sew | maternity skirt tutorial

I wanted this skirt to be really simple and quick to make. Only one pattern piece, two straight seams, one basic hem, and a piece of thick elastic for the top. There are lots of ways you could dress it up with buttons, pockets, etc., but I'll give you the basics and let you come up with the rest. I specifically wanted a straight skirt that could be dressed up or down. Most maternity skirts (especially summer ones) are very casual and either pretty full or very flowy and loose. Especially since I have a little somethin' going on the the hip region already, all the fabric in those styles can actually exaggerate the very area I would like to streamline. Straight skirts are still quite comfortable but just a little more versatile. Essentially this just the bottom half of a pencil skirt with elastic below your belly instead of being form fitting all the way to your waist. I made this one on the shorter side to be worn with sandals and flats and then another one in gray (you can see it below) that is a couple inches longer so I can wear it with heels to church.

Supplies:

Approximately 3/4 yard fabric (I used linen suiting for the red and stretch satin for the gray but any heavier non-stretchy or slightly stretchy apparel fabric will work)
Lighter fabrics like my linen will also need a lining (so that means 3/4 yard of lining fabric as well)
Coordinating thread
3 in thick elastic (and Rit dye if you feel so inclined)
Pins
A fabric or water soluble pen or marker
Pattern piece page 1
Pattern piece page 2

Download and print the pattern (please select "fill entire paper" while printing to get the correct sizing).  You don't need to overlap the edges of the two papers, just line up the asterisks and the solid black lines and tape together.  Cut off the excess to the left of the solid black line.

The pattern is approximately a size 4 petite -- I based it off of a non-maternity size 4 petite skirt that I have from Target.  The length of the skirt pattern is going to be closer to the gray one (pictured below) than the red one (pictured above).  I figured it's always easier to make a skirt a little shorter than longer so I'm giving you a little more margin to work with initially.  A seam allowance of approximately 1/3 inch is included in the pattern.

To make the pattern bigger, smaller, shorter, or longer, just trace the pattern piece on a sheet of tissue paper and then measure out/in an inch or two, draw your new lines, and cut out your new pattern piece.  Like I mentioned above, it's always better to start out too big since you can always cut a little more off, but if you start too small you're just out of luck.

Fold your (washed and dried) fabric in half and lay your pattern piece out flat on it. Pin it in place along the center fold and cut around the edge.  Repin and cut a second identical pattern piece.  When you take out the pins you should have two identical skirt shaped fabric pieces. Pin the right sides together and sew a straight seam down each of the sides. Now you should have a skirt shaped tube of fabric. To make the hem, fold the bottom edge of the skirt under about a 1/2 an inch and iron (this will help give you a nice smooth hem). Fold the edge over another 1/2 an inch and iron again. Sew the hem all the way around. If you are making a lining for your skirt, go back to the beginning of the directions and repeat everything for the lining up to this point.

Now you should have one skirt tube and possibly one lining tube. Next we make the waistband. Take your 3 inch elastic and pull it snug around your waist just a little under you belly. Leaving an extra half inch on either end for your seam, cut the elastic. Pin the edges of the elastic together and sew a straight seam to form the waistband. Go ahead and pull the waistband up over your hips and around your belly to make sure it fits and is comfortable. Now pin the lining into the skirt just around the top edge and (careful, watch out for pins!) slide both up over your hips and under the band of the elastic (you're still wearing it right?). The elastic will hold up the skirt temporarily and allow you to mark where you want to sew the elastic in place. Now is the time to adjust the length, pull the elastic down a little lower in the front (it should cradle your belly) and generally check for sizing and fit. If anything needs to be adjusted, it will be a lot easier to do before you sew the elastic in place. Now, while you're still wearing the skirt, take your fabric pen and draw a line on the fabric right along the edge of the elastic (you may need to grab someone to help you mark the back). Slide everything off and cut the fabric and lining about 3/4 of an inch above the line you just marked.

This next part gets a tad confusing but bear with me. Take your lining, turn it inside out, and slide it up over the outside of your skirt. Make sure the front side (with the dip for your belly) is lined up. Pin the top edges together and sew the two pieces of fabric together all the way around the top. Flip the lining down inside the skirt where it should be and you have a nice finished edge along the top.

Now pin your elastic waistband to the top edge of the skirt (overlapping the skirt about a 1/2 inch), stretching the elastic a little as needed, so that it is secured at several points all the way around. Sew a seam along the bottom edge of the elastic securing it to the skirt. You're done!

A few notes:
I dyed my elastic so it would at least be in the same color family as my skirt. You probably won't ever be able to get it to match exactly but it can be better than bright white (although the waistband doesn't show at all anyways!).

My elastic band was slightly smaller than my skirt so I stretched it slightly as I sewed so it was somewhat even all the way around. However, don't worry if one section of your skirt is a tad more "puckered" when you sew it because once you have it on it all gets stretched out and you won't be able to tell at all.

Here's the longer (but otherwise exactly the same) gray version:

A quick note on cost:

The fabric for each skirt cost me $3.46 and the elastic was $1.37 for a total of $4.83/skirt.  I had the lining left over from another project but lining is dirt cheap anyways and usually worth every penny.