A lot of magazines published sewing patterns for garments that their readers could make at home, but this issue of Flair included instructions for making a circle skirt without a pattern.
The instructions are fairly simple. A modern dressmaker's main problem would be finding a suitable substitute for the fabric recommended in 1958!
On page 24 and 25 we showed you the dual personality skirt made from Comspring's "Can Can" bonded cloth, which is 72" wide. We made our skirt in a reversible black and marbled grey . . . and incidentally made it in a matter of minutes. It's easy! All that has to be done is to buy a piece which is twice the length of your skirt length measurement, plus twelve inches, which is the diameter of the circle you will cut out for your waist. Then double the fabric lengthwise, and fold in half across the width. This gives four layers of fabric from which, at the corner that has all the folds of fabric, you cut a quarter circle, by measuring six inches down from the corner and tracing an arc from point to point in tailor's chalk. Next step is to measure down from the waist arc, the length of your skirt and again cut in an arc. When the fabric is opened out, there is your skirt in a full circle with the waist opening in the centre (this should measure approximately 37 inches).
To gather in the waist without a placket (necessary if your skirt is to be reversible without a lot of bother with zips and hidden fastenings), buy a length of soft 1" wide elastic (black in our example) which is the same measurement as your waist is. Then, stretching the elastic as you work, proceed with very loose stitches, to hand-sew the cloth to the elastic. The stitches must be loose to enable them to expand with the elastic when the skirt is pulled on and off. So there is your skirt — made with a minimum of cutting, a minimum of sewing, and no seams or hems to bother with. Wonderful!
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