from Sheet to Maxi Skirt

as you read this, i am probably sewing away with the precious women of 3Cords, while sporting these new maxi skirts that i sewed before i left. so i thought i’d schedule this post for you while i’m away, because i think some of you may want to add this to your summer wardrobe too!

i found this tutorial here, (see my update at the end of this post regarding the tutorial) and pinned it a few months ago, labeling it “my next project.” i was instantly in love! so when i found a grey jersey sheet at Good Will a few weeks ago for $2.99, i knew it was time to whip out the ol’ Brother sewing machine!

i pretty much followed her directions, except i made my ruffles a little wider than her’s, and they weren’t quite double the length, so they don’t ruffle quite as much. i also made the waistband smaller, because i wanted to make sure it was snug so that it wouldn’t slip down.

it is the most comfortable skirt, and my friends are gonna get sick of seeing me wearing it, cause i pretty much want to wear it everyday.

so i figured…one wasn’t enough…

so i made another when i found this pink jersey knit on sale at Hobby Lobby.

i changed this one up a bit, lengthening the ruffle for more “scrunch” and sewed the ruffle to the outside of the skirt this time around. i felt like that defined the ruffles a bit more. when i make another (cause i plan to!) i’ll do it this way again.

seriously…they are so comfy!! so head on out to your local thrift shop and pick up a jersey sheet! from sheet to skirt for only $2.99…can’t pass that up!!

UPDATE:
10/11/12
it has been called to my attention that the original tutorial for this skirt that i linked above has been removed because the blogger is beginning to sell this item. i’m sorry! and i do not feel comfortable sharing the specifics since it did not originate with me. however, this link is to post i did recently with a tutorial i created that can be used to make this skirt! just use jersey knit (or a jersey sheet) and add ruffles at the bottom!

you could also choose to eliminate the elastic waistband and do a yoga style waistband instead.

i will tell you about the ruffles, since i changed them up a bit. for the ruffles: the length of my ruffles on this original skirt was 148 inches each. the bottom one was 9 inches wide, and the top one was 6 inches wide. i pieced together 2 74 inch strips of fabric (to make long strips that were 148 inches long), for each ruffle (so 2 long strips that are both 148 inches in length), then ran a long stitch on the top of each strip. i pulled the underside of the thread (the bobbin thread) to ruffle the fabric. i scrunched the fabric along the other thread, until it had it ruffled to 74 inches….to fit all the way around the skirt bottom. i placed the shorter ruffle on top of the long ruffle, lining up the tops, and then i pinned them at the same time onto the skirt, and sewed on the OUTSIDE, so that it created a little ruffle on the top where it was attached.

depending on the width of your skirt bottom, you will need to adjust these measurements. (if using the tutorial i linked you to, based on my measurements, i would’ve had 2 strips that were 110 inches long, since my skirt width was 55. i would suggest making it a little wider than that, as the tutorial explains) you just want to be sure that the ruffles are twice the length of your skirt bottom. let me know if you have questions!