Today I am sharing a tutorial for this Nautical Skirt to help Jo-Ann Fabrics celebrate National Craft Month. There are so many spring trends in crafting. We were asked to focus on either Geometric, Floral, the Pantone Color of the Year, or Nautical. As you can see, I went with Nautical which seems only right when you live in coastal New England and your husband loves sailboats. Jo-Ann makes spring crafting easy during National Craft Month with a $5 off $25 or more purchase coupon and a spring crafting inspiration website where you can see more tutorials like this one.
Let’s get started!
I chose to make a child’s size 10-12 skirt for my daughter. Depending on the size you make, your yardage will differ.
Supplies:
1 3/4 yds. Shirting Navy/White Cotton Maritime Club
1/2 yd Kona Rich Red
1 yd. Simplicity cotton braided trim
Gutermann thread in white, off white and deep red
HeatnBond Lite
Dritz 3/4″ wide elastic
Before you start to cut or sew, prewash and dry your fabric. I even prewashed the trim in a net lingerie bag. It’s so tempting to skip this step but if you do, the sizing might be off after laundering and the fusible adhesive may not fuse well.
First, cut the skirt front and back. The width of each panel should be equal to the waist measurement. The length of the panels should be the desired finished length plus 3 3/4″.
Anchor clip art is widely available. Find one that you like and print it to a size that works with the size skirt you are making. In this case, mine was about 8″ wide. Fuse the HeatnBond to the back side of the red Kona. Then trace the anchor on the paper backing. Cut it out and fuse it to the front panel of the skirt. I positioned mine at a bit of an angle, approximately 6″ from the right side edge and left enough room for the hem at the bottom, placing it up about 4 1/2″.
Using the coordinating thread, stitch with a tight zigzag around the outside of the applique. Position the braided trim and pin in a couple of spots. If your machine allows you to, lower the pressure on your presser foot and then stitch down the center of the braid. Stitch back and forth across each end because the trim will fray up to that line of stitching.
Next, stitch the side seams using a 5/8″ seam. Edge finish and trim.
Create a casing at the upper edge of the skirt by pressing under 1/4″ and then another 1″. Stitch close to the edge leaving an opening in the back to insert the elastic. Thread the elastic through the opening.
Now is a good time to try the skirt on your model for fit. Pin the elastic and then stitch across to secure it. Complete the stitching at the waistband.
Hem by folding up 1/4″ and then another 1 3/4″. Stitch close to the edge.
And there you have your finished skirt! I love the Nautical trend because it’s really never out of style; it’s traditional. That means that this skirt can be handed down to little sister in a few years!
