and foiled my plans to hem it. Luckily I realised that I had cut it so that the bottom was the selvage, so I decided it didn't need a hem. Here is the finished product:

I learnt several things in the process of sewing it:

- If you are going to make a thick waistband you need to cut it so that it changes size from your waist down to your hips, or it will just sit on top of your waist

- Don't make the waistband as thick as I did! Or as stiff!

- I suck at putting zips in and don't care enough to learn how to do it properly

- Having the selvage as the hem if it looks OK is an awesome timesaving idea!

- Straight up and down skirts look a bit shapeless unless they are very full and I would have been better to cut it slightly A-line

But it is lovely and light and summerly and I love the material enough not to be too worried about the style of the skirt!