Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Chevron Skirt









I saw this picture of Dianna Agron wearing the cutest chevron skirt and thought gotta have it!  Then I got to looking at the style and realized that a high gathered waist was not the most flattering style for me so I changed my thought to: gotta make it!








Materials:
One solid color skirt (I used one of my Six Seam Skirts)
3/8” grosgrain ribbon in the color of your choice
Small ric rac in the same color as your other ribbon





Starting at the very bottom I pinned the grosgrain ribbon around the hem of the skirt.  Using my widest zig zag stitch I sewed the ribbon to the skirt.  One down and a seemingly endless amount left to go!  


Next I placed the ric rac about ¼” from the first ribbon.  I did not pin this in place (well, I tried and after about three pins realized it was like trying to pin running water in place…the ribbon just kept moving!).  Instead, I held it in place as I slowly worked it through the machine.   Repeat this pattern until you have the desired number of rows. 

I considered stopping right here; this looks great with just the embellishment at the bottom.  But darn it – I wanted those chevrons! 
 








And how exactly was I going to get those chevrons?  Looking at the inspiration photo it looked like Dianna’s skirt had two “peaks” per side and three “valleys” which means I needed five “points” per side.  What’s the easiest way to determine where those points should be without calculators, NASA scientists and prayer? Fold the skirt in half and then half again.  Iron the folds and when you open the skirt back up you have three lines indicating where your “peak” or “valley” should be placed.  For symmetry the center should be a “valley” (or where the chevron point is down).  The side seams indicate the other markings where your “valleys” should be.  
Play around to determine how much of an angle you want for each chevron; I decided that I wanted to be 6”. 


Next, decide where you want your chevrons to start.  Place a pin to mark each high and low point.  Starting with the grosgrain ribbon pin and sew your first chevron in place.  You want a nice point for each chevron.  I got mine by fiddling and pinching until I was happy with it.  Want to learn the proper way?   Here is a link on how to miter a corner

The pattern on Dianna’s skirt has several rows of grosgrain in the middle.  Varying from that I chose to rotate between grosgrain and ric rac just like the bottom pattern.  Repeat until you are pleased with the number of chevrons you have, or if the thought of pinning another row of angled ribbon starts to cause murderous thoughts to enter your head – whichever comes first.

Voila!  This skirt is so cute I quickly got over the disappointment that it didn’t turn me into a tall leggy beautiful blonde with a beautiful singing voice.  Hope you enjoy your skirt as well!    

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