1. Cut two fabric pieces - the top one is about 28" by 9" (sorry all my measurements are in inches as I use my quilting board and rulers to cut)
- the bottom is 34" by 5.25"
2. Sew the hems to make two circles and overlock or zigzag stitch the edges.
3. Increase your stitch length on your machine (I turn mine to 4) and with a long tail of cotton sew around the top of the bottom piece. leave a long tail at the end as well. Pull the top tail of cotton at each end gently to gather.
4. Pin to the top piece, matching seams and easing to fit.
5. Sew and then overlock or zigzag. I iron towards the top and then topstitch.
6. Overlock the hem and fold up and sew.
7. Overlock the top and sew down leaving enough width to thread through elastic and a small opening to thread it through. I like to top stitch as well - I think it stops the elastic twisting.
8. Thread the elastic through - I use big safety pins and sew it up. Then sew up the opening. The only elastic I use now is non roll ribbed elastic and for children's clothes I use 3/4" (20mm).
9. Finished!
Hi Kate, Thanks so much for the tutorial. I've been making LOTS of little girl's skirts lately so a variation like yours is great. Hope the pregnancy is going as smoothly as it can. Love Ainslie
ReplyDeletethankyou! Am off to make one for my almost 2 year old.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the tutorial I like easy small things to make. By the time I actually finish a skirt it will be time to wear them again probably! :)
ReplyDeletethank you, kate! i've always loved the sweet little skirts you've amde for your girls. I'm looking forward to trying this out! x
ReplyDeletelove these skirts! ia m going to make some of these for my two year old!thanks for sharing! and i love that bunny so sweet!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for this Kate! I haven't yet made the girls skirts so this will be one of my summer projects.
ReplyDeleteOh that tutorial looks great. Wish I could get away with wearing one.
ReplyDeletewhat a cute skirt!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the tutorial Kate. I might have to see if I can make it bigger to fit Isabelle. They are so cute.
ReplyDeleteOh, thank you, thank you, thank you for the tutorial. I've been wanting to make my daughter a skirt but didn't know where to begin. I guess I could have bought a book. Thanks for saving me the trouble and posting a tutorial for it. Good stuff!
ReplyDeleteGreat tutorial! I just had to say that I like to topstitch the elastic casing too, cause I think it stops the elastic from twisting! Very, very cute skirt.
ReplyDeleteeasy peasy, thanks Kate off to make one or two now!!!
ReplyDeleteGorgeous! I'm having a kids clothes sewing frenzy at the moment for my girls so i'll be adding these to the list.
ReplyDeleteThanks:)
That skirt is georgous Kate. I'm trying to think of a 2 year old I know of that I can make it for. Well done for braving some "big shops" I'm terrible at going to them and have loved finding the internet - much more exciting getting things delivered in the post.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for this tutorial. I like easy sweet patterns...thanks!!
ReplyDeleteSmiles...
Beverly
This is an awesome little tutorial, thanks so much!
ReplyDeleteMelx
thanks for the great pattern...I am a non-sewer and just made this skirt this evening....can't wait to see it on my daughter!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the tutorial. I whipped a skirt out for my daughter last night in about an hour. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteso cute, great job, pictures are perfect!
ReplyDeleteHi Kate,
ReplyDeleteTHANKYOU SO MUCH. I have had a Janome sitting in my study for over 4 years and I have only ever made an apron. Thanks to you I have just made my first skirt for my 2 year old niece, I have a feeling she is going to love it...
Love it, love it! It was easy, and super cute. I posted pictures here: http://aspiringartistry.typepad.com/aspiring_artistry/2008/08/the-one-nap-ski.html
ReplyDeleteThis is great! I love how you put fabrics together. I myself have been dabbling in skirt territory myself lately, what with the need to bring on some Christmas bling in our house!:)
ReplyDeleteI love this skirt! I was just wondering though...how long a piece of elastic should I use (19 inches?)? Thanks!
ReplyDeleteGreat tutorial! I posted a link to your project on Craft Gossip Sewing Blog:
ReplyDeletehttp://sewing.craftgossip.com/tutorial-simple-gathered-skirt-for-little-girls/2009/03/10/
--Anne
I'm thoroughly inspired, which is exactly what I was craving to be. Thanks for the great idea! :)
ReplyDeleteSo cute! Thanks.
ReplyDeleteLove it! I linked to this!
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad I found this. I'm getting ready to make some clothing for my store and want to crochet the bodice and attach a gathered skirt to create some summer dresses. This tutuorial helped give me some ideas!
ReplyDeleteI just made this skirt and linked back to your tutorial. I loved it. It was a very easy skirt for me to make and your photos and instructions were great for a newbie sewer like myself.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.origamimommy.org/2009/07/felt-sweets-and-twirly-skirts.html
oohh..just found this! perfect for my 2 year old I'll be making this tonite! thanks!
ReplyDeletehi, I got a little sewing bug just before school was to start a few weeks ago, started searching and found your skirt. Wanted to post a pic of the finished outfit, but I don't see how...Anyway, thanks so much! JGA
ReplyDeleteHi Kate;
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing this. It looks very easy and your *how-to* is very understandable.
I hope to squeeze out some time in the next few days to whip up a bunch. Randi (I have to Sew) is helping me gather skirts for the mission field in Chile.
Want to sew? Or tell your reader/friends...we only have a short time to gather skirts this time...the team is off the end of the first week of November...
thanks again for sharing your skirt. I appreciate it.
Kimmie
mama to 7
one homemade and 6 adopted
thanx! do you think it will work on corderoy as well?
ReplyDeletePretty cool site you've got here. Thanks for it. I like such themes and everything connected to this matter. I would like to read more soon.
ReplyDeletethanks for the tutorial! i made one today and linked back to you! very easy, clear instructions....the hardest part was the math for figuring out my daughter's size! (and that's pretty sad as i was an accounting major *sigh*)
ReplyDeletehttp://mfnusz.blogspot.com/2010/01/punk-princess-skirt.html
It is rather interesting for me to read the post. Thank you for it. I like such topics and anything connected to this matter. I definitely want to read more on that blog soon.
ReplyDeleteBest wishes
Alice Tudes
Really great easy skirt tutorial! I love fun and flirty skirts. I have a skirt how to on my site. Check it out and let me know what you think.
ReplyDeleteThe-Hobby-Barrel
I had forgotten how little material it takes to make little girl skirts, and how quickly they whip up! I made the bottom ruffle much longer, and added a 'poof' in it. Took about an hour, and we now have a very cute twirly skirt :)
ReplyDeleteI'll be posting the results on my blog once my eldest girl finishing sewing her skirt. :)
www.naturallysidetracked.blogspot.com
I have just made one using your tutorial. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteI am really new to sewing but wanted to learn to make clothes for my little girl. I thought this skirt looked like a pretty easy project. My only problem was I was unsure of what it meant by using "a long tail of cotton sew around the top of the bottom piece. leave a long tail at the end as well". What does this mean. Are you using another piece of fabric? I would love someone to explain this step. I would really like to make this skirt.
ReplyDeleteHi Jennifer, it just means when you sew the gathering stitches have enough cotton at each end so you can hold on to it and pull the stitches to gather them. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for your tutorial. I found it online last night, and made a skirt for my daughter in 45 minutes... which is fantastic for a beginner like myself. Can't wait to do it again!!
ReplyDeleteHow darling is this?! I just adore that print combination. So cheery!
ReplyDeleteThank you for the great pattern. I made one for my granddaughter out of Toy Story fabric (her favorite characters as of the moment). It turned out great.
ReplyDeleteSuper cute skirt! I'm on my second one now, and I've increased the width on the bottom piece (for 2T) to 40". It gives 6 extra inches of material to get a good ruffle! It's super cute... not that yours isn't! I was experimenting. Just personal preference! THANKS for sharing an easy (for me) and fun (for my daughter to wear) pattern!
ReplyDeleteHi. New to sewing and just wanted to know how I would come up with the width of each piece of fabric for the size of my girls? Thanks!
ReplyDeleteHi Erika, I have put measurements for a bigger size in another tutorial, just go to the tutorials at the top of the page, otherwise do a google search there are so many tutorials out there.
ReplyDeletei love this skirt its gorgeous i would like to make one for my daughter she is 6 and her measurements are waist 24" and i need the overall length to be 15" approx im a newbie so i was hoping you may be able to help me out with how much fabric i will need for each piece please? x
ReplyDeleteYou have been featured on a +30 little girls skirt round up- thanks for your great tutorial! http://www.patchworkposse.com/2013/07/30-elastic-waist-skirt-tutorials-little-girl-summer-skirts/
ReplyDeleteMy daughter is 7 and whilst I am a craft sewer and embroiderer,I have never done any dressmaking.Found an easy skirt to make and after 10 minutes just need to fit elastic which I have ordered. Cannot believe how easy it is so will be doing a ruffle bottom like yours next!! Thanks for the tutorial, wish I had done some a few years ago when she was younger.
ReplyDelete