Wrap Skirt and Wrap Dress {Tutorial}

Here is my tutorial for my chevron maxi wrap skirt.  You guys, this skirt is so easy to make.  I promise.  If you don't sew, let this be your first project. 

  This tutorial origionally was posted over at The Ribbon Retreat's blog. It's a great site for tutorials so go check 'em out! 

Today I'm here to show you how to make a versatile, comfy, on trend, skirt.  The best part is that this is literally the easiest skirt to make.  If you have never sewn before this is the skirt for you.  No zippers, no elastic, just fabric and thread and a few straight lines.

My original intent for the skirt was for a chevron maxi skirt, but I got a little crazy, I hiked it up, added a belt and POW! it was suddenly a two-fer!  You know, two looks for the price of one.  Winning!

And don't worry, this skirt has lots of coverage so you don't need to worry about a peep show with the next breeze like you do with some other wrap skirts.

Before we get started I wanted to talk about the star of the show, the fabric.  Chevron is all the rage right now as is black and white paired with bright bold colors.  I've been searching for the perfect chevron fabric but hadn't found it until now.  The thing that drew me immediately to this fabric was the size of the chevrons.  Some of the bigger chevrons are cute for little girls apparel and home decor but just don't translate as well to women's wear.  Another thing that I loved was the angle of the chevron.  Some fabrics are pretending to be chevron while in reality they are just a zig-zag.  This fabric gave me the true chevron look I've been searching for.  The look is suitable for the office, play groups, day or evening wear or really anytime.  I love it.

Okay enought chit chat.  Let's get this party started.

 
Supplies:

-  Chevron fabric by Ann Keele for Robert Kaufman, 3 yards*
-  So Fine! thread in black


*Note:  fabric yardage may vary depending on the size of skirt you want to make.  I used 3 yards {I'm generally a size 12 for reference} and had some medium to large sized scraps left over.  The fabric is 45 inches wide and the chevron points run up and down between that width.  If you do the math ahead of time you should be able to order the appropriate amount for your size.


Setp 1:  Cut your fabric pieces.  You will have only two main skirt pieces, the body of the skirt and the tie,  you will likely have to piece some of these together to get the length you need.  The measurements are as follows: 

If your waist measurement multiplied by 1.5 is greater than the 45 inch width of the fabric, you'll need to piece two pieces together to get the width you need.  I did this and the seam runs vertically down the length of the skirt.  Just sew the pieces together with a straight stitch and finish the raw seam with a serger, zig-zag stitch or pinking shears so it won't fray.  You will do the same when you piece together the waist tie {it's quite long} but you don't need to worry about finishing those edges because we will cover up those raw edges. 

Okay, so before we move on we've got two piece that look like the ones above?  Great!  Let's keep going.


Step 2:  Hem up the right and left sides of the skirt.  Fold over the fabric 1/4 of an inch and iron flat.  Then fold it over again and iron flat.  Sew that fold down using a straight stitch.  Repeat on both sides of the skirt. 

Step 3:  Take the waist tie and fold it over on each side so the fabric meets in the middle.  Iron flat.

At each end fold over the corner to meet in the middle and iron that flat.  It should create a nice point in the middle.

 Now take the whole long strip, fold it in half with the raw edges on the inside and iron that flat.

Step 4:  Take the waist tie and pin it to the skirt by sliding the top of the skirt in between the layers of the tie.  I like to secure with safety pins so I can easily try it on to make sure I've got everything placed just how I want it before I sew. 

This is the trickiest part so stick with me here - the tie will attach to the skirt and run the length of the entire skirt.  The overhang on one side will be a little more than twice the length of the overhang on the other side.  You do this because one tie is going to wrap all the way around your body and the other will just stay in the front. Trying on the skirt at this stage is a good idea so you can make your your ties just the perfect length for an even bow.

Once you have it right where you want it, stitch the entire length of the tie as close to the open edge as you can get.  Don't forget to close up those points too!

Step 5:  Once you have the skirt put together add a button hole to the side of the skirt opposite where your tie is.  Try on the skirt and mark the spot with a pin or marker.  The tie that wraps around your body will go through this hole.  It will add extra security to the skirt and you will avoid bunching and slipping.  The tie goes across your stomach and comes out the button hole, wraps around your back and gets tied on your side.

Use your machines button hole foot and button hole setting to create the button hole.  I put mine on the largest setting.  {The button you see here is just for sizing you don't actually have to have a button.} 

Once your button hole is sewn, use a seam ripper to cut open the fabric on the inside of the stitched hole.  As you can see in the photo, I place my hole halfway between the band and the skirt itself.  I had no rhyme or reason for placing it here.  It just felt right.  So my recommendation to you is do whatever feels right.

Step 6:  Hem the bottom just like you did with the sides in step 2.

And that's it!

Done and DONE!

That my friends, is your 6 easy steps to creating TWO new posh outfits for summer!

If you make the skirt, please stop by and let me know.  I'd love to see a picture!