Hidden elasticated waist skirt tutorial

Now, although I’ve called this a tutorial, maybe it should be a how-to because there really isn’t all that much to it!
I made this skirt partly because I wanted something uber-comfortable to wear, and partly because I needed a skirt in a hurry (and zips take so much time!) BUT I like to tuck in shirts and the like, and an elasticated waist can look a bit mumsy if you’re over the age of ten so I added a fixed sash belt to cover the gathering.
First, measure  the widest part of your hips and add half again. Decide how long you want it to be and add 2 1/2 inches. Cut your fabric accordingly. I cut two pieces (a front and a back) because I thought it might look odd with just the one side seam. You should have two (or one) large rectangles.
Cut a long strip for the sash. I cut a piece the same length as the skirt piece (hip measurement plus half, but you might want to make it longer if you have tiny hips – I don’t!) but 8 inches wide. Fold in half along the long edge and sew. I added rounded points to the ends at the same time. Leave a gap in one end and invert the whole piece. Press. At this point I top stitched as close to the edge as possible to keep it flat.
Wrap your belt around your waist (or where you want the skirt to sit). You will see that it doesn’t fit quite right and gapes at the top. Fold in the excess fabric and sew down. The belt should now be a v-shape like this:

If you cut two rectangles for the skirt, sew up one side seam.
Now you need to place your belt. On the open edge, pin your belt 1 1/2 inches from the top (this leaves space for the elastic casing), making sure you attach the belt by the centre ‘v’ seam you just sewed (see above).
Sew up the open side seam, taking care the belt doesn’t move.
Now fold down the top hem and sew, leaving an inch open.
Insert your elastic through the hole. Some people like to use a safety pin for this, I like to tie the elastic to a crochet hook and feed it thorough. Make sure you attach one end of the elastic to the opening so you don’t pull it all the way through (If I had a penny…)
Overlap the elastic at the opening and sew down. Sew up the hole.
Hem the bottom, and you’re done!

This skirt should take about half an hour to make, and if you can be bothered to iron it (unlike me) it’s ready to wear straight away!

Beccy