Sew yourself a breezy prairie skirt with fat quarters

Skirts can be one of the best articles of clothing to have in your closet. They pair easily with t-shirts and flats, but you can also dress them up with a blouse and heels. On a warm, sunny day, throw on this breezy peasant skirt for an easygoing, comfortably fashionable look. It will look great with your favorite sandals in warm weather or with boots when it's cool. Whether you dress it up or down, this skirt will quickly become a go-to item.

The skirt is made with fat quarters, so you can make it your own. Choose similar or complementary colors. Or, for an eclectic, bohemian look, go wild and pick whichever patterns speak to you. Pick up some thread that matches your fabric. Adjust the length of your skirt by adding more rounds.

Materials
- Fat quarters
- Fabric scissors
- Sewing machine
- Thread
- Serger (optional but recommended)
- Ruler
- Straight pins
- Stitch ripper
- Safety pin
- Elastic

Instructions
1. Lay your fat quarters face up. If they have lines from being folded, iron them for easier cutting, pinning and sewing.

2. Using fabric scissors, cut the fat quarters into thirds.

3. Stack the thirds you just cut: one stack each of three, five, nine, 11 and 14.

4. Stitch the strips in each stack end to end along the short ends and then again at the ends of the strip you make, creating a closed ring of blocks. Do this for each grouping.

5. You should have five closed, differently sized rounds of fat-quarter blocks. They will create an A-line skirt when sewn together.

6. If you have a serger, serge the edges of your rounds. Otherwise, use a zigzag stitch along each edge.

7. After serging or stitching along the edges, turn the smallest layer inside out. Turn the top edge of the inside-out layer down 2 inches and pin all the way around. Sew around the turned-down edge, leaving a 2-inch gap to thread the elastic at the end.

8. Increase the stitch length on your sewing machine to 4. Baste one edge of the five-strip layer.

9. On the smallest layer, fold the fabric in half and mark with pins at the corners. Repeat on the five-strip layer.

10. Match the layers at the pins and pin the two rounds together. Pull the basting stitch on the five-strip layer between the pins to create a ruffle. Pin the layers together, keeping the ruffle, and sew the layers together with a normal stitch.

11. Repeat this process with the other layers — basting one edge, marking them in quarters, matching to the layer above, pulling the basting stitch to create ruffles, and sewing the layers together. In the end, you should have five layers of ruffled strips sewn together.

12. To add a stretchy waistband: Fold the end of your elastic down about an inch and push a safety pin through the fold. Use this to easily thread the elastic through the gap you left in the smallest strip. Pin the edge of your elastic overlapping the other edge of elastic about an inch.

13. Stitch the elastic together. Stitch a square in the overlapping elastic for a longer-lasting hold. Pull the fabric back over the elastic and stitch the opening closed.

Pair your flowy skirt with a plain t-shirt for an easy but put-together look. Add some strappy heels for summertime or some boots for fall.