daydreaming of summer

in this post i was all excited for fall to come! but, today as i was organizing my little Bayli's closet, i realized that she has two super cute swimsuits that will only be worn those two times (here and here) summer is over and pool time will have to wait until next year.

i on the other hand made an awesome swimsuit cover up this summer and hopefully i don't grow as fast as Bayli does. so... i should be able to fit into it again next summer.

the inspiration for this skirt was Emily Maynard (the latest Bachelorette) and the skirt she wore to the beach with Jef on the season finale. hers was neon yellow and $108.00 purchased here. well, mine cost me about 4 dollars.  and took maybe a half an hour to make.

supplies:
silky sheer, or micro modal material (about 1 yard depending on your size)
2" black elastic (enough to fit around your waist)
thread to match
scissors
pins
measuring tape











 first you make your waistband by measuring your waist and then cutting the elastic so that it will fit when stretched.

 i like to sew my elastic together, then separate the two sides, and sew each side down. that way it lays flat.

 next measure and cut your two pieces. you are going to need two rectangles, each the same length (however long you want your skirt to be) but one much wider than the other. this skirt does not have any gathering and instead has two large slits in order to make walking easy. so, for measurements you take the same number you used for your elastic, and cut it in half, that is the number for the width of the smaller rectangle, and for the larger rectangle you take that halved number, divide that in half, and add that to it. for example. my waist number was 28 inches, and my length was 40, so my smaller rectangle was 14 inches (half of 28) wide and 40 inches long. my wider rectangle was 21 inches (14+7) and 40 inches long.

next you do a rolled hem along three sides (the two long edges and one of the widths) of each rectangle.

then, take your unfinished edges, pin those to the elastic (right sides together). pin the large rectangle first and the smaller rectangle second so that the smaller panel will be on bottom when turned right sides out. if you have questions about how to pin, view the alternate and close up images of the skirt Emily bought to see how the two panels fit together.

sew together while pulling the elastic taught. flip right sides out and your done.