Pleated White Skirt

A couple of years ago I made my sister in law a pleated skirt for Christmas. 

It was inspired by this skirt. I love it because it is such a classic style and a simple to make. 

On my last trip to the LA Fabric District, I found a heavy ribbed knit in white that I knew right away would have to be used for a pleated skirt. 

All I had to do was measure my waist and create these even box pleats. I chose to make pleats that were 3 inches wide because I wanted them to be even, including the zipper addition, and my waist measurement was easy to divide by 3.

The first row of stitching to secure the pleats in just the right places

I stitched across the skirt at the waistline once the pleats were all pinned in place. After that I stitched again next to the first stitch to ensure the pleats were perfect and secure. After that, I attached the waistband to the front of the skirt. 

I took advantage of the stretch in the fabric when making the waistband. I often make waistbands that are too big, and I didn't want that to happen again, so I made sure to measure the waistband with the perfect amount of stretch. 

After attaching the zipper, I stitched in the ditch to secure the inside of the waistband down. 

I used my sewing machine's blind hem stitch and foot for the hem. It is one of my favorite tricks with sewing hems on dress pants, skirts, anything! 

I wore my new pleated skirt with the pom pom sleeve tee I made recently. I loved the white on white with a small pop of color. It is one of my favorite handmade outfits so far.

Close up of the ribbing detail in the skirt fabric

I love the way the skirt fits! I am so glad I measured the waistband a little smaller than I normally do. I made all the difference. 

Vintage Dress Refashion

When I was a senior, I took a road trip to Salt Lake City with some friends. Each trip to Salt Lake as incomplete without a stop at Decades. My friends and I loved vintage clothing and always left that store with a treasure or two. 

My goal for that shopping trip was to find a cool vintage dress to wear to prom. 

I bought this pink dress hoping to alter it a bit and clean it for prom. Unfortunately, I wore a different dress to prom. This dress sat in the back of my closet for nine years! 

It's made of a crepe-y fabric and has an accordion pleated skirt and a surplice bodice with pleated darts, cap sleeves, and a lapel (tacked under in this image)

A few months ago, it caught my attention again and I decided I would give it another shot. Although beautiful as a dress, it was a little too formal. I loved the skirt of it, though, and wanted to be able to wear it and not look over the top. 

I simply cut the dress about a half inch above the waist line. I then attached 1-inch thick bias tape to the waist band, being careful to attach it in just the right place so that, when it would be folded over, it would have a clean finish. I then attached thick elastic the seam allowance so that the waist would hold its shape and size. 

At this point I tried it on and was disappointed with the amount of bulk the seam allowance was adding to the waistline. To fix it, I top stitched around the whole waist to keep the seam allowance down. And it fixed the problem! After that, All I had to do was reinforce the zipper and add a hook and eye. 

I wore this skirt to church with a simple white shirt and turquoise earrings. I felt like a million bucks! It is obvious that this is an old dress-turned-skirt. It has a few small stains (I have yet to get it cleaned.. its next on my list!) and the color is very unique.

It is a one-of-a-kind skirt! The kind that was worth the nine year wait. 

SaveSave