Twinning Tutorial: 2 Skirts From 1 {for mom & daughter}

Y’all know I have an affinity for cutting up my clothes… And y’all REALLY know I love making clothes for Sis…

So–let’s face facts–it was only a matter of time before something like this happened.

Yes. We’re totally TWINNING.

Tea length skirts can be tricky, y’know? Like, if you show your legs from your ankles up to your calves, then cut them off with a skirt hem, it can give the illusion that your legs just continue to widen at that same angle… And that is not so ideal.

So… If you happen to have an adorable daughter with whom you would also like to twin… And a bit-too-long skirt (like this $3 Goodwill find), you too could do this. Here’s how to make it happen. 🙂

So, mom’s skirt is easy: just cut off the extra length of fabric (about four inches in my case).

Then hem the skirt to knee length. Simple!

Next grab a piece of fabric (like a 1/4 yard or so would do it, but I cut up an old green jersey swim cover up instead).

Sew the added fabric into a tube, right sides together, wider than the width of your daughter’s waist.

Grab a piece of elastic (I’m using 3/4″ wide) and “measure” the right length by holding it around your daughter’s waist without pulling it taut.

Now for my SUPER DUPER ridiculously fast way to elasticate a waist, just overlap the elastic about an inch where you are going to begin stitching the waistband, at a seam (usually right at the back or side).

Fold the jersey over the elastic to fully cover it (remember this is the inside of the skirt). Jersey does not fray so I did not even bother turning it under twice to cover the raw edge.

Pin the elastic to the skirt waist at the quarter and halfway points (since the elastic is smaller than the pre-sewn waist). Then secure the overlapping elastic ends at the starting point by sewing vertically over them through the skirt waist.

Then, sew straight along the elastic edge with a zig-zag stitch, catching the edge of the elastic, folding down the waistband, and pulling the elastic taut to the next pin as you go.

[So it might look like this, pulling the elastic as you go.]

Using a zig-zag stitch allows the elastic to still stretch.

So, you could just leave it like this–it’s even already hemmed since I cut off the hemmed bottom of the swim cover up to make it!

Then take the 4″-wide loop of skirt fabric and pin it to the bottom of the new skirt, pinning at the half and quarter points, so you know how much fabric you have to ruffle between each pinned point.