Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Tiered Peasant Skirt (Lost and Re-posted!)


I have a new love-affair. The new object of my affection is not men, chocolate, or even money related. It's something of a more textile-nature: Long skirts!   Yes, I already know I'm weird, but maybe I just crossed the cooky line in your opinion of me?  Well, before you close the page, just read the 4 main reasons i appreciate this type of clothing:


1) They hide the scars from my tomboy days.


2) They are easy to take in as my body shrinks (Hallelujah Lord!)


3)They are lightweight and more modest than most of the shorts and skorts on the rack these days.


4)They are just plain fun! I have to admit that I get an Anne Shirley-esque "thrill" when I feel the fabric swish and swirl around my legs. It's just silly goodness.


My dear friend over at Whimsical Wendy has issued a "Sew Along Challenge" for this year: To makeover our wardrobes by recycling natural fibers found in clothing and linens around the house. The April challenge was skirts. Yes, I'm a little behind.  Anyway, she has made a darling wrap skirt that I confess I want to steal. We have similar tastes in feminine, flowy fabric.  Now she's finishing up a ruffled skirt that looks sweet as well.  She found both patterns on Sew Mama Sew.  While I desperately wanted to make the wrap skirt, I have had some problems in making the pattern. While I wait for Wendy to fit me in her busy schedule, I decided to make another skirt that has been calling my name-a tiered skirt. It's quick and simple-my kind of project!

I had first seen the process for making this on the Homestead Blessings-Art of Sewing video. However, since I first watched my video, I have lent it out to various families, and I am not sure where it's at now!  Since I had already gotten my fabric and sewing machine ready, I decided to look online for a similar pattern.  If you google "tiered skirt" or "peasant skirt" you will get quite an assortment of tutorials.  I personally liked the clear cut instruction and pictures found on indietutes blog site.

Rather than use upcycled fabrics from around my house, I decided to raid my overflowing fabric stash. I found three cotton prints left from my quilting days: a brown/cream toile for the top tier, a brown tone-on-tone for the middle, and a blue/brown floral swirl for the bottom.  It went together in under an hour (not counting pre-washing time of course!), and was so easy! You only need to know a straight, zig zag, and basting/gather stitch for this project, as well as how to run elastic through a casing. This is a great beginner's project!  Plus, it can be customized in so many ways.  You can adjust the fabric choices as well as the number and width of tiers.  In fact, the current JoAnn's flyer features this skirt on the cover. It is made with solid and patchwork printed fabrics. There are four narrow tiers, and the third is narrower than the others to make the fourth flare out.  Cute!

If you do give this project a try, be sure to post a picture of your finished result!  I love to gain inspiration from others.
Happy Sewing!
Hillary At Home

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