Day 5: Two-Tiered Skirt

Happy Friday! The arrival of the weekend means we're more than halfway done with my 7 Skirt Styles in 7 Days challenge. Where is time going? I hope you've been inspired to give a few of these skirts a try (Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4). They are an easy way to jazz up any lady's wardrobe, no matter her age.

Today's skirt is a quick and easy one. It's comfy and straightforward, making it perfect for playing all day long, a quick beach cover up or a did-someone-just-knock-on-my-door-as-I'm-stepping-out-of-the-shower? moment. Those are great, right? Ha! These skirts are almost as quick and easy to make as the yoga skirts, so try making a bunch. You can also use the method for this skirt to make multi-tiered skirts, like the long sweeping skirts belly dancers wear. Hmm...I need one.

Supplies:
1/2 - 1 yard lightweight fabric (cotton, blends, linen, chambray, and seersucker are great)
1/2" wide elastic to fit around the waist.
Thread to match

Measure your wearer's waist and cut a piece of 1/2" wide elastic to that length. Measure down the outside of the leg from the waist to determine your skirt length.

Cut the first tier: take the waist measurement and add 5-8" to it to make it a number that's easy to work with (I am not smart in math, so I like to work with even numbers I can calculate quickly). This number is completely arbitrary, so don't worry too much about it. You just need at least five inches to provide ease in the hips. Divide the skirt's length measurement by 3. Use this number (round it up or down to make it easier) plus 1 1/2" to determine the length of the piece of fabric. My measurements were 18" waist and 14" length, so I went with a piece of fabric that was 30" (around the waist) by 6".

To cut the next tier, multiply your expanded waist measurement by 1.5. This will give you the width of the tier, and the length is just the total skirt length length number minus the yoke number (so 14-6 gave me 8". Add 1" for seam allowances and cut your second tier. I ended up with tier 1's fabric being 30"x6" and tier 2's fabric being 45"x9".

ALERT: I'm in a crisis right now and can't finish the post now, so I'll wrap it up in the morning. Sorry!