Tutorial: Shirred Pocket Skirt

Thanks so much for all the kind comments and compliments on my Anthropologie inspired  shirred skirt with pockets.  All your encouragement inspired me to go hog wild this week and make myself a bunch of skirts to last me through the summer.  I got thinking of other options to switch it up.

So I started out with the same solid basic skirt.

Keeping the simple solid, but using contrasting thread. 

 Using stripes and bias tape contrasting pocket edges.
This pink stripe skirt was actually made out of a vintage flat sheet I bought from the thrift store.   I used the top of the sheet, so the thick pink edge of the sheet ended up being the pink hem.

Big contrasting sections came next.

This came as a mistake.  I didn't have enough charcoal fabric for the whole skirt, and didn't want a mini skirt, so added the white stripe across the bottom.  I like the contrasting pocket bias tape too.

At last I ventured into a printed fabric.

The contrasting stripe is 1" bias tape. This one kind of reminds me of an apron or something.

Dorky quick shots wearing the skirts.

You can see these skirts (cut 25" long) hit me just below the knee.

 

I used really affordable fabric, most came from the $1.50 table at Walmart actually. {Sorry if that makes you cringe} So each skirt was under $3.00, some closer to $1.50, that's six skirts for under $20.00!

So get your cheap fabric and decide what variation you like and make a skirt with pockets!
Supplies:

-Fabric: 1.5 yards

-elastic thread
- elastic 3/8" or 1/2" wide, enough to fit comfortable around your hips

PRINT PATTERN HERE

Cut:

-2 rectangles (skirt front and back)
22 to 25" {length of skirt} x 32 to 34" {skirt width to be scrunched}
There's been readers a lot thinner than me that found 32" skirt width too big, sorry! so here's a more precise formula for skirt front/back width: 
Measure around hips x 1.75 = total width of skirt
divide total by 2 to get the width of the two skirt rectangles 

I like my skirts longer than standard and cut them 25" long, then after hem and waist casing they end up being around 23 inches long finsihed.  The skirt width is pretty forgiving once it gets all scrunched up, so I cut it to what works best with my fabric

-4 pocket pieces

1. Print and cut out pattern pieces. 

The "Pocket A" piece is used as a cut guide.

2. Cut Skirt Pocket Holes

Take one of your skirt rectangles and cut the pocket piece from both sides.

3. Cut Pockets

Cut out 4 pocket B pieces.  For this tutorial I used light blue fabric for the front of the pockets to help see as you sew.  I usually cut all 4 pockets from the coordinating fabric so they're all the same.

Cut "Pocket A" shape out of 2 pocket pieces, or in my case, the pocket front pieces. 

4. Make Pockets

Place the cut pocket pieces on the full pocket pieces, right sides together, and make sure you have a left and right. 

Sew around large outside curves of each pocket.

5. Sew on Pockets

Turn the pocket inside out (seam on inside) and pin curve of pocket to right side of skirt front.  So the right side of the pocket front fabric will be sewn to the right side of the skirt front fabric.  Then when you flip the pocket back over the finished curve seam, the right side of the skirt and both pocket pieces will all be right sides up when you look down into the pocket.

**If you are adding bias tape to pocket edge, this step is different as shown at the end with striped pockets***

Sew the pocket to the skirt front along the curve. 

6. Finish pocket edges.

Flip the pocket right side out and top stitch the curve of the pocket.  I sew 2 rows along the curve. 

This is what the back of the skirt looks like when the pocket is sewn on. 

7. Baste Pocket

Keep the pocket lined up and baste the pocket to the skirt at the top and side so it all lays flat. 

8. Side Seams

Place the other skirt rectangle (skirt back) right sides together with skirt front and sew side seams with 1/2"seam allowance.

9. Sew Elastic Casing

Zig-zag or serge the top edge of skirt.  Decide what width of elastic you want and iron the edge down so it's large enough for your elastic.

Mine: 3/8" elastic, ironed edge down 1/2"

Sew the casing down, but remember to leave a 1-2" hole for elastic casing 

10. Shir Waistband

To sew shirring is really easy.  You do need to have the elastic thread which is the key.  You find it in the notions section in a package.

The pain is you have to wind the bobbin by hand.  You want the thread wound without stretching it because it gets stretched as you sew.

With the elastic thread in your bobbin, you just sew like normal.  I don't change the tension, but I do increase my stitch length up to 3.0.  Also, make sure you are sewing with the bobbin on the back of the fabric as the elastic thread is thick and white.

Also, rather than sew a perfect row, I start at one point and spiral down the skirt.  This way the elastic thread doesn't need to be cut.  I sew along the edge of the presser foot to make rows 1/4" apart.  I usually make it 8-10 rows.

11. Insert Elastic

Use a safety pin to thread elastic through casing, then sew the ends together and sew the hole closed.

12. Hem skirt

You're finished!

BIAS TAPE POCKET ALTERNATIVE

The only difference with this method is you don't have to flip the pocket inside out before sewing it to the skirt due to the fact the bias tape covers the unfinished seam.

Sew along the pocket curve 1/4" seam allowance. 

Top-stitch 1/2" double fold bias tape along pocket edge. 

Just out of curiosity, if have a minute, could you comment which skirt variation you like best?

Just taking a little poll.

Thanks.