Simplicity 1072 Skirt

Sewing has been on my mind these days.  I've always liked the idea of being able to make clothes that are specifically made for me.  By sewing, I can control the fit and the cost.  Above are a couple of pictures of the finished product.  Don't make fun of my legs, they are always that pale.  Perhaps next time, I may consider pairing this skirt with a pair of black tights as well.  Excuse my expression, I'm so awkward in pictures.  But, at least you can see how I styled the skirt.

I picked up this Simplicity 1072 pattern one week when Hobby Lobby had one of their pattern sales.  It was a little more than a dollar with tax.

All the reviews for this pattern claimed it was easy.  Since I'm not the best at sewing, I figured I would give it a whirl and see what happens.  I will eventually put up my own review of this skirt on Patternreview.com.

I found this beautiful lace look knit fabric.  It can be found here.  First, allow me to rave about this fabric.  It is so soft and comfy.  It worked well with this pattern.  I was just browsing through the fabric section in JoAnn and came across it.  I'm glad I decided to buy it.  When I purchased the fabric, it was on sale for forty percent off, so this skirt was not too pricey.  Plus, I received a bonus because it was at the end of it's bolt, so I got an additional percentage off to purchase the rest of the bolt.  I'm glad I did that also because I've started making some shorts with it too.

This pattern was quite easy.  I cut pieces 3 and 5 according to the pattern.  I did not use piece 4 for the elastic, instead I measured it on myself.

First, I cut the front and the back of the skirt.  Then, I cut the waistband.  I usually wear a size 18/20. But, I wanted to make sure the skirt was flattering to my figure, so I cut the size 24.

When it came to the elastic waistband, I did not use the guide provided in the pattern.  I simply measured it on myself to customize my fit.  Had I cut the elastic at the size 24, I don't think I would have been able to keep the skirt up.  So, customizing the waistband was the right decision.

Seriously, the instructions for this pattern are pretty simple.  Put the right sides together, secure side seams with pins.  Then sew the sides together.

The waistband was then sewn on the sides, folded over and sewn to the top of the skirt, leaving an opening on one end to pull the elastic through.

To pull the elastic through the waistband, I used a little trick I learned in an elementary school home economics class.  You use a safety pin and secure it around one end of the elastic.  The gives you something to grab and pull the elastic through the opening.

When you pull the elastic through the opening, overlap both ends and sew them together.  You may have to do this by hand, depending on the thickness of your elastic.

I closed up opening in the waistband.

I finished the skirt off by hemming it by about a half inch all the way around the bottom.