Ok ... here are the cutting steps.. ill put all the steps on this thread.. but i have to post as i go or i will forget something. But first a tip! If this is something you want to make more than once, id suggest doing the "strip template" on something that you can reuse over and over again so you dont have to measure it all out every time! Also i will probably use numbers to help explain.. just remember these number may not always apply to you and your skirt.

Ok I am doing an 8 strip skirt... but ill add what i would do differently if it was 6 strips. 8 strip skirt you should have enough fabric for 4 different prints ... 2 strips each print OR 2 different prints with 4 strips PER print.. If doing a 6 strip skirt you should have enough fabric for 3 different prints.. 2 strip each print OR 2 different prints with 3 strips PER print.

Step 1. Figure out your measurements. You need your hips (or where you want the skirt to sit) and length from hips to top of ankles (or where you want the skirt to be hemmed). Now that you have this measurement.... add 10 inches to the hip measurement. That will be the measurement of the skirt waistband. For example I am making a skirt with a waistband of 48 inches (38 inch hip measurement) and length 38. Now is also when you figure out strip size. You want to divide the waistband measurement by your number of strips, then add a small amount for seam allowance. For example : 48 (waistband) / 8 (# strips) = 6 inches +.5 (seam allowance) = 6.5 inches. So 6.5 inches is the width of the top of each of my strips. I usually make my strips have a measurement of double the top measurement.... or about 12-13 inches. You can use a standard 12 inches.. OR you can actually get precise and say i want my circumference along the bottom to be 120 inches. 120 (circumference) / 8 (#strips) = 15 inches + 0.5 inches (seam allowance) = 15.5 inches. Does that make sense? LOL ..... So for my example I will be making the top of the strip measure 6.5 inches, bottom 12 inches

Step 2. When i purchase my fabric, i make sure i have a little bit more(about 4 inches) of one print that i can use for a waistband. For example if i need 24 inches of print A, print B and print C... then i buy 24 inches of print A and B, and 28 inches of print C. Course you dont have to do it this way.. all it comes down to is you need a strip of fabric that is a little bit more(about 1.5inches) than your waistband and 4 inches high. ( So in my example I cut a strip of fabric that is 49.5 inches by 4 inches). Pic below.
http://www.girlwomangoddess.com/images/0.jpg

Step 3. Cut your first strip (or for those creating a reusable template.. create it here).
The following is directions for an 8 strip skirt where you have 4 different fabrics OR a 6 strip skirt where you have 3 different fabrics..... So I now have 4 pieces of fabric -- each 24 inches long (44 inches wide). I take ONE of these pieces and fold it in half.. so you have a big rectangle that is 2 layers.. and measures 12 inches by 44 inches (or whatever the width of your fabric is). The length runs from selvage to selvage. For ease in explanation I marked one edge A and one B.
http://www.girlwomangoddess.com/images/1.jpg

Find your center on edge B (for me 6 inches from each long edge).
http://www.girlwomangoddess.com/images/2.jpg Extend this center line all the way up from edge B to edge A.
( I use a chalk pencil and large rulers to draw a straight line from one edge to the other... )
http://www.girlwomangoddess.com/images/3.jpg

Move up to edge A. Use that center line to measure out the TOP of your strip. Since I am making the top of my strips 6.5 inches.. I measure 3.25 inches to the right of my center line and mark, then 3.25 inches to the left of my center line and mark. (labeled (1) and (2).
http://www.girlwomangoddess.com/images/4.jpg
Use a big ruler or something to draw a line from mark (1) on edge A to the left side of edge B. This line will be at a diagnal since you are going from 3.25 inches to the left of the center line... to the very edge of the fabric on the bottom. Do the same for the opposite side (draw line from (2) to right side of edge B).
http://www.girlwomangoddess.com/images/5.jpg
Cut along those lines. You now have 2 strips. You can use these to cut the rest of your strips by folding all the other fabrics in half the same way.. laying them on top of each other.. than lay the strips you just cut on top of all of those and cut along the template lines (edges of strips).

The following is cutting directions for a 6 strip skirt where you only have 2 different fabrics OR a 9 strip skirt with 3 different fabrics... You should have 3 pieces of fabric(typically 1 yard in length).. fold this in half... with the length running selvage to selvage. see pic below . So if your fabric was 1 yard.. you would have a big rectangle measuring 18 inches by 44 inches (or whatever the width of your fabric was).
http://www.girlwomangoddess.com/images/6.jpg
Now take your measurement for the top of your strip and divide by two -so if making a strip with a 42 inche waistband.. your top of strip measurement is 42/6 + 0.5 = 7.5 inches. Take that 7.5 inches / 2 = 3.75 inches. On selvage A measure in from the center fold 3.75 inches and mark. This mark is labeled (1).
http://www.girlwomangoddess.com/images/7.jpg

Now measure from mark (1) to the edge of the cut edge of the fabric. (to clarify this... as in example above of rectangle 18 by 44... you would measure in 3.75 inches, mark it. Then measure from that mark to the edge and that would measure 14.25 inches). this measurement is the width of the BOTTOM of each of your strips. Move down to Edge B. Take the measurement of the BOTTOM of your strips (14.25) and divide that in half... 7.12 or something, LOL. Measure that amount in from the center fold of edge B (like you did at edge A ). Mark that (labeled as (2) )....
http://www.girlwomangoddess.com/images/8.jpg

From this mark measure out another 7.5 inches (or whatever the width of the top of your strip should be) and mark that (labeled as (3) ).
http://www.girlwomangoddess.com/images/9.jpg

Now that you have your marks, its time to connect them. Connect mark (1) on selvage A with mark (2) on selvage B with a straight line. Then draw a line from the cut edge (right side in my pics) of selvage A to mark (3) on selvage B. Cut along these two lines.
http://www.girlwomangoddess.com/images/10.jpg
You should now have 3 strips that should be almost the same size. Do the same thing for the rest of your fabric, or you can use one of those strips as a template to cut the rest!

to be continued... ;)

Wonderful directions! Thank you so much for including pictures, they really help. You are so nice to lead this, it must be a lot of work to write it all out!

Ok totally OT.. but I'm curious.. what the heck are those white things?? *lol*

Originally posted by LaVieBoheme
Ok totally OT.. but I'm curious.. what the heck are those white things?? *lol*

LOL

I'm guessing pattern weights? Looks like they are holding the ruler down (only a short bit is on the table) so she doesn't have to use her hands.

Wow, these directions are great! Thanks soooooo much for the pictures. Thanks for all the effort you are putting into this.
~Suzanne

Those are fabric weights. Instead of using pins you put the pattern piece on the fabric with those on top so it doesn't shift, then cut:)

lol yep fabric weights!! I havent pinned patterns to fabric in AGES!!! worth every penny of the $12 i spent on the six of em ;)

and im glad the instructions are good, i was worried that i was gonna confuse everyone, LOL.

oh, i forgot to say that you dont need to cut your stirps the whole length of the width of the fabric(44 or 42 inches). If you dont want to waste fabric... you can cut off some of your fabric width.. meaning as in my example above im making the skirt to be 38 inches long ..... You could cut off the folded rectangle so its 12 inches wide by 38 inches instead of the whole 42 or 44 inches it came as.. kwim? I would use 38 inches because ill be adding a 1.5-2 inch drawstring casing making.... 38 inch long strip will give me enough room for seam allowance when attaching the waistband and when hemming at the bottom.

i hope i didnt just confuse everyone, LOL.

I should wash my fabric first right? to allow for shrinking? And dry it in the dryer....? Thanks for doing this! I am so excited! Kate

yes! wash and dry on hot once! :)

getting ready to write out the rest.... should have it up by tonight!

OH NO! Where are the pictures? I see your sewing room now!

what about now? my domain is still going back and forth from one host to the other like a yoyo, LOL. im trying to keep pics up at both places.. but must have uploaded the wrong ones, LOL ---- hey i only got 3 hours of sleep :o

ok here is the rest

Step 4. Sew it together! First you want to lay down all your strip sand arrange them in an order that you like.. how you want them to be in the skirt...
http://www.gwgwebcreations.com/images/20.jpg

Then take your first two strips.. put them right sides together. Line up the right edges so they are flush to each other... than you just serge right down that edge (or if using a regular machine single/double stitch down .... a double stitch is enough to hold.. but you can zig zag over the edges of the fabric to help limit the fraying).

http://www.gwgwebcreations.com/images/21.jpg

Now you should have two strips sewn together that look kind like an big A when you open it up!

http://www.gwgwebcreations.com/images/22.jpg

Now take your number 3 strip.. put that right sides together with strip number two... again sew down the right side edge. Do this for all yoru strip and you get one big "FAN" looking thing, LOL.
http://www.gwgwebcreations.com/images/23.jpg

Then.. you take that big fan and fold it inhalf so that right sides are together... line up the two long open edges of the strips .... put them flush together and sew like you did with the other strips.
http://www.gwgwebcreations.com/images/24.jpg

That gives you the skirt! you now have a tube that is smaller at the waist than the hem...
http://www.gwgwebcreations.com/images/25.jpg


Step 5. Attaching the waistband... coming next.. i have to finish and take more pics

so did you finish it yet? ;)

I'm going to start a skirt today I think.
My hand is still numb so using anything with elastic is a bit tricky, but I can handle running strips through the serger!

ROFL.. no carla.. i had to work on something for someone else ;) LOL... AND dh crashed my system yesterday completely (trying to upgrade to XP PRO from HOME.... so i couldnt get my digital camera to upload anyway.. *sigh*... will get it done today tho!

LOL! just thought I'd give a little nudge to be a pest ;)

Richard wants to install XP Pro too, not sure why though (I can't remember why he said he wanted to anyway :)
:thumbsup:

Attaching the waistband.... Now get your waistband strip and fold in half... press/iron if you want.. so its a long strip half the size it was ...
http://www.girlwomangoddess.com/images/26.jpg

Find the center of the waistband - for example if your waistband was 40 inches long 4 inchs wide.. you folded in half so its a strip of 2 layers that is 2 inches wide 40 inches line.. you would find the middle by measuring 20 inches in from one end. Mark this point. Now pick up your skirt.. find the middle point of the back of the skirt.. you can decide where this is.. no technical or measuring required, LOL

Take your folded waistband strip.. pin it to the skirt matching up the two middle points.. right sides together.
http://www.girlwomangoddess.com/images/27.jpg

now pin the rest of the waistband to the rest of the skirt.. however make a mark wherever the middle of the FRONT of your skirt is... the two edges of the waistband will meet evenly there. In my pic below my middle point is where the dark blue and the light blue strip meet up. You can see i have marked this middle point on each fabric strip that makes up the waistband... so i know where they have to meet together. If you are doing an elastic waistband you can just sew those two strips together right sides together.... at those pints.. that will give you one long tube for you to attach to the skirt and thread elastic through. If making a drawstring continue down
http://www.girlwomangoddess.com/images/28.jpg

Now trim any excess fabric off after the pins that mark the center point... i usually cut all fabric off at 1 inch after the pins. then you will fold that fabric in.. and fold in again so you have no raw edges and sew a straight line.... hard to explain but here is the pic of the finished edge...
http://www.girlwomangoddess.com/images/29.jpg

Then you finish pinning that to the skirt.. so your two drawstring edges meet up and are flush with each other.... (still folded in half creating an open ended tube)
http://www.girlwomangoddess.com/images/30.jpg

Now sew a straight line attach the waistband to the skirt... you may want to double stitch if not serging.... i usually sew the straight line then also go over it with a serger to finish the edges (not shown in the pic below)
http://www.girlwomangoddess.com/images/31.jpg

Your waistband is now attached to the skirt! One final thing I do is press the waistband up so it is flat... pressing the seam down onto the strips on the inside and topstich just to keep everything in place: (the second pic the redish line is where i would topstitch.. but much straighter, LOL).
http://www.girlwomangoddess.com/images/32.jpg
http://www.girlwomangoddess.com/images/33.jpg

After top stitchin you hem as needed for your height! I hem by serging along the bottom to get a finished edge then just folding it inward and stitching.

Drawstring: If you want to use a fabric drawstring you can take a piece of fabric the same length as you would like your drawstring and about 3 inches wide... fold the edges in and press.. then fold in half and press (like you would when making bias tape) and stitch a straight lown down the strip. Then thread it through your drawstring openings!

Thats it!!!! your done! .... well unless you want to add a pocket or something, LOL. only one other thing... i hope its not lame of me to ask, but please use this for personal/home use only, id feel stupid if everyone started selling strip skirts made like mine, LOL. I know its just a strip skirt.. but its taken me 3+ years to perfect my cutting/sewing/design teqniques to be the quickest/easiest way for me to sew..not to mention fit right!

Enjoy!

oh and ill try to post a pic of the finished skirt.. but have to finish some diapers first, LOL.