June Cleaver Skirt Tutorial (easy!)

I’m naming this the June Cleaver skirt because this was the scene on the day I made it:

(Boyfriend walks in the door & is ambushed by my excitement)

Me (twirling): Look what I made!

Brendan: Neat.

Me: Neat?

Brendan: It looks kinda… housewifey?

I thought it looked sort of like an apron as well. So I decided I would pay a little homage to the OG Housewife. Here goes... 

You will need:

Elastic at least 2” wide
1-2 yards of fabric

Sewing machine & thread

Scissors or rotary cutter

First measure your waist where you would like the waistband to be, and cut the elastic to that measurement. Do not allow for seam allowance because you want it to be slightly stretched while you are wearing it.

Now sew a zig-zag or serging stitch to the edges of the elastic.

Next measure from your waist to where on your leg you would like your skirt to fall. Include 1” for the bottom hem.

If you are attaching the elastic to the selvage edge like I did, then you do not need to add any extra. If you aren’t using the selvage edge of your fabric, you will need to hem all the raw edges, so add another 1” to this measurement.

If you would like your finished skirt to be more narrow/pencil skirty like mine, multiply your waist measurement by 1.5. If you would like it to be wider and more gathered and billowy, multiply by 2.

My waist measurement was 29” so I multiplied by 1.5 to get 43.5, which I rounded up to 44”.

So my fabric panel will be 44” by 18” (my desired length plus 1”).

Hem the long edge by folding fabric over ½” from the edge and pressing, then folding over another ½” then pressing again. Stitch about 5/8” from the edge.

Repeat these hemming steps on the short edges, and the top edge if you are not using the selvage.

Now we will be attaching the elastic waistband to the body of the skirt.

Align the top edge of the elastic to the top edge of the body fabric (right side facing up). Place a pin at each end, flush with the shorter edges. Now pull the elastic tight until the body fabric is flush with the elastic, and place a pin in the middle. You may need an extra pair of hands for this.

Now stretch from one end to the middle, then from the middle to the other end, so you have five pins which are approximately the same distance apart.

Now we are going to sew along the long edge attaching the elastic. Use a 3/8” seam allowance. Begin sewing where you placed your first pin, making sure to backstitch. As you sew, grip the top edge of elastic with your right hand, and with your left hand pull firmly from where your next pin is located. The elastic should stretch so that it lays evenly with the fabric.

Continue all the way along this seam, firmly stretching the fabric as you go.

When you are finished, you should have your waistband and skirt body attached.

The finishing step is easy. Fold your project in half, right sides together, and sew a seam right along the short edge on the inside of the hem lines. Remember to backstitch at the top and bottom.

Now turn it inside out and wear it!!

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial. I'd love to see if you make one!

Let me know if you need some clarification, or if there are any questions.

Hope you had a fabulous weekend :)