Tiered Maxi, Now With More Skirt

Soooo this turned out to be more effort than I imagined. What I imagined was a quick variation on my tiered maxi skirt: instead of two panels per tier, use three. And finish up with knit for the waistband and paneled first tier.

Which is what I did. And things happened: too long, too see-through, and DBP is not tough enough on its own as a waistband to hold up all this fabric. I also wasn’t loving how the paneled first tier (which I made out of Pylos liknit) looked against the ivory. I set the thing aside in disappointment and let it stew in the back of my mind for a day or two. That’s how I usually fix the disappointments: I let my brain wander to the ideal solution, and this is where it brought me.

The Fix

I avoid elastic waistbands like the plague. I loathe them. They are so uncomfortable. And lazy.

But…there was no better option to fix this.

Lucky for me, I had a freebie cut of nice 2.5″ wide elastic from Boho Fabrics—the wider the better, I say! So I refreshed my memory on how to make elastic waistbands, and off I went. Drafted and cut a new first tier, plus a slightly longer lining to solve the see-through issue, and after unpicking a section of the wrong seam and the entirety of the correct seam, and considerable eye-rolling for all the fabric and not-behaving-the-way-I-want gathers, I fixed the thing. Yep. Way more effort than I anticipated.

I’m in love with it. I wore it while wandering downtown and a woman stopped me to compliment it and asked where I got it. I love when that happens because I get to say, “I made it.” She was very impressed, and I make a note of this because she said she was a seamstress at a store down the street. /raisetheroof

And I’ve learned that elastic isn’t necessarily evil—not when you’re in control of how it fits. Turns out, this skirt is very comfortable.

About the Fabric

Main: 4 yards Daylight Beauty. Double Border Ivory Embroidered Eyelet, Rayon Challis from Boho Fabrics

• Contents: Rayon/Cotton Blend
• Weight: 4 oz
• Width of Fabric: 54″
• Horizontal Stretch 0%
• Vertical Stretch 0%

Rayon challis is such a lovely fabric for summer. It’s cool against the skin, lightweight, and fluid. The embroidered eyelet edge on this fabric was the whole selling point for me. I knew as soon as I saw it that it had to be a maxi skirt. It’s a little sheer, so I would definitely recommend a lining. As far as sewing, it was pretty shifty to work with, but rayon challis usually is.

Lining: Bemberg Super Fine Lining from Wawak

• MATERIAL: Rayon
• Width: 60″

Bemberg is a pretty sweet fabric for lining, and here’s why.

Not only does Bemberg look good, it also has many unique qualities that make it perhaps the most comfortable lining fabric available.

• round fibers feel smooth
• breathable
• moisture-control
• heat-releasing capabilities
• helps dispel static cling due to the fabric’s high water content and low friction

About the Pattern

I self-drafted this tiered maxi a while ago and recently mashed it with my paneled maxi skirt to fix the first tier and waistband.

 

This time around, I omitted all the knit fabric.

• The elastic includes a 1″ overlap.
• I cut three pieces for each tier instead of my original two. More fabric = fuller/flowier skirt.
• The lining is the same width as tier 1. I sewed it into the casing seam before inserting the elastic and it worked beautifully.

Notes for Next Time

• Add 1″ to the length somewhere (tier 2?)? Or just be mindful when laundering that rayon challis can shrink in the dryer. I’ve taken to stretching this skirt slightly when it’s wet, then hanging to dry. No length issues then.
• Go hog-wild and add even more fabric. Cut my original pieces on the fold to double the original amount. OR
• …make a more drastic length difference between tiers to increase the amount of gathers. The gathers are currently on the minimal side.
• Pockets.

 

Project Settings

Sewing Machine vs. Serger

Sewing Machine	Serger
gathers elastic waistband hem	tier construction tier attach

Sewing Machine Settings

Presser Foot	Stitch#	Stitch Width	Stitch Length	Needle	Top Thread Tension	Application
standard zig-zag (A)	1	3.5	3.5	75/11	4	seams
standard zig-zag (A)	0	3.5	5	75/11	4	baste
overedge (C)	1	0	3.5	75/11	4	hem

Serger Settings

Stitch Name	4-thread overlock
Needles	R, L
Finger	B
Threads	4
Tension Left Needle	2.5
Tension Right Needle	2.5
Tension Upper Looper	3
Tension Lower Looper	3
Cut Width	6
Stitch Length	2.5
Differential	1.0
Application	seams