#1- DIY Patchwork Skirt

Guys, its been a while since I have done any sewing or crocheting or anything :( 

But I found a new project and it sounds really exciting. I havent started (read: bought fabric) yet but it sounds like a lot of fun and maybe in a few weeks I can have a video tutorial?

So it all started when I found a cool Patchwork skirt but it was sold for $140. Guess who doesnt have $140 for a skirt? Me. 

... But after a bit of research I found this website which walks you through what to do... Yay!!

http://indietutes.blogspot.com.au/2007/05/patchwork-circle-skirt.html 

v Here is what her skirts looked like v

Here are some key points I took from the article:

• Tiered circle skirts like this one work by each successive layer being one and a half times longer than the last.
• All you need to figure out is the size of and how many patches go into your first layer (as a chain), and then multiply that number by 1.5 for each layer you add.

So the long version or what to do goes like this: 

1. Measurement A: The waist of your skirt. If you would like to make a sundress with a tank top, use the bottom of the tank for this measurement A. My sample number is 38 inches. 
2. Determine the size of the squares. You will lose at least 1/2 an inch per side of each square, so add that in.
3. Measurement B (length per square) is found using B = (Total Finished Length plus both top and bottom "hems") + .5*(number of tiers) / (5 OR 6 tiers depending on how many you want). This value has nothing to do with the A value.  

 
For me this looked something like [40 +(.5)(5)] / 5 and my answer was B= 8.5ish. Doesnt have to be anything fancy, but you have to be consistent with whatever you choose. Where the ish comes in: The top row would have to be more like 9.5 for elastic casing and the bottom a little longer (maybe just 9) for the hem. 

       4. Measurement C: How wide are squares? 
        Note: maybe now we should call them rectangles. 

I knew that I wanted a length of 7ish, but 40 is not a factor of 7ish (lol). So I decided to do 6 of 6.75 inches left-to-right. Because seam allowances ended up making me need more than I thought. 

Recap: At this point I know to cut all my "squares" 7 inches tall and 6.75 inches wide EXCEPT for the top 6 and whatever many the bottom ones would be..... 

Layer 1! On the above tutorial, the D measurement was her first tier which was 1.5 as big a circumference as the tank top. Because I'm having elastic in Layer 1, its just going to be as already stated. But the posts are going to contrast from here on out. 

We can call D the number of squares in our first tier, for me being 6. 

• Layer 2 The next tier is going to have 1.5 the squares of D, or 9 squares. 
• Layer 3 The next tier is going to have 1.5 the squares of that, or 14 squares. (13.5 rounds up)
• Layer 4 The next tier is going to have 1.5 the squares of that, or 21 squares (Uh, oh)
• Layer 5 The next tier is going to have 1.5 the squares of that, or 32 squares. (31.5 rounds up)

**At this point, I found that I really didnt want to do 6 tiers. With the first having 6, my sixth row had 48 squares and that just way too much fabric... 6.75*48 is like 27 feet of fabric, no thank you. 

Total squares: 82 
Total Fabric: A lot. 

     5. Okay now you have to learn how to gather and sew it all together. 

I guess its time to get that fabric now :)