The Architect Skirt - an Easy Tutorial

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THE ARCHITECT SKIRT (SIZES 4-5-6)

You are the architect for this skirt.  No two skirts will be the same as you can choose any combination of fabrics to form the front panel of this skirt.

SUPPLIES: 

For the back panel:       fabric 42 inches wide by 17 inches high

For front panel:            several scraps of fabric

For waistband:             22 inches of waistband elastic

For hem:                      62 inches of double fold bias tape (optional)

ALL SEAM ALLOWANCES:  ½ inch.

STEP 1:  THE BACK PANEL (pink polka dots in the first photo)

For the Back Panel, cut one piece of fabric 42 inches wide by 17 inches high.  This piece forms the back and sides of the skirt. 

 

STEP 2:  THE FRONT PANEL (the fun part)

To make the front panel, collect several fabric scraps.  You are going to make a panel that is 17 inches high and 17 inches wide in total once your scraps are sewn together.  Anything goes! 

 STEP 3:   Arrange your strips and squares (option shown below) in the order you prefer.  *Note:  don’t put your favorite squares at the top or bottom as they will be partly folded into the hem and waistband.  Your overall arrangement will measure larger than 17 x 17” because of seam allowance.  Once all the pieces are sewn together, your panel will be appx. 17 x 17”.  If it is a little larger, we'll just trim it to fit later.

STEP 4: Stitch all the pieces together

(Finish the raw edges on the back so they don't fray)

Press your panel.  (Doesn't look 17 inches square does it?  Yeah, it's not.  This was an early prototype that was a rectangle).   Carry on.

STEP 5: Take the (white this time) back panel and insert the front panel into it, sewing the seams along the insides.  Now you have a tube-that-wants-to-be-a-skirt.

 

 

Topstitch where the two fabrics meet.

 

 

STEP 6: Trim the bottom so it is even

Apply double fold bias tape to the hem of the skirt.

STEP 7: Make a casing for an elastic at the waist.

Thread in that elastic

 

 

(Finished view of the waistband)

Finito!

Back when I had the (un)brilliant idea to make this into a saleable PDF pattern, I made about a billion of these prototypes .  Silly me.  I know I'm too lazy to make a PDF pattern and market it.  Seriously.  I'm even too lazy to go get out the other 1,999,997 skirts and arrange them in a photograph for you.