DIY Style- Vintage Tablecloth Circle Skirt

As a lot of you already know, I collect vintage tablecloths. I rarely come across one I am not in love with, so I have several, including bunches of cutters that I love to use in my projects. Sometimes I may find a lovely cloth that is in pretty good condition with hardly any stains that I just can’t resist. I can only use tablecloths on my table for special occasions since my cat destroys them. He’s such a booger! And I really hate just having them up in the cupboard sitting there collecting dust. So, sometimes I use my nicer tablecloths for special projects. I recently snagged a really cute circular tablecloth and thought it would be perfect for a traditional circle skirt. These are really pretty easy to make and only require a few supplies. Circle skirts can be really expensive to make since they usually require a lot of yardage. When you find a good deal on a round tablecloth you can make a skirt for a fraction of the cost. Here is my how to:

What You Need:

*Round Tablecloth

*Measuring Tape

*Straight Pins

*Scissors

*Fabric for Waist Band (1/4 yard or 1/8 depending on width)

*Heavy Weight Interfacing

*Zipper

*Iron

*Sewing Machine and Thread

Instructions:

The first thing you need to do is figure out your measurements. Measure your waist. Add an inch for your seam. Subtract an inch for stretch. For example if your waist is 28″ your math would look like this- 27+1-1=27. If you had two seams it would look like this- 27+2-1=28. Take your measurement and divide it by six for a full circle skirt- (27/6=4.5) Then you want to subtract seam allowance for the waistline seam of 1/2″ so, 4.5-.5=4″. So your mark is going to be 4″. Take your tablecloth and neatly fold it in half, then fold it again so the curve is at the bottom and the top comes to a point and it is in a quarter fold. Take your measuring tape and find the measurement from the end of the metal tip to the hole in the metal tip. You will need to add this measurement to the waist measurement you found earlier. For example- your 4″. So if your tip is 1/4″ you would add that to the measurement- 4.25″. Poke a needle into the tape measure at your marking point (ex: 4.25″.) Stick the needle into the very tip of the tablecloth.

Now, take a pencil or marking pen and using the hole in the metal end of the tape insert your pencil and pull from one edge to the other marking your curved cutting line.

 

Cut out the fabric where you marked. Then cut up one side of the tablecloth for a side seam.

Make a waist band to be the length of your waist plus one inch by 3.5″ wide. Cut interfacing to be a little smaller than the waistband.

 

Iron your interfacing onto your waist band. Then, pin your waist band and the waistline of your skirt together right sides together matching ends. Stitch a 1/2″ seam. Press your seam allowance towards your waist band.

Pin your skirt together at the side seam with right sides touching. Hold up your zipper to the side so you can decide where it will lay, then mark the bottom.

Stitch the side seam from the bottom up. Stitch with a regular stitch up to the mark you made for the zipper, then stitch a basting stitch all the way to the top. Iron open your seam allowance.

Now, open up your zipper a little and lay it face down onto your side seam so the zipper teeth are centered to the seam. Pin your zipper in place. Stitch your zipper with a zipper foot, stitching down one side across the bottom and up the other.When you get to the pull, put your needle down into the fabric and pull up your presser foot, then shimmy the zipper pull past the presser foot, put the foot back down and continue stitching.Once your zipper is stitched you need to cut open the seam part that was basted with a seam ripper which will expose your zipper.

Now you are ready to finish the waist band. Fold the top edge of the waist band under by a quarter inch and iron down. Then fold the folded top down over the seam allowance to the waist seam. Fold in the sides where your zipper meets too. Pin all the way around. Stitch close to the edge as you can across the waist and up the ends. Clip excess threads and you’re done. Enjoy your skirt!

I really love my new circle skirt! I love this particular tablecloth for the adorable design and it has some of my favorite colors in it too! It is really swingy and fun to wear! It took me about an hour to make from start to finish, so it is a pretty easy and fast DIY. I hope you all will give it a try sometime! You can find some great vintage round tablecloths at your local flea market or antique mall, or look online on Ebay or Etsy. If you aren’t married to the idea of a vintage cloth, you can always take a look for some tablecloths at the thrift stores in your area. Any larger round tablecloth will do. I’ll be back soon with another fun DIY. Until then…

Happy Crafting!