Friday, May 24, 2013

Double Apron Twirl Skirt Tutorial


Back to digging through the hoarders pile of fabric... I really should take a picture of that pile to give a true glimpse of the epic-ness of that beast... alas... I'm afraid someone really will nominate me for the hoarders show... so I will probably keep that little jewel to myself :)  So anyways... get excited for super easy Double Apron Twirl Skirt.  I'm not going to say this is a skinny second project like my One Hour Maxi Dress... but this is definitely an afternoon (aka couple hours) project and definitely doable for beginners :) Yeah!

What you need :
Depending on size of your skirt about 1.5 yards of fabric total
4 different scrap fabrics of your choice
1 in. elastic
thread

To begin your skirt you need to measure from your peanuts waist to the desired length you want the skirt to be and add 2 inches for hem and seam allowance... this will be your length... then measure her waist and add 5 (for extra fabric so it gathers nicely) ... this will be the width of your fabric.    Take this measurements and cut two identical pieces of fabric.  This will be the base of your skirt... You should now have two rectangles like I have below...  Place these two pieces with right sides facing and stitch down the length of both sides.  This fabric tends to fray a lot... so I like to also run a basic zig zag stitch next to my straight stitch on both sides.  Finally along the top edge run a gathering stitch and then set aside.



Next grab your fabric for the second layer of the skirt... You will use the same measurements for the first layer ... minus 2 inches from the length... cut out into two identical rectangles and lay with right sides facing each other... again run a straight stitch down the length of each side and follow with a zig zag stitch on the outside.  Again run a gathering stitch along the top edge and set aside.


 Now we are ready to cut out our aprons... keep in mind my skirt is a size 8 so you may need to tweak your apron a little if you have a much smaller size than that.  My bottom apron I made 10 inches across and 2 inches shorter than the length of the second layer of the skirt.  You only need to cut one rectangle for this apron.

The top apron I subtracted 2 inches from the width and 1 inch from the length of the first apron.... anyone else's brain hurt???  Holy cow... I just realized how many math problems were necessary to bring about this glorious creation :)  Take both apron pieces and get out your handy iron... iron about 1/4 inch on three sides... (don't worry about the top, it will be tucked into the waist band) then press in again 1/4 inch to conceal all raw sides and to keep from fraying.  Sew a straight stitch on three sides of both apron pieces and set aside.

Finally the waist band... and ... wait for it... the last math problem ;)... (insert fist bump)! Rewind to your previous measurement of your peanuts waist... subtract 5... this will be your width ( again if your doing a much smaller size I would subtract 3 instead) and your length will be three inches ... Cut two identical pieces with these measurements.


Take both waistband pieces, right sides facing and run a straight stitch down the both sides. Once that's done... iron in 1/4 inch on top and bottom... just like below.


Now fold band completely in half and press with the iron again...


This can get a tiny bit frustrating trying to maneuver all pieces inside the waist band ... but I have complete confidence you can do it! :)  Grab your first two layers of skirt and pull the loose threads at the top to gather the fabric... keep gathering until both layers are the same width as the waistband.  Now pin all layers together inside the waist band.  Run a straight stitch along the bottom edge of the the waistband making sure you are lined up with the edge of the waistband on the inside as well (we want to make sure all fabrics are secured inside the waistband. ) *MAKE SURE TO LEAVE A SMALL GAP IN THE WAISTBAND TO PUT THE ELASTIC THROUGH!*

I left a gap near the side seam but you can do it where ever you want.  Grab your elastic and measure you babies waist minus 3 inches.  This is the length of your elastic.  Push a safety pin through the end of your elastic and fish it through your waistband... once you have both elastic ends out sew them together... then push inside waistband and sew up your gap and .... You are done!!! Yeah!  I told you it wasn't a skinny second but maybe a medium second project. :)

Just a little side note... we get a ton of snails at my house which lead to hours of fascination for my peanuts... in fact we had to go into mourning when I accidentally stepped on one of the poor things... but anyways this skirt is equally cute for dress up or play... Lou did lots of snail watching and inspecting in this skirt... :) 







Feel free to leave me comments or questions ... I'd love to hear from you :)
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