No Pattern Skirt

I wanted to do this post yesterday, but it ended up being a sad day. A relative who was sick passed yesterday morning.

As is too often the case I have a plane ticket to go visit her and my mother in a couple of weeks. Her name was Linda Links and she was my dad's cousin. She was a super sweet and thoughtful lady, she will be missed.

Give the peeps in your life a hug today and make plans to see the ones that you just don't see often enough.

As you may remember I was working on a skirt out of the dragon fly, platinum seamstress challenge fabric that Eric brought me back from Japan.

 I LOVE the color and print of this fabric. But it was only 16.5 inches wide. So I kept looking at it thinking, what the heck can I do with this fabric?

Then it hit me, I will make a panel skirt. Ok so I had an idea for a panel skirt in my head but no pattern. In my mind it was somewhere between a pencil skirt and an a-line.

Here are the steps I took to figure it out:
1. I measured a skirt I have that I like the length and width.
2. I figured out that I would need 4 panels of this fabric to make a skirt.
3. I figured out the waist measurement vs. the circumference at the bottom of the skirt.
4. I cut the panels so that there would be a grade from the waist to the bottom that would allow the skirt to take on an a-line shape.

5. I sewed the panels together, leaving the side where the zipper would be open.
6. I serged all the seams, the waist and the hem edge.

7. Then I serged the remaining open side and sewed that seam so that it could still be pressed open and the zipper put in.
8. Put the zipper in the side. Only took one try which is amazing for me. I hate zippers.
9. Tried it on and decided that the waist was too big and put in 2 darts.

10. Decided skirt needed a little re-enforcement.  So I stitched the inside seams down so that they would have an extra row of stitching for strength. 
11. Used bias tape to make a waist band.
12. Made a button loop and put on a button. Yes I do love contrasting binding and BIG buttons.

13. Hemmed the bottom edge.
14. Wore my new skirt as my self-stitched item for yesterday.

All in all was a pretty easy project. The waist is still a little too big but it was comfy and stayed up so no one would have ever known if I didn't tell you.

I am still working on crossing off some to-do's. But in a bit of a funk and may need to head to VA for a memorial service so who knows how this week will play out.  Life makes it hard to make plans.

Hope you have a great day and remember spend more time with the people in your life!

Peace out - C