First garment: an elastic-waist skirt

Simple rectangles, a casing and a hem: no zip or pattern fitting needed.

Step by step

1. Choose a cotton such as poplin or quilting cotton and pre-wash it.
2. Cut two rectangles: width about one and a half times your hip, length as wanted plus casing and hem allowances.
3. Sew the side seams and finish them with zigzag.
4. Fold the top over twice to make a casing wide enough for your elastic, and stitch, leaving a gap.
5. Thread the elastic through with a safety pin, overlap the ends and sew them firmly, then close the gap.
6. Turn up a double-fold hem and press.

Sources

All checked 1 November 2026. We read these; we did not test the products ourselves.

1. Liberty: The best fabric for beginner sewers
2. Guthrie & Ghani: Best fabrics for a first dressmaking project
3. Simplicity: Sew two-row gathers