My very first skirt...and zipper!

I found a great material at Hancock Fabric and decided it would be great to make a skirt out of. So, I thought about it for a bit and decided to make a skirt that had a zipper on one hip. I had never done a zipper before...but really, how hard could it be? I measured my length of my fabric and made the appropriate cuts. I found a skirt in my closet that fit, so I laid it on my fabric, traced it out with a crayon (yes a black crayon...my new best friend!) and cut out the skirt, and then cut it in half. 

Then I finished the bottom edge of my both pieces of my skirt. Remember to fold over at least 1/4 of an inch once and then 4 inches up, iron and then sew to get a good hem. I put my pieces outside facing each other and sewed down one side all the way and finished it off. Then I sew from the bottom up to where I wanted my zipper to start and stopped. I had to change my foot to a zipper foot and then I placed my zipper where I wanted it in my skirt. Since I had folded over the edges and ironed, I had good overlap. Then I sewed up one side and then the other. Be sure to leave at least an inch of the zipper in the inside of the skirt at the bottom and where your fabric ends and the zipper begins, sew across the zipper there a few times to make sure the zipper cannot be unzipped completely. Here is my zipper...pretty hidden, huh?!

I wanted to have a built-in belt look, so I measured down the skirt from the top, 4 inches and tucked it under 1/2 an inch. I ironed that and sewed it all the way around my skirt. Below is my skirt :) Then came the test...did it fit good...

It was a success!! I can wear it with or without a belt. I like it better without since I did not include belt loops. I love this skirt and wear it to work often!

Happy Sewing :)

April