Easy Back to School Skirt - A Refashion & a Tutorial

A ruffle on the bottom and side pockets make this a great back to school skirt.  Starting this project with shirts you no longer wear, make this an economical project. Not only is this skirt economical to make but it's also super easy to sew together because half of your seams are already sewn!  One more version of this skirt can be seen HERE.

Here's a list of what you'll need to make this skirt:

• Knit women's tee shirt (main skirt fabric) 
• One additional tee shirt or an old camisole 
• Scissors
• Ruler
• 1" wide elastic
• Coordinating thread

1.  Fold  your shirt in half making sure the hem lines up.  Measure off the length of the desired skirt.

2.  Cut off shirt right below the bottom of the arm hole.

3.  From a camisole or another knit shirt, cut (3-4) 1 1/2" stripes.

4.  This is what all fabric pieces will look like. once cut.

5.  Cut apart at the seam each of the 1 1/2" fabric stripes.

6.  At a diagonal, sew the stripes together to form one large continual circle.

7.  Determine the center of the ruffle fabric - 3/4"

8.  Down the center of the ruffle circle, sew a basting stitch all around the fabric.

9.   Unpick about 5-6 inches from the top of each side seam.  Pin a pocket to each side.

10. Sew the straight edge of the pocket to the skirt.

11. Gather the ruffle and pin it along the bottom. I lined the bottom of the ruffle to the bottom stitch on the hem.

12.  Sew the ruffle to the skirt. 

13.  This image shows one pocket sewn to the skirt and the opposite pocket pinned.

14.  Right sides together, pin the pocket and then sew around the edge at 1/4".

15.  Pin the side seams at the top and bottom of the pocket.

16.  Stitch the top seam and the bottom seam.

17.  I like to stitch the bottom of the pocket together twice to make the pocket stronger.

18.  Finish the top edge of the skirt with a serger or an overlapping stitch.  Fold down 1.25" from the top of the skirt to form a casing.  Stitch close to the edge of the casing.  Make sure to leave a 1/2 - 1" opening!

19.  Thread 1" elastic through the casing.  I use a safety pin to help push the tread through the opening.

20.  Overlap the elastic and sew it together. 

That's it! Your easy back-to-school skirt should be done.  It's super cute, right? You and your child (or grandchild) will be so proud that you made this stylish skirt for them!

Shared:  Threading My Way, Creating My way to Success, Snickerdoodle Sunday