How to Create a Bubble Skirt on a Dress
Transform a plain knee-length dress into a short and flirty dress for an adult or an adorable puffy skirt for a child. The hemline of the skirt is tucked up against the waist of the dress to create the bubble effect and then a length of ribbon is sewn around the waistline of the dress to hide the stitches used to attach the hem. You can transform any dress with a loose a-line skirt into a bubble dress, but sheath or tight-fitting dresses won't work for this project.
Instructions
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1
Turn the dress inside out and lay it on your work surface with the bottom hem of the dress facing you.
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2
Open the hem of the skirt with a seam ripper. You can skip this if you are in a hurry, but opening the hem will make the waistline of the dress less bulky.
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3
Fold the hemline up to the waist of the dress. Pin the hem to the waist line, gathering the fabric as necessary.
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4
Sew the hem to the waistline with a small straight stitch. Remove the sewing pins, and iron around the waist to lay the fabric flat.
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5
Turn the dress right side out. If the new seam line is obvious. Measure the circumference of the skirt around the waist where the hem is now attached. Add 24 inches, and cut the 1-inch-wide ribbon to this length.
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Fold the ribbon in half to reduce the length by 50 percent, and pin the fold to the front, center of the dress over top of the seam line. Pin the over top of the seam line and leave the 12-inch-long ribbon ends extending down the back of the dress.
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Sew a straight stitch or topstitch along the top and bottom edges of the ribbon to attach it to the dress. Tie the ribbon ends in a bow at the back of the dress.
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References
- "Flirt Skirts: Learn How to Sew, Customize, and Style Your Very Own Skirts"; Seryn Potter and Patti Gilstrap; 2011
- "The Sewing Bible: A Modern Manual of Practical and Decorative Sewing Techniques"; Ruth Singer; 2009
- Photo Credit Rebecca Van Ommen/Lifesize/Getty Images
