Tutorial Review: Quick and Easy No-Hem Skirt

So, I know this means I'm still off-track with my MayFlower event and I promise more flowery posts to come, but today I want to share with you a review for the Quick and Easy No Hem Skirt from Hickety Pickety (great new blog I just found, by the by!) I showed you yesterday.  If you didn't get a chance to see that post, here's the skirt that's up for review:

So let's get started!

Accuracy: 10

Clarity of Directions: 9
Helpfulness of Pictures: 10 
Difficulty: 3
Overall Rating: 10

Time: ~30 min.

Recommended

For the full details, join me after the break. :)

Details:

I absolutely loved this tutorial!  I ended up making not just one, not two but three skirts and still had time to spare to finish another large project all in one afternoon.

 And I still want to make a few more!

When the title of a tutorial says "simple" or "quick," I usually take that with a grain of salt because I'm a new sewer and even the easiest projects are sometimes hard for me.  But this one really was extremely simple and I would definitely recommend it to anyone of any sewing level.

There are a few things I have to say about the tutorial though:

1.  The math.

I was a little thrown off by the formulas explaining how to cut the fabric.  It's not that I'm bad at math--I'm actually pretty good at math compared to a lot of people since I study media planning/buying and I spend most of my time at my internship working with Excel.

It's not that I think the formulas were wrong or bad, and I was able to cut my fabric accordingly.  It just took me a couple minutes to decipher what numbers and lengths we were talking about.  In short, I think the wording for the formulas could have been a little clearer.

My point?  If you're not a math person and you want to use this tutorial, be prepared.  Another solution may be to use the dimensions from another similar skirt tutorial you like.

2.  Order of operations.

I found the order of the steps a little strange.  I thought it was weird to sew the selvages together and then try to fold it in half and iron the seam.  So I folded my fabric in half, ironed the seam and then sewed the selvages together.  It didn't seem to make a difference which way the garment was sewn (I tried both ways), so I guess it's just preference.  No big deal. :)

3.  Square cut.

This one really doesn't reflect on the tutorial at all.  Just something I thought I'd mention.  The skirts turned out kind of boxy once finished, as you can see.

If you're a little more experienced, you might consider trying to cut the skirt more A-lined.  I didn't try this myself so no guarantees on how it would work, but it might be fun to try and give it a little different look, although these skirts are definitely very cute and I'm sure will accent any adorable baby butt!  I can't wait to get pictures of them on my and my boyfriend's nieces.  (Sorry I don't have any now.  Our families are scattered across the country and I'm going to have to mail these to them.)

And that's pretty much all I've got for you!  Like I said, it's a great tutorial.  I think I'll probably make a few more to send off with these.

Join me again soon for the Pint-Sized Party Skirt tutorial review!  Happy crafting!

--CC