Anyone Can Sew a Vintage-Style Skirt!

Lately I've been a little obsessed with dirndl skirts.  They're so fun and girly and so completely 1950's, and best of all, easy to sew!  It's pretty much a giant rectangle.  I thought I'd put together a little tutorial for anyone who wants to follow along.  Sewers of any skill could easily make this, and it doesn't even use a pattern. 

The first thing you need to do is buy a 7" zipper and two yards of fabric.  I like cotton the best, so this would be a great time to get that quilting cotton you've always wanted to buy but were always told that it's not meant for apparel.  The bolder the print, the better.

• Lay your fabric flat on the floor or cutting board.  With a measuring tape, mark where you want your hem to hit.  I want the final skirt to be 25", so I marked it at 27".

• Cut into the fabric, and then just give it a good rip.  It should tear off into two pieces.

• Now you're ready to start sewing.  Take your big rectangle and fold it in half, right sides together.  Pin up the seam, leaving room for a zipper.  Sew your seam.  This is now your center back.

• Press your center back seam open.  I trimmed the excess with pinking shears.

• Set your skirt aside.  It's time to start on the waistband!  Cut a strip of fabric 4" wide and the length of your waist, plus 5/8" on each side.  An easy trick if you don't know your measurements is to measure the waist of a garment that fits you well.

• Fold the edges in 5/8" on both sides and iron into place.

• Fold waistband in half and iron into place.

• Mark your waistband center with a pin.  Set aside for later.

I think that's enough work for tonight.  Tomorrow, it's time for the fun part, gathering!