The summer here in the Seattle area has been surprisingly warm this year and I was running out of clothing that was suitable for the climate! On the hottest days I revert to more of a hippie-dippy attire complete with flowing skirts and natural looking belts so this outfit was perfect for the weather. If you own a good tank then it won't cost much to create the rest of your outfit for the next scorcher.
THE SKIRT: (click here to download tutorial)
One trip to the fabric store is all it takes to make a hippie skirt like this one! It's just a couple of yarns of cotton fabric, enough 1 1/2 inch elastic to go around your waist or hips and a few packages of prepackaged lace or trim.
There are a few places online to find the pattern for this simple skirt, but I tend to do things the hard way so here's how I do this...
First, measure around the widest part of your hips making sure there's enough wiggle room because you'll need to be able to get the skirt over your hips. Take this measurement and add 4 inches, then divide this measurement by 4. (For an example if you have a 40 inch rear then 40+4= 44 and then 44/4= 11) This is the length of the top edge of each panel.
Using the selvage edge of the fabric as the bottom hem cut your fabric into 4 equal parts. Fold each piece of fabric in half and measure out half of the top edge of the panel. (Going back to the example you would measure out 5.5 inches from the fold.) Then cut diagonally from your upper measurement to the bottom corner to make a panel (once unfolded) that is 11 inches at the top and wider at the bottom. Use this first panel to make three other identical panels.
Stitch each panel to the next using 1/2 inch seam or less matching the top and bottom edges.
Now get out your elastic and fit it around yourself where you want the skirt's waistline to sit. Add an extra 1/2 inch and cut the elastic. Now hold the skirt around yourself and determine how long you want it to be. You'll need to measure out a tad more than 2 inches longer than you want it to be for the waistline. Cut off any extra from the top edge.
Fold down a 1/2 inch hem at the top and stitch. Then fold down this top hem again slightly larger than 1 1/2 inches to make the elastic casing. Stitch almost all the way around leaving enough un-stitched that you can thread the elastic through the casing. Overlap the elastic about 1/4 inch once it has been threaded and stitch it together. Finish stitching the casing closed.
All that is left to do is to trim the lower edge with your chosen trim or lace and stitch it on with matching thread.
THE BELT: (click here to download pattern)
I crocheted this belt using yarn I rescued from an old scarf in natural colors that reminded me of twine or hemp. The yarn I used was approximately DK weight and was crocheted with an F hook. This might work better with a real hemp, linen or twine but I just used what was on hand. This pattern was adapted from one I found at http://antiquepatternlibrary.org/, which is a great resource.
Pattern:
Row 1: Ch 5, sl st in 1st ch to make a circle. Ch 3, trc 14 times into the circle. Turn.
Row 2: Ch 3, (dc, ch 1) into each trc. Turn.
Row 3: Ch 4, sl st into each dc until last 3 dc. Ch 5, sl st into last ch 1 sp. Turn
Row 4: Ch 3, trc 14 times into ch 5 sp. Turn.
Repeat rows 2-4 until desired length.
You can either make the belt long enough to tie or find a button that fits through the hole of the shell base and sew it to the first shell.
So there you have it... A skirt and a belt in a weekend. Quite a nice diversion if I do say so myself.
-Lyzard
