Using a zip taken from an old jacket and using another skirt as the pattern, here is a wool skirt that is perfect for Autumn.
What you will need:
- 1.5m of fabric
- A chunky zip, long enough to go all the way down the skirt
- 3″ of matching ribbon
- A skirt that fits you well, for the pattern
- Matching threads
To get your skirt pieces fold your fabric in half and place your skirt on top of it. Cut around it leaving at least 2″ all the way round. Take one of your pieces and cut it in half vertically, this is now your front. Sew the sides together.
At this point, you can either finish the waist edge or add two panels at the front like I have. To do this, out of the remaining fabric, cut two 4″ wide strips that are the same length as the skirt. Sew these to either side of the open front.
Now finish the waist. If your fabric doesn’t fray, you don’t need to do this. However, it does give a nice soft finish. Fold over the waist edge and sew it down with little stitches that don’t show from the front, like this:
To sew in the zip, first unzip it and pin it to one side of the open front with it facing down. You can pin it so that it goes all the way down the front, or leave a couple of inches above the hem, like I have done. Sew down the zip tape, next to the teeth. Do the same on the other side.
If your zip is slightly too long and it over hangs the waist, use thick thread and sew around the teeth that fall in line to the top of the waist. When you know that your stitching is thick enough to stop the zip, cut off the excess. To keep the zip flat, sew a line of stitch on the edge of the fabric, catching the zip’s tape all the way down.
Finally, remove the old zip pull tab, and replace it with the ribbon, knotted to secure it.
Thank you for reading!
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