It’s been kind of a long time since I’ve done any clothing projects. But I’ve been seeing net and mesh used in a lot of cool ways this Spring (some of which I rounded up here), and I was feeling inspired. So I took a pencil skirt that I’ve had for a long time, and gave it a makeover to resemble this designer version. I’m quite happy with how it turned out and can’t wait to wear it around town. Mesh feels unexpectedly cool right now, so this skirt probably won’t be the last time you see it here.

How about you, do you like mesh, or does it give you bad flashbacks to gym-class jerseys?

Materials:
Pencil skirt
Athletic mesh/net fabric – I bought 1 yard and that was plenty.
Fabric scissors
Pins
Sewing machine
Needle
Thread
Fabric pen/chalk
Measuring tape

Steps:
1. Try on your skirt and decide how much longer than the skirt you want the mesh overlay to be. I went with 3 inches. Lay your skirt out flat on the net fabric, and trace around it, leaving a 1/2-inch border on all edges and an overhang on the bottom hem. It’s a good idea to add an extra inch or so to the bottom, just to be safe. You can always trim it at the end if it’s it’s too long. Cut out this piece.

2. My skirt had a zipper in the middle of the back, so I needed a back seam. If your skirt has a side seam you’ll want to cut another piece like the one above, but for a back seam, fold the skirt in half along that seam, lay it on a piece of doubled mesh fabric, and trace around it, again adding the 1/2-inch seam allowance and extra length. Cut out, giving you two back pieces.

3. Take your three pieces of fabric, and pin them together along the side seams. Sew those seams up with a 1/4-inch seam allowance. If you have slits in the side seams of your original skirt, add them to the overlay by measuring where they start and ending the seam here. I found that to avoid ripples in the seam, I had to gently stretch my fabric as I sewed.

Sew up the back seam, but before you do, measure the length of the zipper, and leave this part of the seam unsewn.

4. Turn the overlay inside out, and lay it over the skirt with the seams on the inside lined up with your skirt’s side and back seams. Fold the upper edge into the skirt overlay, aligning it with the bottom of the waistband, and fold in the edges of the fabric so the fold lines up with the edges of the zipper, and pin in place. Sew along the bottom edge of the waistband, and as close to the zipper as you can. A zipper foot is useful here.