In this demo, I am going to show you how to create one of the really popular skirts that you see these days. I chose a regular circle skirt because it makes it a little easier for you to visually see the whole thing on camera. Along with the regular circle skirt, we used high waisted briefs. The reason you want a circle skirt or another skirt that is flowing is because you need the movement they provide.
Supplies:
- Briefs of Your Choice
- Circle Skirt
- Thread to match skirt
- Pins
- Needles
- Scissors
- Sewing Machine optional
- Lace Strip Appliqué or Other Material to Cover Skirt Waistband
Directions:
- Choosing Your Materials
The first step is to choose the briefs you want to use. Do you want regular briefs, high waisted briefs, or some other style? Second, chose the circle skirt you want to use. Do you want a knee length, mid-calf length or long skirt? Also, what type of material do you want for your skirt? It all depends on the look you are trying to achieve. For instance, shorter skirts are a little more flirty and longer skirts are more elegant. Additionally, it is important for the briefs and skirt to complement or match the top. It is preferable if the material has some stretch to it.
For my demonstration, I am using a high waisted brief and a knee length skirt made out of a see-through material.
- Cutting Front of Skirt
What I am going to do first is put this skirt in place on the briefs. I am going to determine where I want it to go on the hip line. I am using a mannequin but, it is best to do this while the girl is wearing it so that you can really visualize where on the hip it looks best on her. I have chosen two spots on the waistband – each one about 4” from the middle front of the skirt. This means the two spots are actually 8” apart.
I am going to cut straight up from the hem to these spots that I have chosen at the waistband and then across from one side to the other. I am going to make the cuts while the skirt is on the mannequin. You could do the same thing while the skirt is on the dancer. However, the best way to accomplish this is to fold the skirt in half with the fold in the center middle. That will allow you to make sure that both of the cuts from the hem to their respective spots are evenly spaced from the center. But, just to make it easier for you to see what I am doing, I am going to use a mannequin to cut the skirt. When I am done, there will be a large triangle cut out of the front of the circle skirt.
You can either leave the skirt as it is or round off the hem. Because I feel it is a more visually appealing look, I am going to round off the bottom of the corners that are left after I have cut the rectangle out of the skirt so that they do not have sharp points at the bottom. This is another place where it would be good to take the skirt off of the girl, fold it in half with the fold in the center and then cut both of the sides at the same time. You can also round off the corner on one side first while it is on the girl, take the skirt off, fold the skirt in half and then cut the second side to match the first. Round off the corners so that they are visually pleasing to you. Put the skirt back on the girl and make sure the cuts are exactly how and where you want them.
- Attaching the Skirt to the Briefs
Tack the skirt to the briefs at different locations to keep the skirt from moving. Tacking the skirt to the brief rather than sewing it all the way around allows for the brief to stretch. If you choose to sew all the way around, make sure it is pinned and then sewn with the material of the briefs stretched out so that the girl will be able to slide the briefs and skirt over her hips.
- “Finishing” the Half Skirt
You can leave the skirt as it is with a double waist band – one from the briefs and one from the skirt. But, you can also cover the bands. My next move is to place an appliqué lace strip around the hips and on top of the skirt band to cover up the skirt waistband and give it a more finished appearance. You could also use other materials to cover the band. Whatever you use you need to make sure that it is either stretchy or you stretch the brief as you sew it down so that the appliqué does not constrict the stretch of the brief.
You want to make sure that the appliqué is visually even. You may have to make tucks in the lace appliqué in the back and overlap it a little so that the lace matches in the front. The front is the most important since that is where people’s eyes will focus. You could also start in the center back of the skirt so that there is no overlapping needed in the front. If you have to take little tucks, the back is where you want to do it. You may want to take a couple of small tucks in the lace in the back of the skirt rather than one larger one so that the back looks good, also. A lot of times you can cut along the lines of the lace pattern rather than a straight cut so that when the lace crosses over itself, you cannot see the end of the lace or the tucks.
Another alternative when you are using a high waisted brief is to fold the top of the brief down over the top of the skirt and tack it down. It makes it really easy to hide the skirt’s waistband and gives you a very nice finish.
As you can see, this is a real simple way to create one of these half skirts.
