Ok so you know how berserk I go when I get my hands on the perfect sequin fabric don’t you? Not overly shiny tacky stuff you see around but a subtle sequin with an expensive looking sheen. In case you can’t imagine it let’s just say I do silent high fives interspersed with little tiger woods inspired fist pumps. And what better to make when I stumble across this material of all materials than a super simple wrap mini skirt – a tad more wearable than the sequin maxi skirt (although admittedly I rarely adhere to stipulated dresscodes – ‘sequin maxi skirt at breakfast, don’t mind if I do!’). Another pretty straightforward project – and what’s more you don’t have to cut into your precious sequins (all the better to remake them as something else down the line).
For this project I focused on keeping the sequin fabric intact (cutting and sewing sequins can be a b*tch), so I folded it in half lengthways and sewed the edge together. However, you can also cut the fabric to the right width and hem the edge, adding lining for comfort. My sequins were quite flat and therefore didn’t cut into my skin which was great for this foldover method.
You need:
- Sequin fabric long enough to fold around you overlapping at the front. Mine was 42 inches wide.
- Scissors
- Thread
- Needles
- Ribbon
- Snap buttons
How to:
1. Fold your sequin fabric in half lengthways with the right sides facing in. Sew along all the edges except one (I left a short edge open that I wanted to sit at the front). Then turn your skirt inside out to create a tube. You can either then sew the final opening shut by folding the edge in, or do what I did and just sew the raw edge together. I liked the look of the raw edge because it added a bit more relaxed charm to the skirt (which is important for a sequin skirt).
2. This is what the tube looked like after I turned out right way out – note the raw edge on the left hand side. This tube should be long enough in width to be the length of the skirt when it’s on, and able to be wrapped around you and doubled over at the front, almost like you would a sarong.
3. I then sewed on buttons (like I did here) and ribbon as ties to keep the skirt in place (as shown below). When I attached the buttons and ribbon I made sure that it wrapped in an asymmetric manner, with one edge of the hem dropping down, but you can choose to have the hem like this or tie it closer to the waistband for a straighter hem.
4. You want to sew the ribbon so that it sits flat and pulls the skirt in a straight manner. Use pins to experiment with the placement of the ties before you secure them with stitches.
And there you go! This is one of those projects I recommend you just have a go at, wear around the house and adjust the placement of the ties to suit the style you want – you can have an asymmetric hem at the front or a simple wrapped straight hem.
Wearing: DIY Sequin Skirt, Cotton On tee (I have been wearing it so much!), AP&AS for Tony Bianco Heels, DIY Transparent Satchel, Coach Watch
Photos by Lauren Engel
