DIY AW11 Balmain Inspired Mini. Paper Bag Skirt…….{{and hidden mistake}} Looking for the Honeybear Lane giveaway? Scroll down or click here. Okay, it’s not really a skirt made out of a paper bag. But it’s called a “paper bag” style skirt. (high-waisted, cinched in like a paper bag, a bit poofy, etc.) Kind of a fun little skirt style that can be made pretty easily. Well, unless you mess it up like I did the first time around. (But I’ll show you what I did wrong and then tell you the easier route…..don’t worry, it’s nothing huge.) I know, all paper bag skirts versions are a bit different…….but here’s my take on it. All cinched in with that flouncy bow tied in the front. And with plenty of pleats, which gives it a nice fullness. And yes, we need fullness around here. Because fullness allows for plenty of movement in the skirt…….you know, to help while gathering pine cones and such. The back is gathered with elastic (but is hiding underneath that waist tie), giving the skirt a nice snug fit.
Why not make one or two? They are certain to put smiles on faces. See the seams? Summer of Skirts - Elastic A-Line Tutorial. This skirt is great, because it is almost as easy as the 20 minute skirt but is more flattering and versatile. I plan on making many more of these! It's also worth noting that my current giveaway (enter to win if you haven't already!)
Dress features this type of skirt. What you need:-elastic - enough to fit around your waist; i prefer 3/4 inch for skirts-1 yard of fabric if you normally wear a small/medium, maybe a little more if you are large and up- a yardstick or newspaper or something with a long straight edge Step 1: Cut along the fold of your fabric, so you have two pieces with the cut fold on one end and the selvage on the other. Then put the pieces back together as they were before you cut them, with the wrong sides together. Step 2: Now you have a little bit of math to do. Step 4: Then, put your yardstick/newspaper/whatever at each of these marks, so you have a diagonal across the fabric. Step 5: You should know have four pieces of fabric. Step 7: Sew the skirt panels together. Lesson Plan: World's Easiest Skirt. My sewing skills are pretty much limited to making my machine go forwards and backwards with a straight stitch.
If you can do that (and also handle a pair of scissors), you can make this skirt. This lesson plan comes largely thanks to Susan of freshly picked, whose incredible and much more lucid elastic-waist skirt pattern you can find here. The first several steps are hers, and are much easier to understand on her blog. Thanks also to Kendi, who told me that I could add text using Picasa and contributed to any clarity this lesson plan has.
P.S. You can click on any of the pictures to make them larger if you can't see the text. In between these steps, measure your waist and the length you'd like the skirt. And remember to wash, dry, and iron your fabric before you begin, since fabric often shrinks! I like to fold my cloth and lay the pattern on top of it so I cut two pieces at once. You can only find the pocket pattern on freshly picked--you can find it here (thank you, Susan!) Free Pattern Month Day 10 - Adventures in Dressmaking: Paperbag Skirt Pattern. I've been following Adventures in Dressmaking so long I can't remember exactly when or how I stumbled across her blog. But what I do remember is that I was instantly caught by her cute Anthropologie replicated designs.
The nice part about Suzannah's blog is that she shows you exactly what patterns she used to make the dress and other examples of similar dresses that inspired it so that you can create the exact same look! Like the one we're seeing today! It's no wonder that Suzannah became such a fabulous sewing blogger. For a while now she's been planning her wedding, INCLUDING sewing her own wedding dress. And see some of her dress progress below.
I mentioned once that I might post instructions on how to make a paper bag waist skirt. Today, let's look at some of what I'm going for with this paper bag skirt: a slightly more formal look than a basic gathered or elastic waist, usually involving pleats, also including a belt and belt loops. Here are some images of the basic idea: By Tulle: 1.