DIY hem weights for fluttery skirts!

Alright, so I have these two skirts that I love, but seldom wear. They are made of printed cotton knit and have a lovely drape, but when it´s windy they make attempts at breaking free and flying off into the sunset. While there are people who I feel like mooning, I still haven´t gotten to the point where I would actually do it, so those hems have to stay down for now.

Looking up hem weights on the internet, I realized options are surprisingly sparse. The few there are mostly consist of repurposing things, such as coins or jewelry chain, and attaching them permanently to your skirt, which can be a problem when it comes to washing the garment. It turns out Queen Elizabeth II uses curtain weights to keep her hems from flying up!

What I wanted was something that could easily be attached to one skirt, taken off again and put onto another skirt without much fuss. So I came up with these:

They are two brass pendants that I hung on short pieces of jewelry chain and lobster clasps. The only thing I had to do was sew thread loops into the two naughty skirts, and now I can switch the weights back and forth between them however often I like. I had never made such loops before, but after watching a short tutorial they came out perfect!

The best idea is to sew the loops onto the side seams, on the inside of your skirt. Considering the length of the weights, I chose a spot two inches up from the hem.

Anchor a thread in a matching color by knotting it into the side seam. Make a double loop around an object with the same diameter you would like your thread loop to have. In my case, a pencil did the trick. When you form the two loops, push the needle through the same spot in the side seam, because they need to be the same length and perfectly parallel.

Then, begin to make knots around the loops to unite them. Make sure to close each new knot right next to the former one to create an even strand.

When you get to the end of the loop, secure with further knots to the side seam and you are done!

Now you can attach the hem weights.

Tadah, nothing shows from the outside! Neither will your butt. I might keep experimenting with different weights and beads, but I am happy with my prototype!