Can a skirt w/elastic waistband be made into standard waistband?

Sure. There may need to be some gathering or darts to make it fit when closed, but it shouldn't be that hard if you have enough fabric. How much do you have to spare?

You could also make the waistband out of a different fabric, or even just grosgrain ribbon.

Frankly, the skirt is way too long . . . reaches to my ankles . . . and I would rather shorten it by 3 or 4 inches. I thought the lining of the waistband could easily be another fabric. It's shape is straight but not as straight as a sheath, so there would be enough for at least the outside to match the skirt.

Would you advise using a pattern or winging it? I am not certain that I feel confident enough to wing it.

Hmmm... I usually wing it for these kinds of things... do you mean buying a pattern for a skirt with a waistband and then using the waistband part of the pattern? You could also just make a paper pattern yourself and make sure it's the right size, etc. Make sure to leave seam allowances.

3 or 4 inches sounds good, you could at least get the outside of the waistband the same fabric as the skirt, may need to line it with something else (as you say) depending on how wide you want the waistband to be. You might want to use interfacing too. Depends a bit on what sort of style it has/ you're going for.

You could probably have the whole thing be the same fabric if you cut off 4 inches and make the waistband 1.5 inches wide.

...of course if you cut off 4 inches the skirt would be more than 4 inches shorter because of the seam allowance for where the skirt meets the waistband...

I have to do the trick where you stand in front of a mirror with a towel, and adjust it see what length you like.

I had a suit with a short (waist length) jacket and a long straight skirt, straighter than this one. I shortened the skirt far too much. THen moths attacked it.

Taking off the waistband will shorten the skirt anyway, but, probably not enough. Of course, the waistband could be pieced.

Do you have a skirt that is the right length and approximately right shape that you can use as a template?

If you're switching from elastic waist to waist closure, will you also be putting a zipper in?

Probably not. The skirt is a mock wrap and has a flap already, which is why I thought it might work.

This website will probably be handy for you. It will teach you how to make a custom pattern to use for the waistband of the skirt:

http://www.fashion-era.com/Pattern_drafting/pattern_drafting_skirta15_12_waistband.htm

If you need to add some darts to the skirt to improve the fit, there are a few chapters describing that procedure also.

Here's another website with a bit more artwork showing the various steps:

http://www.independentliving.org/fashionfreaks/skirts/nssi4.html

Wow! I love the Fashion Era site! Just seeing all those different time periods lined up was amazing. Thanks!

I think that replacing the waistband will be easier than opening up the old one and replacing the elastic. I had a skirt that I loved and when the elastic lost its stretch, I picked at the waist band on and off for about two years. The fabric was a black grounded print, very delicate in weight. I couldn't see the stitches and I kept tearing the fabric. Whether I still have it, I'm not certain. I loved the skirt and it was tiered job that couldn't have the old waist cut off it but I ran out of patience.