DIY FISHTAIL SKIRT | FREE PEOPLE COLLABORATION

13th October 2011

In case you didn’t see it over at the Free People website, here is the DIY Fishtail Skirt I made recently inspired by all the similar styles on the SS12 runways for their WednesDIY feature (check it out here). It’s such a simple project and a great way to spice up a tired maxi or midi skirt.

You need:
A thrifted skirt (I picked one with some subtle pleating but don’t go with a fully pleated skirt as they are difficult to hem)
A pair of scissors
Needle and thread
An iron.

How to:
1.  Below is obviously the way the skirt looked before I took my scissors to it. Put your skirt on and mark where you want the front, and shortest, part of the skirt to finish.

2. Take the skirt off and fold in half down the front middle of the skirt – so rather than the back and front lying against each other, it’s the two sides that face each other – the way you might fold trousers before you put them on a coat hanger. Make sure the fold is directly in the middle of the front of the skirt.

3. Lay the skirt on the floor and cut out the front of the skirt – you want a semi straight line for the first 30cm of so to create the mini part of the skirt, then tapering down to the back and bottom of the skirt.

4. Try the skirt on to see if the cut out is big enough. I did this a few times, cutting more away to suit what I wanted it to look like. Take this slowly as it’s always better to cut less than to cut too much.

5. Once you have a cut out that you like, fold over the edge of the skirt and iron. Fold it twice so the rough edge is covered if you need to – my skirt was a fabric that didn’t fray so I skipped that step.

6. Sew a small stitch all the way around the hem.

7. Iron flat again.

Voila! All done. Now wasn’t that simple? I absolutely love how this style moves around when you walk!
Now that I’ve tested the process I am going to make a few different coloured versions. I hope you like it and have a go yourself.
Wearing: Mango Boots, self designed silk singlet, DIY skirt.