Materials

fabric, at least one yard (36 inches): something with a bit of stretch, like velvet, velour, lycra, stretchy plastic fabric, cotton/lycra blends, etc.

needle and/or sewing machine

straight pins

matching thread

marking pencil (something to mark the fabric that won't show through)

Directions

1. Hold the fabric up and make sure you have enough to wrap around your waist. You want to have the skirt fall at least to your lower calves, or longer for a true hobble skirt.
2. Then fold the fabric in half, lengthwise. You want the nice side of the fabric inside, and the "wrong" side facing out. Lay it on the floor.
3. Lay down on the floor and trace your body onto the fabric from waist to ankles. It needn't be exact, but take your time. Make sure your legs are spread slightly apart, or you won't be able to walk at all. It sounds awkward, but it is possible to do this yourself, but getting someone else to trace you isn't cheating :)
4. Stand back up. You should have a rough outline of your legs, waist and hips. This will be your pattern. Trace around your body-outline, leaving about 1 inch border. If your fabric is particularly stretchy and you want it tighter, you can leave less border. Make sure you leave enough fabric at the top and bottom to finish off the waist and hem.
5. Draw triangles (see illustration) on each side of the hips. These will be darts, which will add shape for a closer fit around your hips and bottom. I've never bothered to measure darts - I just sort of draw them on and they always come out okay. Just make sure they are about the same length and equidistant.
6. Pin the fabric together and cut out the two halves of your skirt.
7. Draw darts on the other half of the skirt. Use pins through the two layers to make sure they are lined up and equal lengths.
8. Sew each dart. You do this by folding the triangles to make the sides meet. Then you pin and sew to make a slanted line. Remember that the fabric is folded so that the triangle pokes out of the "wrong" side. (This step is not explained that well, so if you're confused, I don't blame you.)
9. Sew up the sides of the skirt. If you are using a sewing machine, I suggest basting the seams by hand first, and then trying the skirt on. You might want to make parts tighter or looser before you finish it off.
10. Once the sides are sewn, you can hem the bottom and finish off the waistband (just fold them over and tack them down).
11. Hopefully, your material is stretchy enough that you can wriggle into your skirt. If not, try ripping a few inches of one seam open, starting at the top, and adding a zipper. Or even Velcro, which you can glue in if you are particularly lazy, rushed, or frustrated.

More Advanced Ideas

You could put a zipper in. That, next to hems, is my least favorite part of sewing.

You could make a lined or even reversible skirt. A lining helps if you are going to have a slit, by the way (since the inside will show a little when you walk).

If you get an eyelet kit (sold at fabric stores) you can make a skirt that laces up the front or sides. For front lacing, cut your front piece in half, finish the sides, and punch the eyelets. For side lacings, finish and add eyelets to the edges of the two separate pieces instead of sewing them together.

Cut your fabric on the bias for a slinkier effect. you can get away with fabric that is a little less stretchy if you use this technique, and if you really know what you are doing you could make an uneven hem (very 1930s) or even add a train!

You could adapt a mermaid costume from this skirt, either a walkable one or an enclosed fishtail, if you get someone to tow you around on a wagon :)

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