Oh, how love the cheerful patterns of vintage fabric! I swear I was born a few decades too late. When I daydream, I dream in Technicolor, and when I shop at thrift stores, I always peruse the linens hoping to find vintage sheets. After all, isn't a bed sheet just a length of fabric? Why not use it as such? And- bonus!- a pillowcase has already had most of the work done for you! All you will need to do is make one cut and add a waistband! Easy breezy.
Here is my favorite way to use, and enjoy, vintage pillowcases:
Step 1:
Locate the already professionally hemmed opening of the pillowcase. This will become the bottom of your skirt.
Step 2:
Turn the pillowcase inside out and hold it up to your body to determine the length you would like your skirt to be. Fold over the excess fabric and be sure to account for 1-2 inches (depending on the width of elastic you use) the will be lost when you create the waistband.
Step 3:
Cut the excess fabric.
Step 4:
The right way to do it:
Fold over about 3/8" of the raw edge of the fabric and press. Then fold over another 1" or so of fabric (I folded 1" since I am using 3/4" wide elastic), press and pin. This will be the channel for the elastic waistband. Sometimes it is helpful to lie your elastic on top after pinning to be sure the channel is wide enough.
The I just wanna slap this skirt together because I want to wear it out tonight way to do it:
Just leave the edge raw and fold over the 1" or so, press and pin. Hey, when I'm in a hurry, and the skirt is just for me, I don't really care about a raw edge on the inside.
Step 5 :
Measure your waist where you would like the waistband sit and subtract 2 inches. Then cut your elastic this size.
Step 6:
Stitch around the waistband channel, leaving an opening about 2" wide where you will insert the elastic.
Step 7:
Attach a large safety pin to one end of the elastic and thread it through the waistband channel.
Step 8:
Overlap both ends of the elastic inside the channel, pin and stitch it up.
Step 9:
Wear it out!!
Feel free to respond to the shower of compliments with a sugary: "Oh, this old thing? I just slapped it together this afternoon..."
