1 Yard Fabric, 7 Bloggers, My No-Sew Midi Skirt Tutorial

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Miriam found this gorgeous floral ikat print at Mood back in May. Immediately there were 7 of us hovering over the yardage to see if we could all snag a piece. Like sharks to chum.

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Each of us has made something with our yardage. Check out what these uber talented ladies have made with their yardage (in order of appearance of the photo above):

Merrick, Leanne (hers will come later this month),  Miriam, Jen, Andrea, Bethany (not pictured) All joined in.

The idea came that we should all see what we could do with one yard. The idea for a link party was born. And I failed at it miserably.

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I love this fabric so much, I want it all over my body at all times. What to make? A dress would showcase the fabric beautifully, but unfortunately the yardage is too short to just use for a simple shift (it shrunk a little in the pre-wash). I could do a raglan dress with the yardage, but I’m not stoked with the patterns I have. I tried to draft a raglan sleeve with my dress form, but the lack of shoulder/arm failed with the muslin test.

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Sewing confidence is waning at this point. Also, I’ve been trying to be a good little girl and prioritize business to-dos over blog to dos this week. It’s been hard to get anything done. Do you ever feel so busy that you just freeze up and can’t do a thing? I’m going through that at the moment.

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So in a moment of desperation, I made myself a skirt. Sort of. And I didn’t have to commit to sewing or cutting up my precious yardage just yet.

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Want to know a secret? I’ve actually done this very thing before. I needed a red skirt, but it was about 5 minutes before church so I grabbed red jersey, wrapped and walked out the door. This works surprisingly well.

Simply wrap and knot. Boom. Done. If you’re looking for a cheap way to make your own mini, midi or maxi skirt and you don’t know anything about sewing machines or knits. . . here you go.

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Outfit Details:

Is anyone in the same boat as me? Who else has had a crippling to do list lately?

Above are similar knit skirts (although the print I have is a mystery. I wish I could find it online) for under $35.

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    1. Kristin H says:

      And this is why I love you! You don a top, wrap a yard of fabrc around your waist, knot it, and suddenly, it’s a killer outfit.

      That fabric is so lovely – I would take forever to decide what to do with it.

    2. Ha I love it! I’m SUCH an anxious sew-er it’s so so nerve racking to cut into my favorite fabrics and even worse if they are pricey! I can’t wait to see what you finally settle on

    3. Mim says:

      Kristin said it perfectly, you’re rocking that yardage!

      Okay, so you know that vintage raglan tee you borrowed for a while? Well I actually made it recently, and it’s a SWEET pattern. I thought it would be too small because it’s like for a bust size 30″, but I actually only had to add a little bit I think it would fit you spot on. I’m glad that you didn’t just cut into it because we were posting today, when you finally nail down the design it will be amazing.
      And that made me laugh so hard that you dreamed of my top!! Lo freaking L.

      • Melissa says:

        I may need to borrow that pattern from you again. I’m seriously struggling with the drafting of a good raglan. And if I remember correctly, that raglan had long sleeves, right? I need some long sleeves!

    4. Bethany says:

      A no-sew skirt? Genius! You look lovely no matter what. I know you will come up with the perfect thing for this fabric, when you’re ready. I have been in a funk lately, and haven’t wanted to sew since before Halloween. I just feel blah lately.

    5. Andrea says:

      Looks amazing for a no-sew skirt! Who knew! Fab.

    6. Jen says:

      FYI- I used mine off grain and cut it sideways, there is just as much of a stretch. That’s how I got the length for my dress! :) Just don’t think I am going to ever wash it.

    7. Tamara says:

      You can make me a skirt!! I LOVE this print! jk, kind of. Good luck deciding what to do eventually!

    8. Merrick says:

      Ugh, i’m totally in a funk lately too. Every time it’s time to work I freeze and don’t get anything done. So frustrating.

      But such a genius idea to make a no-sew skirt! It looks fab!

    9. Meg at Mood says:

      Ok, it works! XOXO, Mood

    10. Betty says:

      Hah. in the 90’s I used to wear interesting “wrap skirts” that were exactly this. Honestly if you’d scotch-taped up a hem ( I may have done this, possibly, in the past) nobody would ever have know any different!

    11. […] I didn’t initially plan on making this dress. It happened as I went along. I was hoping to use a knee-length version of this pattern for my ikat fabric. […]

    12. […] can you do with just one yard of fabric? A lot, as it turns out! This 1-Yard No-Sew Midi Skirt from Melissa Esplin doesn’t even require any sewing to put together. If you have a fabric […]

    13. Debra Lucas says:

      I must be missing something, I can’t find the tutorial.

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