A Sunday in Spring Circle Skirt + Tutorial

I'm kind of late hopping on the DIY circle skirt bandwagon, but... these skirts are my new favorite thing for alot of reasons: They're simple and quick to make, super customizable and versatile, and oh soooo pretty.

(Also, I chopped my hair off. Soooo whaddya think, whaddya think..? I kind of love it. :D)

I finally whipped a circle skirt up for myself last week, out of the fabric that I was originally going to use for making Arwen's coronation gown. I was becoming so depressed by seeing this gorgeous fabric going to waste, just sitting at the bottom of my fabric box for months and months... and since I have no plans in the near future for making that dress (even though it is beautiful, I don't really have a use for it anymore), I decided to finally cut into those yards of crepe back satin and make a 50s-inspired skirt.

Besides, that green color just screamed all things Spring, and I felt a major need to be wearing it. Because Spring is my favorite season -- weather, temperatures, and blooming flowers and trees. It perfectly represents new beginnings and God's beautiful creation.

But, enough talk; now for the tutorial so you can make a skirt for yourself! :)

1. First, fold a square of fabric in half twice, so you've got four quarters of fabric stacked on top of each other. The size of your square will determine your length, so keep this in mind when choosing your fabric width. Mine was 56" wide.

2. Next, using a tape measure, measure the same length from the double folded point of your fabric out to the edges, going around the circle and marking with a pencil or fabric marker as you go to create a curved line. Repeat this process for the waist, using this equation to find how large you need to make it: waist measurement / 3.14 / 2 = radius.

3. Now cut your waistband. Length: half of your waist measurement + 1 inch for a 1/2 inch seam. Width: 6 inches works well, but you can adjust this for a wider or smaller band. You'll fold this piece in half width-wise, so you don't have to make an extra seam at the top.

4. With right sides together, sew the waistband together to form a circle, then sew this (make sure it's folded over) to the skirt, also right sides together and with raw edges matching.

5. Next step (which can be omitted if you're using stretch fabric), cut part way down the back of the skirt and insert your zipper.

6. Finally, hem the skirt as desired, and you've got yourself a gorgeous new skirt to spin in! ;)