Sewing Tips Drawstring

Tips For Making a Drawstring Skirt

A skirt is the perfect fashion attire for a woman during the summer's hot and hazy days. Whatever the occasion its flowing design will keep you feeling cool whilst maintaining a sexy and classy look. For the highlight of your summer wardrobe this year, here's how you can make your very own drawstring skirt.

You'll need the following supplies:

- Material (measure your waist and multiply by 4, in inches)

- Length of ribbon or drawstring (your waist measurement plus 25 inches)

- Pair of scissors

- Tailor's chalk

- Tape measure

- Sewing machine

- Iron

- Large safety pin or nappy pin

The fabric should be cut to size. You already have the material in the right width, so you only need to cut it to the right length for your height. Measure yourself from your waist to your ankles by using your measuring tape. Should you want a shorter drawstring skirt, extend the measurement to only mid-calf. To either of these numbers you should add 5" to allow for a hem.

Before cutting or working on a fabric one should measure waist and length, then start work so that to know it's enough for your need. Use the chalk to mark off the final number. Continue this action until you have completed the circle, and the put the marks together via a dotted line, which you'll then cut.

For this step, you need to fold the longest edge of your fabric in half. You should have two skirt pieces after cutting it in two. Take those two pieces and fold them in half again in the same way you just did. The front and back of the skirt should have one such folded panel each.

Find out what your size is in the panel. Your skirt's waist should be six inches larger than your waist while the drawstring is open fully. To get this number, just halve your waist measurement and then add three inches to that. For each panel a 30'' waist would measure 30/2=15+3=18 inches. Measure the panel in such a way that it is of the biggest size you want to make.

The top of your skirt can now be cut. Making certain that the fabric remains folded, make a little line exactly at the fold with a piece of chalk. Your half-waist measurement should be taken. In this case eighteen inches and divide it in half. That measurement needs to be noted and marked down. Mark down nine inches along the top of your skirt border. After doing the one side, turn over your folded panel and also measure the other side. Along the top of your panel, open up your drawstring skirt panel to see three chalk marks centered perfectly. Fold the panel down the chalk line, along the crease.

The panels need to be cut. Make sure that you have a measuring tape handy, and draw an angled line beginning from the chalk mark you measured equal to nine inches and ending at the bottommost corner section of your already folded fabric panel. Don't angle the measuring tape the wrong way - the bottom should be the widest portion of fabric remaining. On both sides of your folded fabric panel draw this chalk line correctly. The dotted line is where you should cut. For drawstring skirts, first measure the fabric and then cut and fold it so that two equal pieces come out.

Holes for the drawstring should be made. Now that you have your panels already cut out, you can cut holes in them for the drawstring to be threaded through. On a single panel, from the middle line take a measurement three inches down towards the bottom side. Using a ruler, you now need to measure one inch on either side of this mark. You can use either a grommet punch to make holes in this spot or cut and sew button holes. There needs to be two vertical slits reinforced with thread around the holes.

The panels should now be sewn together. Your drawstring skirt is now ready to be assembled. Take the panels and lay them on top of one another, making sure they are inside out. Provide room for a quarter inch seam. Attach both of the panels by sewing the whole length of the skirt.

Hem your drawstring skirt. Using your previously heated iron, make a three inch hem at the skirt bottom, and iron it into place. Do the same at the top of the skirt, only a two inch hem there. You must be sure that the top hem lands " to either side of your drawstring holes. Sew your hems about 1/8" from the fold of the hem, all the way around the top and bottom of your drawstring skirt.

Now, fasten the drawstring. Your new drawstring skirt is essentially done! While hemming a drawstring skirt, you just thread in a ribbon with the help of safety pin and make a bow out of it.

Tiffany Provost writes about drawstring skirts and other fashion and personal care tips for HowToDoThings.com.