circle skirt sew-along party
Welcome, friends, to the Cirlce Skirt Sew-Along Party! I am so excited by the turn-out and the array of beautiful skirts is truly stunning (there are over twenty-five beautiful skirts in the party!). This post ended up being quite a big one, so be sure to settle in with a cup of tea (or beverage of choice) and spend some time looking through all these delightful creations. I know I’ve picked up so many ideas just looking at these and reading the descriptions sent along with the photos!
I also want to say that putting together this sew-along party was extremely humbling in a way. To have so many other sewers join in a group project like this is more than a little awe-inspiring. Thank you for continually coming back to read my ramblings and join in my little projects such as this one. I love the sense of community blogging brings and am so excited we can be scattered all over the globe, yet be brought together in one spot learning and sharing ideas. I can’t wait to host another sew-along (probably after the new year)!
So without further ado, I present to you the Circle Skirt Sew-Along Party:
Abby at Sew Get Dressed – “I still want to add a little pleat embellishment to the bottom of my skirt, but I wore it yesterday anyway and took some photos. It's a quilting cotton, because Ann Arbor is seriously lacking in good fabric stores, but I love the way it turned out anyway. :) I made my own bias tape for the first time and used that to finish the side seams (also the first time I've finished seams with bias tape), and I love how polished and pretty it looks”
Amy at Sew Well – “I purchased a simple, lightweight, solid-color cotton batiste from Fine Fabrics for my skirt since I wanted my focus for this Sew-Along to be all about the pattern. I learned a lot in the process - my true waist measurement, the importance of grain, the difference in drape on the bias, how (not) to draft pockets, where to mark a proper hem (all six yards of it!), and the importance of triple checking your math. I couldn't be more pleased with the lessons that I learned, the confidence that I gained, and the resulting skirt.”
Anna at Mormor hade stil – “I meant to make a very basic skirt, since I lack basic separates in my wardrobe (somehow I'm easily distracted to start sewing projects that are a bit more extravagant). And I had this cotton blend twill in my stash, and I thought a dark hue like this would certainly do the trick for a more basic skirt. I'm pleased with the outcome.”
Annabelle at Annabellebumps – “My inspiration for this skirt was to make something classy that I can wear to work and does not resemble my childhood poodle skirt. My fabric is a wool silk blend that I fell in love with. I found all of the tutorials very helpful, but the lapped zipper was my favorite part of making this skirt.”
Ashley of Bramblewood Fashion – “My skirt was inspired by the fabric I used. It is called, Marigold and is from the Treasures and Tidbits collection by, Piece O' Cake Designs for Robert Kaufman. The hem on my skirt is just folded up twice, then hand sewn. This is only my second time hand sewing a hem in {I'm lazy, I know} but I know this won't be my last time. As I really like how hand sewing the hem in looks now. It also didn't take as long as I thought it would {watching movies really helps}. What I love about this skirt is that I can easily wear it modern, but I can also style it for a 1950s look {included with a petticoat underneath}.”
Brandy of A Series of (Unfortunate) Sewing Events – Brandy chose a delightful print for her circle skirt—I just love it! She wrote me that “It is my first sew-along and first time using my "new" sewing machine a vintage Kenmore that was my husband's grandmothers. It is the first project I have ever sewn for myself by myself.” Bravo, Brandy!
Casey at Noir Girl – Casey made this stunning, textured red skirt. I just love how bright it is! She originally added horsehair braid to the hem, but decided she didn’t like how it looked with the weight of her fabric (a great point, Casey!) and removed it and opted for a machine rolled hem instead. She’s also planning on some suspenders for the skirt—which I can’t wait to see!
Erika of Tio fingrar och fem sinnen – Made this beautiful dark brown, 100% cotton corduroy circle skirt! I just love the way the heavy drape of the corduroy gives the circle skirt a very elegant air!
Frankie at Frankly Sewn – “I used an old vintage sheet, quilt batting and poly-cotton to line it with. I got the idea to use the sheet I had stashed when my 6 year old step daughter suggested I make a skirt to match a top I knitted recently. The colours work perfectly. I pretty much followed your steps but hemmed before I attached the waistband so the batting was enclosed - does that make sense? I ran four rows of stitching around the hem line to create a quilted effect. It is so much fun to wear and perfect for spring time!”
Jennifer at Thoughts of a Transplanted Boston Girl – This was her first patternless skirt! Jennifer told me that she didn’t follow the circle skirt project per-se, because she already was working on some other things, but gathered a lot of information from the how-to’s and used a few to complete her skirts. She used a sheet (make do and mend!), and a wide hem to help with the drape. She found the information for the waistband tutorial during the CSSA series really helpful, and used that to make the waistband.
Jesslyn at Image Interpreters – “For years I have longed for a circle skirt, but being overweight, I just didn't like the way they looked. Since losing 85 pounds last year I now LOVE how this accentuates my much smaller waist! I shrunk out of all my winter skirts so I chose a fairly heavy wool blend exaggerated black and white houndstooth. Since the fabric was reversible, I chose to do have the white teeth showing for the waistband, which I highlighted in one of the photos. I'm a shoe girl, so I'll wear it with my black patent leather retro bow peep-toe platforms, my red patent patent leather peep-toe platforms, and when it's just too cold... my high-heel boots!!”
Josie at Frances Baker – “It's made from a lovely lightweight cotton, and I used a vintage jade coloured button to fasten the waistband. The patch pockets have a gently curving 'V' edge on top, and are lined in yellow cotton, yay! Because I was short on time and wanted this to be a super quick project I machine hemmed my circle skirt, but to add a little something nice to it I used a yellow bias binding to finish the raw edge on the inside. I forgot to take a photo of it though, sorry! Overall I am pretty happy with this project, and the fabric was very cheap too which made up for the skirt requiring so many meters. My only regret is that with my impulsive choice in fabric I'm not sure I have much in my wardrobe to wear this with!”
Katherine at Everything – “I used plain cotton drill and I managed to cut the waist on the skirt a little too big so there's some extra bulk on the hips. I went for a hand-picked slashed zip in the centre back and put pockets in the sides.The seams are pinked and I did the hem by hand. It's a bit wrinkled from wearing it to work. hehe.”
Kathy at Katy Did Stitches – “Joining this sew-along was a spur-of-the moment decision...and I wanted to work with fabric from my stash. I remembered the wool tweed that I had purchased at my neighbor's garage sale and hoped it was enough. It was...just four yards. I also had a remnant of black cotton velveteen...and so I added a vine-ing floral applique, embellished with black glass beading. Although I've done a TON of applique, this was my first attempt at beading...fun...but a LONG way around that skirt! The purple and brown paisley silk lining was my one splurge for this project. I used a purchased bias hem facing...and finished the hem with hand stitching. And now that it's finished, I find my new skirt to be both comfortable and wearable...which pleases me very much!”
Kristen at Sew Technicolor – “I used navy broadcloth because I realized that I don't even own a solid colored skirt! But I didn't want my skirt to look too plain, so I embroidered a floral design on it (and hope to add two more of the motifs soon). I used your lapped zipper method in construction. The skirt came together easily even though I made a few scatter-brained mistakes.”
Laura at Schmatte? – This talented lady made two skirts! On the plaid one she wrote: “Inspired by an Anthro skirt from last Fall (sorry no inspiration photo), I decided to fully line the skirt instead of just making a wide facing to hem it. It's a wool-blend suiting lined in cotton woven, with a 1.5" knit elastic waistband.” For the charming sea-horse print skirt she said: “I was inspired simply by the fabric itself and the sew-along, but couldn't make a full-circle work with the fabric. I used the Snug Bug circle skirt calculator to draft the half-circle.”
Lucha at One Margarita at a Time – “I used a quilter's weight cotton in a leopard print for my skirt. I really wanted to include leopard print in my fall wardrobe.There is a Dolce & Gabbana add with Scarlet Johansen, where she is laying on a leopard print background and that served as inspiration for the use of Leopard print. I hemmed the skirt with horse hair braid, and I love it!! This was my first time using horse hair braid and I am now a convert! I don't think I will ever hem a circle skirt any other way, ever again! The skirt was very fun to sew and came together smoothly, thanks again for hosting this sew along!”
Melynda at Country Girl Couture – “I used the modified waist suggestion for a flatter front and back and loved it. I will use this method exclusively in the future when making a circle skirt. I used fabric from my stash. This particular piece had a nice drape/hand and so I felt like it would hang nice.”
Michelle at Little Foot – Michelle made this gorgeous, plaid skirt that reminds me so much of the beautiful styles popular at the end of the 1940s! I really need a plaid skirt skirt now!
Nisse at What’s in a Treehouse? – “My inspirations were suspenders skirts, mainly those big, poufy skirts that were around in the fifties, navy, because I just adore navy blue and a picture of Marilyn Monroe. I wrote a blog post about my Inspirations here. I was able to cut the base of my skirt in one piece, so I had no side seams. I used the slash opening zipper technique for the first time and am really pleased with the finished look. I used the sew-in method for the waistband, which went pretty smooth. I had a bit more difficulties with hemming the skirt, In the end I got there it just took me a bit longer then the rest of the skirt. And lastly I made the suspenders and attached them with buttons on the "wrong" side of the skirt.”
Olivia at Dixie Damsels Way Back Then – “The fabric I chose combines my three favorite colors and it was just calling for cute accessories. I was planning on using a shaped waist band but it completely flopped, and I am really not sure why lol. I just used a simple waist band that is about two inches wide. Making a simple straight waistband turned out to be great! Because I could wear my favorite red belt. Sewing the hem felt like I was sewing around the world, Oh I thought it would never end!”
Silvia at Cherry Plum – “When I decided to make this skirt, I wanted it look like more to the Vuitton one, so with pleats... but all the free pattern I found on the internet was the circle one. So I've made a little reflection in my brain... and I decided to try to make my own pattern... based on the circle one... As I've never sewn zipper, I decided to not use one.. I've used one pleat to hide and I've put a big button chosen by my boyfriend...” (Silvia also has an inspiration post here.)
Stephanie at Girl with the Star Spangled Heart – “My skirt is made from a brown twill. I opted for embroidering a boarder print. I was inspired by the lovely atomic designs of the 50s and my own love of chemistry. I also did my first lapped zipper and it came out great! It is so much fun to wear and I can really see it being a staple in my wardrobe.”
Vicki Kate at Vicki Kate Makes –“It's my first circle skirt and it started with the fabric. I just love the texture and the colours! The lining is a real pop of colour which I love. Over 5m of hand stitching went into attaching the lining to the hem :) I used horsehair braid as I feel that a wider hem helps to balance out my top heavy torso. I plan on making more of these as they're great for running around after boy and would be wonderful in the summer, but without the HHB for a more informal look! I think I'd also make the waistband snugger as there's a fair bit of ease - I can get my whole fist between the waistband and me!”
Ywea at Ywea’s World – “I’ve had the fabric I used for this skirt for a while. I bought it with the plan to create a dress, but when I got home I wondered if I had turned my head in the store. The fabric was too intense for me .. and what shall I say …too many mushrooms in one place. I put it in the closet and forgot about it until I had to find a suitable material for the circle skirt. I decided to try it, and I think it really worked quite well. (But I’m glad I did not make a dress of it.)”
Abby at Sew Get Dressed – “I still want to add a little pleat embellishment to the bottom of my skirt, but I wore it yesterday anyway and took some photos. It's a quilting cotton, because Ann Arbor is seriously lacking in good fabric stores, but I love the way it turned out anyway. :) I made my own bias tape for the first time and used that to finish the side seams (also the first time I've finished seams with bias tape), and I love how polished and pretty it looks”
Amy at Sew Well – “I purchased a simple, lightweight, solid-color cotton batiste from Fine Fabrics for my skirt since I wanted my focus for this Sew-Along to be all about the pattern. I learned a lot in the process - my true waist measurement, the importance of grain, the difference in drape on the bias, how (not) to draft pockets, where to mark a proper hem (all six yards of it!), and the importance of triple checking your math. I couldn't be more pleased with the lessons that I learned, the confidence that I gained, and the resulting skirt.”
Anna at Mormor hade stil – “I meant to make a very basic skirt, since I lack basic separates in my wardrobe (somehow I'm easily distracted to start sewing projects that are a bit more extravagant). And I had this cotton blend twill in my stash, and I thought a dark hue like this would certainly do the trick for a more basic skirt. I'm pleased with the outcome.”
Annabelle at Annabellebumps – “My inspiration for this skirt was to make something classy that I can wear to work and does not resemble my childhood poodle skirt. My fabric is a wool silk blend that I fell in love with. I found all of the tutorials very helpful, but the lapped zipper was my favorite part of making this skirt.”
Ashley of Bramblewood Fashion – “My skirt was inspired by the fabric I used. It is called, Marigold and is from the Treasures and Tidbits collection by, Piece O' Cake Designs for Robert Kaufman. The hem on my skirt is just folded up twice, then hand sewn. This is only my second time hand sewing a hem in {I'm lazy, I know} but I know this won't be my last time. As I really like how hand sewing the hem in looks now. It also didn't take as long as I thought it would {watching movies really helps}. What I love about this skirt is that I can easily wear it modern, but I can also style it for a 1950s look {included with a petticoat underneath}.”
Brandy of A Series of (Unfortunate) Sewing Events – Brandy chose a delightful print for her circle skirt—I just love it! She wrote me that “It is my first sew-along and first time using my "new" sewing machine a vintage Kenmore that was my husband's grandmothers. It is the first project I have ever sewn for myself by myself.” Bravo, Brandy!
Casey at Noir Girl – Casey made this stunning, textured red skirt. I just love how bright it is! She originally added horsehair braid to the hem, but decided she didn’t like how it looked with the weight of her fabric (a great point, Casey!) and removed it and opted for a machine rolled hem instead. She’s also planning on some suspenders for the skirt—which I can’t wait to see!
Erika of Tio fingrar och fem sinnen – Made this beautiful dark brown, 100% cotton corduroy circle skirt! I just love the way the heavy drape of the corduroy gives the circle skirt a very elegant air!
Frankie at Frankly Sewn – “I used an old vintage sheet, quilt batting and poly-cotton to line it with. I got the idea to use the sheet I had stashed when my 6 year old step daughter suggested I make a skirt to match a top I knitted recently. The colours work perfectly. I pretty much followed your steps but hemmed before I attached the waistband so the batting was enclosed - does that make sense? I ran four rows of stitching around the hem line to create a quilted effect. It is so much fun to wear and perfect for spring time!”
Jennifer at Thoughts of a Transplanted Boston Girl – This was her first patternless skirt! Jennifer told me that she didn’t follow the circle skirt project per-se, because she already was working on some other things, but gathered a lot of information from the how-to’s and used a few to complete her skirts. She used a sheet (make do and mend!), and a wide hem to help with the drape. She found the information for the waistband tutorial during the CSSA series really helpful, and used that to make the waistband.
Jesslyn at Image Interpreters – “For years I have longed for a circle skirt, but being overweight, I just didn't like the way they looked. Since losing 85 pounds last year I now LOVE how this accentuates my much smaller waist! I shrunk out of all my winter skirts so I chose a fairly heavy wool blend exaggerated black and white houndstooth. Since the fabric was reversible, I chose to do have the white teeth showing for the waistband, which I highlighted in one of the photos. I'm a shoe girl, so I'll wear it with my black patent leather retro bow peep-toe platforms, my red patent patent leather peep-toe platforms, and when it's just too cold... my high-heel boots!!”
Josie at Frances Baker – “It's made from a lovely lightweight cotton, and I used a vintage jade coloured button to fasten the waistband. The patch pockets have a gently curving 'V' edge on top, and are lined in yellow cotton, yay! Because I was short on time and wanted this to be a super quick project I machine hemmed my circle skirt, but to add a little something nice to it I used a yellow bias binding to finish the raw edge on the inside. I forgot to take a photo of it though, sorry! Overall I am pretty happy with this project, and the fabric was very cheap too which made up for the skirt requiring so many meters. My only regret is that with my impulsive choice in fabric I'm not sure I have much in my wardrobe to wear this with!”
Katherine at Everything – “I used plain cotton drill and I managed to cut the waist on the skirt a little too big so there's some extra bulk on the hips. I went for a hand-picked slashed zip in the centre back and put pockets in the sides.The seams are pinked and I did the hem by hand. It's a bit wrinkled from wearing it to work. hehe.”
Kathy at Katy Did Stitches – “Joining this sew-along was a spur-of-the moment decision...and I wanted to work with fabric from my stash. I remembered the wool tweed that I had purchased at my neighbor's garage sale and hoped it was enough. It was...just four yards. I also had a remnant of black cotton velveteen...and so I added a vine-ing floral applique, embellished with black glass beading. Although I've done a TON of applique, this was my first attempt at beading...fun...but a LONG way around that skirt! The purple and brown paisley silk lining was my one splurge for this project. I used a purchased bias hem facing...and finished the hem with hand stitching. And now that it's finished, I find my new skirt to be both comfortable and wearable...which pleases me very much!”
Kristen at Sew Technicolor – “I used navy broadcloth because I realized that I don't even own a solid colored skirt! But I didn't want my skirt to look too plain, so I embroidered a floral design on it (and hope to add two more of the motifs soon). I used your lapped zipper method in construction. The skirt came together easily even though I made a few scatter-brained mistakes.”
Laura at Schmatte? – This talented lady made two skirts! On the plaid one she wrote: “Inspired by an Anthro skirt from last Fall (sorry no inspiration photo), I decided to fully line the skirt instead of just making a wide facing to hem it. It's a wool-blend suiting lined in cotton woven, with a 1.5" knit elastic waistband.” For the charming sea-horse print skirt she said: “I was inspired simply by the fabric itself and the sew-along, but couldn't make a full-circle work with the fabric. I used the Snug Bug circle skirt calculator to draft the half-circle.”
Lucha at One Margarita at a Time – “I used a quilter's weight cotton in a leopard print for my skirt. I really wanted to include leopard print in my fall wardrobe.There is a Dolce & Gabbana add with Scarlet Johansen, where she is laying on a leopard print background and that served as inspiration for the use of Leopard print. I hemmed the skirt with horse hair braid, and I love it!! This was my first time using horse hair braid and I am now a convert! I don't think I will ever hem a circle skirt any other way, ever again! The skirt was very fun to sew and came together smoothly, thanks again for hosting this sew along!”
Melynda at Country Girl Couture – “I used the modified waist suggestion for a flatter front and back and loved it. I will use this method exclusively in the future when making a circle skirt. I used fabric from my stash. This particular piece had a nice drape/hand and so I felt like it would hang nice.”
Michelle at Little Foot – Michelle made this gorgeous, plaid skirt that reminds me so much of the beautiful styles popular at the end of the 1940s! I really need a plaid skirt skirt now!
Nisse at What’s in a Treehouse? – “My inspirations were suspenders skirts, mainly those big, poufy skirts that were around in the fifties, navy, because I just adore navy blue and a picture of Marilyn Monroe. I wrote a blog post about my Inspirations here. I was able to cut the base of my skirt in one piece, so I had no side seams. I used the slash opening zipper technique for the first time and am really pleased with the finished look. I used the sew-in method for the waistband, which went pretty smooth. I had a bit more difficulties with hemming the skirt, In the end I got there it just took me a bit longer then the rest of the skirt. And lastly I made the suspenders and attached them with buttons on the "wrong" side of the skirt.”
Olivia at Dixie Damsels Way Back Then – “The fabric I chose combines my three favorite colors and it was just calling for cute accessories. I was planning on using a shaped waist band but it completely flopped, and I am really not sure why lol. I just used a simple waist band that is about two inches wide. Making a simple straight waistband turned out to be great! Because I could wear my favorite red belt. Sewing the hem felt like I was sewing around the world, Oh I thought it would never end!”
Silvia at Cherry Plum – “When I decided to make this skirt, I wanted it look like more to the Vuitton one, so with pleats... but all the free pattern I found on the internet was the circle one. So I've made a little reflection in my brain... and I decided to try to make my own pattern... based on the circle one... As I've never sewn zipper, I decided to not use one.. I've used one pleat to hide and I've put a big button chosen by my boyfriend...” (Silvia also has an inspiration post here.)
Stephanie at Girl with the Star Spangled Heart – “My skirt is made from a brown twill. I opted for embroidering a boarder print. I was inspired by the lovely atomic designs of the 50s and my own love of chemistry. I also did my first lapped zipper and it came out great! It is so much fun to wear and I can really see it being a staple in my wardrobe.”
Vicki Kate at Vicki Kate Makes –“It's my first circle skirt and it started with the fabric. I just love the texture and the colours! The lining is a real pop of colour which I love. Over 5m of hand stitching went into attaching the lining to the hem :) I used horsehair braid as I feel that a wider hem helps to balance out my top heavy torso. I plan on making more of these as they're great for running around after boy and would be wonderful in the summer, but without the HHB for a more informal look! I think I'd also make the waistband snugger as there's a fair bit of ease - I can get my whole fist between the waistband and me!”
Ywea at Ywea’s World – “I’ve had the fabric I used for this skirt for a while. I bought it with the plan to create a dress, but when I got home I wondered if I had turned my head in the store. The fabric was too intense for me .. and what shall I say …too many mushrooms in one place. I put it in the closet and forgot about it until I had to find a suitable material for the circle skirt. I decided to try it, and I think it really worked quite well. (But I’m glad I did not make a dress of it.)”
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