My Mismatched Maxi Skirt

I finally sewed something (clothing wise) that wasn't a flop and that I'm not embarrassed to wear outside my house.  I discovered maxi skirts this summer and my life will never be the same.  I {LOVE} them!  It's like wearing pajamas yet you look all fancy and dressed up.  Every store sells them - my favorites have been Target, New York & Co, Eddie Bauer, and . . . well now that I think about it, Target again.  The only problem is that they all look the same - black, gray, brown, even a blue - - - -stripes and plain knit fabric. 

And then I saw these amazingly cute maxi skirts over at iCandy Handmade.  Oh how I loved those - every kind of fun stripe and color imaginable.  And she made sewing them sound oh so easy.  So I got brave and bought some knit in a cute oatmeal/red stripe.  And there it sat on my sewing table for a few months while I tried to get brave again.  Finally, a couple of Friday nights ago - - I mustered up all the courage I had and made myself a pattern and actually cut into the material (that's always the hardest part . . . once you cut you can't go back!).  I read lots of blogs about how to sew maxi skirts (and I'm not a sewing novice).  I read tutorials on sewing with knits.  I wasn't brave enough to pull out my serger - - it scares me almost as much as the Cricut machine hiding away in my craft room!  But all the blogs said you can sew on knits with a regular machine.  So I started. 

Now I do have to say that I was very worried about not being able to perfectly match up my stripes and I didn't want that much pressure.  So I went to iCandy Handmade's tutorial for a Mismatched Maxi Skirt.  It was exactly what I needed. 

The tutorial was easy to follow.  The material was surprisingly easy to sew.  (Although I really should have dug my serger out and used it!)  And in about 30 minutes, I had myself a skirt.  I made the waistband only 3 inches wide (finished length).  And I was worried about making it a little too small around the waist.  When I tried it on after it was finished the waist was a little too big.  So I slept on it and got up the next morning to look more closely at all of my purchased maxi skirts for ideas.  The solution was simple and easy - clear elastic.  I ran to the store, grabbed a pack, and quickly sewed it in to the seam joining the waistband and skirt.  And there you have it - my first handmade mismatched maxi skirt.  I LOVE it!!! 

Here is a picture of the elastic sewn in to the waistband - genius (not to mention no fail!)

I was so happy with my little skirt that I went straight back to the internet and found another knit print with lots of different colored stripes on an oatmeal-ish background.  Another mismatched maxi skirt - done!

Now think of the possibilities.  I just need to get myself to a fabric district somewhere to pick up some really cute knits.  They are very, very difficult to find! I want to do an exposed ruffle maxi skirt from iCandy next.  How can one little skirt make me sooooooo happy?