PIMP YOUR PATTERN : FAIRYTALE PRINCESS SKATER SKIRT

Add a gorgeous overlay to you skater skirt to create the ultimate fairytale princess skirt.

Take your skater pattern piece and lay it face down on a scrap of paper with the fold line aligned with the edge to trace another pattern piece. 

Tape original pattern piece to new pattern piece, overlapping the seam allowance.

This is your pattern piece for your overlay!

Cut 2 pieces of the overlay on the fold.

Cut 2 skirt pieces using the normal elastic waist skater layout.

 Sew skirt side seams and hem using the same method as the skater pattern. 

In this example, I actually decided to use a bias foot to apply the binding to the hemline for something different and I LOVED IT, but you can easily use one of the bias methods from the pattern instead.

After applying the bias to the hem, I trimmed it off.

Then opened out the seam, pressed and stitched along the bias to secure.  You could add a little fray stop to the ends if you wanted to as well.

Now to the overlay.

Sew the side seams.

Fold in half to mark front and back centre front with a pin or erasable pen.

Sew 2 rows of gathering stitch around the waist opening of the overlay (one at 3/8” (1cm) and another at 5/8” (1.5cm) and pull bobbin threads to gather so that opening matches waist opening of the skirt. 

Align at centre front, centre back and side seams, then stitch overlay to skirt. 

Leave the gathering thread in place until after attaching the waistband.

If you have an overlocker, overlock around the waist opening as well.

Attach elastic waistband using method from the skater pattern.  Depending on how bulky your overlay is, you may wish to use the alternate method from the pattern where you are simply attaching the elastic on top with out using the 'flip' technique.

Remove visible gathering thread if it exceeds the waistband.

And you are done!