DIY Style: How To Widen Hip Seams

I almost forgot about this little quick tutorial! I found this summery Escada skirt (seen here) at the consignment shop recently and decided the hips needed to be widened just a little bit. Though the waistband could've been taken in (with this tutorial), I didn't feel like putting that much effort into it. I frequently look for European or USA made clothing and vintage items since the quality is so much better. They usually offer generous seam allowances enabling easy alterations. So here's how I let out the hips:

Step 1
I marked my skirt with pins the sections I thought needed to be widened. Using tailor's chalk, I transferred the marks about 3/8 of an inch from the side seam (I wanted 1.5 inches total let out of the widest part of the hips). With my French curve, I sketched a new side seam on the inside of both sides of the skirt and lining and gently tapered towards the waist and hem.

Step 2

I sewed the new seams along the chalk line (both sides of skirt and lining). Merging the new stitches with the old at the tapered points, I backstitched a few times to lock the stitches in place.

Step 3

I cut open the old stitching and pressed the new side seams with a hot iron. After that, I hand washed the skirt to remove the fabric creases and old stitch holes.

And that's all there was to it! Please excuse the wrinkles; the skirt is cotton and I was wearing it for quite a while before photographing.