I’m am super excited to share this with you. I had a skirt from my closet to use for a guide, but I still had no idea it would turn out so good!  Half way through making this I realized how cute this was and decided to make a tutorial.  So I’m sorry if the first steps don’t have as many pictures!

I bought the skirt on the left at The Rack last spring and love it.  I decided to try and make one similar.

Materials:

2 1/2 yards of knit fabric (60″ wide)

I used a skirt I had as a pattern.  You can also use an A-line skirt pattern, however my skirt pattern is quite a bit straighter.  I recommend that you don’t make the skirt too big or too loose.  When I tried on the skirt without the ruffles it was a little bit too tight.  This is perfect since the ruffles will add bulk and hide any tightness.  Also, knit fabric is forgiving and stretches.

1.) Use an A-line skirt pattern to cut out two identical pieces for the front and the back. Or you can use a straight skirt you have in your closet as a pattern.  My dimensions are listed below as a guide.

Here is a comparison of an A-line skirt pattern (Amy Butler’s Barcelona skirt) to the pattern I cut out.

*Please note that the top of the skirt pattern is meant to hit just above the hips.  This is because I added a yoga style waistband above this.  You may have to adjust the height of your pattern to accommodate this.

2.)  Cut the waistband.  I wanted a long band like the original skirt, which has an 8 inch high waistband.  Double the 8 inch width and cut your band 16 inches high.  Measure your waist and subtract 3 inches.  The waistband should be snug since the fabric is knit and will stretch.  I cut my waistband 30″ x 16″.

3.)  Match the short edges (16″ edges) of the waistband, with right sides together.  Stitch a 1/4″ seam.  Press the seam open.  You should now have a tube.

4.)  Match the long edges (30″ edges) of the waistband, with wrong sides together, rolling it down.  Serge or stitch together.  Set waistband aside.

If you are having trouble (sorry for no pictures!), you can follow other tutorials that include a yoga style waistband, such as Elle Apparel’s Maxi Skirt Tutorial:  http://elleapparel.blogspot.com/2011/09/maxi.html

5.)  Cut the ruffle strips.  All the strips are 4″ wide.  Both the front and back skirt pieces have 7 layers of ruffles.

Strips needed:

4 strips 30″x 4″

10 strips 45″ x 4″

The first and second layer strips from the top are approximately 30″ x 4″

The third through seventh layer strips are approximately 45″ x 4″

Please note that I did not use the full length of the strips on some layers.  I gathered until it looked good, so you may have to adjust the length of your strips a little.  (See the picture in step 12.)  You may need to piece some of the strips.

6.)  Sew a gathering stitch across the top of all the strips.  Gather the strips.

7.) Take one of your skirt pieces.  Measure 1 1/4″ down from the top and draw a straight line across the skirt.

8.)  Pin one of the 30″ x 4″ strips to the skirt matching the top of the strip to the line drawn.  Be sure to extend the strip past where the seam on the edge of the skirt will be.  Adjust the gathers so they are even and ruffled to the amount you wish.  I would recommend not ruffling too much, as this can create unwanted bulk.

10.) Lay the strip flat.  Place a mark in the seam allowance just above the bottom of the strip that was just pinned.

11.)  Draw a straight line across the skirt where you placed a mark in the previous step.  Again, pin the ruffle strip on this line.

12.) Repeat this process until you have pinned all the strips onto the skirt.

The last strip should hang off the bottom edge of the skirt.

Stitch across all the ruffle layers.

13.) Repeat steps 7-12 to sew the strips onto the other skirt piece.  Place the skirt pieces on top of each other and mark where the ruffles are to ensure the ruffle strips line up.

14.) Baste down the sides of the skirt pieces catching the ruffle strips to ensure they lay flat.  This is optional but helpful!

15.) Lay the skirt pieces right sides together and pin.  Make sure the ruffles are all laying down and pin to match the ruffle strips.  Stitch down the sides of the skirt, ensuring that you catch the ruffle strips.

16.) Take the waistband and slip it over the top of the skirt, matching the top of the skirt with the serged edge of the waistband.  Pin in place.

17.)  Stitch  the waistband and the skirt piece together.  Press.

18.) You’re done!!  There is no need to hem since the last ruffle strip is the hem.  Yay!

Thanks for stopping by!