The "20 Minute Skirt" that took 3+ hours

A lot of my sewing projects work out this way. I have an idea and the inkling to do some crafting, so once Madelyn is asleep I head to my craft room. I get going on a project, which really shouldn't take that long, but then I change my mind half-way through and have to start over, or I mess up and have to redo a bunch of stuff. This especially happens with sewing projects I've found. Maybe I just need more practice, I don't know. But yesterday was just one of those days, and this project was NOT FUN!!

I found this post about creating a simple skirt using pretty fabric and some elastic. AND it was only supposed to take 20 minutes!! I've been wanting a jean skirt for quite awhile, so I got a bunch of dark denim fabric at Joann's and was going to use that tutorial for making a skirt. I followed the steps, made the skirt, tried it on, and boy was it ugly!! It looked like a big sac, very unattractive. I think part of the reason was because jean is heavier and thicker, so not as light as cotton would have been. I might try the tutorial again with cotton sometime, see if it works then.

So I took off the elastic, then placed a skirt that fit well on top of it.

I took a fabric pencil and traced the outline of the skirt, then pinned the edges so they would stay together.

I sewed down the line I had drew, then tried it on, making sure it looked right. I did a few more adjustments to how the side stitches came in, then finally got it to look right.

I sewed a zipper in at the back, then heard Madelyn waking up. I was frustrated and done sewing, so I cheated and used some binding I had left over from a previous project to do the waistband. I put it over the top and sewed it on.

I tried on the skirt later that night to show my husband. As I was zipping up the back, I zipped the zipper head right off the track. I didn't have a 7 inch zipper when I was making the skirt, so I just cut a longer one down. I have now realized that if I do that, I need to make sure there is something to stop the zipper from coming all the way off. Oh well, lesson learned. Instead of somehow trying to figure out how to get the zipper head back on the track, I ended up going to Joann's today and just bought a new one. Arghh... this is why my projects take so long.

Here's how it turned out.

It's very simple, and the picture doesn't really do it justice, but it is a nice staple that I can use with many of my tops. AND I made it without using a pattern (which in retrospect, might have been easier if I had used one). But I like how it finally turned out, and I think I just might wear it to church tomorrow :)