Project Journal 001: A Floral Elastic Waist Tiered Skirt
Hello sew-friends! Today, I'm sharing my own personalized version of the Elastic Waist Tiered Skirt.
So far, we've been talking all about design, drafting and numbers so I thought it would be fun to share something more tangible and hopefully inspirational for your own project. If you missed any of the previous posts in this series, you can check them out here.
ON THE DESIGN
I first started working on the design of this skirt last year when I was designing my Eva Tops & Sundress pattern. The dress version of this pattern features a two-tier gathered skirt that I knew could be easily converted into an elastic waist skirt. For a while, I was even going to include the skirt with the pattern.
Ever since, I've been seeing tiered skirts everywhere. So, when I launched Sewing With Numbers, I decided to start with this design.
ON MY CUSTOM PATTERN DRAFT
I used the formulas, exactly as written and input my measurements as below. (I’m including these just for reference purposes.)
A = 39.5”
B = 42”
C = 5”
D = 1.4”
E = 2”
F = .375”
G = .5”
H = 2”
From these numbers, I was able to calculate (A+C)/2 = 22.25 and (B-E-F)/3.25 = 12.25 (approx.). I also used the spreadsheet calculator to play around with the gathers multiplier to make sure the tiers wouldn’t be too big for my fabric, or use too much fabric.
I did make a few additions to the pattern as drafted. I added in-seam pockets, a drawstring at the waist and decorative lace at the bottom of tiers 1 and 2.
FABRIC & SUPPLIES
I wanted a pretty, floral fabric and conveniently, I had this one in my stash. I bought this fabric from LA Finch Fabrics and it's a deadstock polyester. I honestly don't use polyester very often but I loved the print and the price was very good for about 4 yards.
From my stash, I found 2" wide elastic, thread and cotton drawstring. I really love to use drawstring, twill tape and webbing made with cotton. It feels so much softer than a polyester and isn't shiny. I also used a scrap of interfacing to reinforce the buttonholes in the waistband.
A week or two before I made this skirt, I went to my local creative reuse store and found a bundle of lace. It's an off-white color that matches the drawstring and fabric beautifully. I used the lace as a decorative feature at the bottom of the first and second tier.
ON THE CONSTRUCTION
I made a short video of the construction process of this skirt that you can watch on my YouTube channel.
If you have sewn my Lela Skirt pattern, this skirt is fairly similar to sew. I started by constructing the waistband—sewing the buttonholes at the center front, sewing the side seams, pressing wrong sides together and top stitching close to the fold.
Next, I attached the side seam pockets to the first tier and sewed those side seams. I then sewed the side seams for the second and third tiers. I pressed the seams open and stitched lines of basting at the top of tiers two and three.
This is also the stage at which I topstitched the lace to the bottom of tiers one and two. In retrospect, I maybe should have done this first. Instead, I opened up the bottom of one side seam and then starting at one open edge, top stitched the lace to the bottom of tier. I positioned the lace so that the bottom edge would be caught in the seam allowance and stitched close to the top edge of the lace. Once I reached the other side seam, I cut the lace and restitched the side seam.
Next, I stitched the top of the third tier to the bottom of the second tier, and then the top of the second tier to the bottom of the first tier. Then, I stitched the top of the first tier to the waistband, leaving an opening at the center back to insert the elastic.
I inserted the elastic and pinned the ends together using a safety pin so that I could try on the skirt and test the fit. When I was satisfied, I stitched the overlapped ends of the elastic together and stitched closed the opening in the waistband casing. The final step was to hem the skirt and insert the drawstring.
ADDITIONAL SEWING RESOURCES
Tutorial: How to Sew an Elastic Waistband
Tutorial: How to Sew In-Seam Pockets
Tutorial: How to Sew a Basting Stitch
Tutorial: How to Stitch Gathers
FINAL THOUGHTS
I'm really happy with the skirt and how it turned out. One thing that surprised me and that I was a little worried about was that the seam at the bottom of the first tier felt a little tight when I first tried it on. I think it was in part because of the lace and extra stitching. But, it's a word of caution to not skimp on wearing ease for this design. More ease will allow a greater freedom of movement, that is it will be easier to move your legs when you walk.
I also think I could have made the elastic a little tighter. I'm always worried about making things too tight and being uncomfortable. So this elastic is probably right about equal to my waist measurement. I've seen some patterns recommend making the elastic 1 to 2 inches smaller than your body measurement. I recommend doing what feels best to you.
This skirt is really long on me, which I love the look of. But, I do have to be careful when walking on stairs that I don't get my feet caught up in the hem. If that's a concern for you, try a skirt that hits at the high ankle.
I took this skirt with me on my recent trip to London and Norway. The weather was sunny and warm almost the entire trip and I was able to wear the skirt a few times. I actually wished that I had brought more skirts or dresses because the weather was so nice. (Normally, I would not bring a bulky garment like this on a trip but I really wanted to bring my new make. And yes, I did definitely overpack on this trip.)
Sometime soon, I hope to make a matching Eva Top from the same fabric, as I still have quite a bit leftover. I'm envisioning and Eva Top with a mini peplum at the bottom.
Thank you for reading! If you make this skirt, I’d love to see it. And, if you have any questions, please send them my way. Next week, I’m planning to do a Q&A post about this skirt.
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Happy mathing!
Beth
P.S. These resources are FREE to use for the time being. I am planning to turn on paid subscriptions for Substack in the future and will likely archive this post. At that time, it will only be available to subscribers. So, make sure to download and save now, if you're interested.