vintage pillowcase skirt

Last September, I did a guest tutorial at Whip Up for a fabulously simple skirt with a retro vibe. I made it from a thrifted pillowcase (isn’t the geometric red and blue fantastic, by the way?). It’s super simple, but I thought it’d be a good addition to Sewing for ME!

To make one yourself, you’ll need:

• a vintage pillowcase
• sewing supplies
• a yard of contrasting bias tape

What to do:

1. Cut the sewn top edge off of the pillowcase. Cut the rest of the pillowcase down to 20″ long.
2. Measure your natural waist. Cut a length of 2″ wide elastic, the same length as your measurement. Sew the ends of the elastic together, right sides facing each other, creating a waistband. Trim the edges to look clean and top stitch them down.
3. Pin the elastic tube to the top edge of the skirt. First turn the elastic inside out, slide on the outside of the skirt (so that the right sides are facing each other). Find the middle of the back of the skirt and pin to the middle of the back of the elastic tube. Repeat with the middle of the front of the skirt and the two edges (this ensures that your elastic is evenly spaced). Continue pinning at equal intervals. Sew the elastic to the top edge of the skirt. Pull the elastic taut as you go. Sew a zig zag stitch around the perimeter to prevent the minimize fraying.
4. Finish off the hem with contrasting bias tape.
5. Done! Super cute, super simple skirt with a retro vibe!

Do any of you have similarly fabulous vintage pillowcases, just waiting to be made into skirts? This might just be the perfect project to start your Sewing for ME endeavors!