How to Make a Pleated Skirt With an Elastic Waistband
Pleated skirts are typically associated with primary school uniforms, but they are fun skirts that have a lot of movement in them. This is a project that does take some time to complete, as it requires some meticulous measuring and a lot of ironing. However, other than requiring patience, it requires only basic sewing skills. This project could take up a whole afternoon, or require several smaller sessions.
Things You'll Need
- Measuring tape
- Pencil or pen
- Paper
- Fabric, amount to be determined
- Fabric marker
- Scissors
- Yardstick
- Pins
- Ironing board
- Iron
- Sewing machine
- Matching thread
- Waistband elastic
Instructions
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Body of the Skirt
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1
Measure around the largest part of your hips with the measuring tape, and write down the number. Measure around your waist with the measuring tape and write this down. Measure from your waist to your knee, or your desired final skirt length, and write this down as well. Mark your numbers clearly as "hips", "waist", and "knee" so that there is no confusion.
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2
Add 11 inches to your hip measurement. Divide this number of inches by 12, and then divide that number by three. This will tell you how many yards of fabric you will need. If you plan on making your skirt as long as the width of the fabric then you will need to add half a yard for the waistband material. Buy this amount of fabric.
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3
Cut a rectangle of fabric. You will need it to be as long as your hip measurement plus 11, and as wide as your knee length. Use your yardstick and the fabric marker to make straight lines, so that you have a neat rectangle. Set the scraps aside for use later.
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4
Turn on your iron and allow it to heat up. Follow the manufacturers instructions for how to do this. Fold the bottom of the skirt up by on quarter of an inch, folding "wrong" side to "wrong" side. Pin this in place. Press this fold. Remove the pins, fold the top of the fold up towards the "wrong" side of the fabric by half an inch. Pin in place, and then iron this fold in place. Sew the fold in place. This is the hem, the "bottom" of the skirt.
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5
Divide your original hip measurement by 10. This number is how many inches will be in between your pleats. Starting with one or the other of the shorter edges, measure two inches. Pinch the fabric here, and lift it up and fold the pinch over the fabric, towards the other edge. Stick the yard stick in the fold, and measure the fold out to be about an inch. Pin this pleat in place at the "top" of the skirt. From the edge of the fold, measure your hip measurement divided by 10. Pinch the fabric, lift it up and fold it over again by an inch. Pin this in place. Continue until you reach the other end of the skirt. Iron the pleats into place at the "top" of the skirt- the edge that has not been hemmed. After ironing, sew along the top. Remove the pins.
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6
Fold your skirt right side to right side, and bring the edges of the skirt together. Pin the edge together that is perpendicular to the hem -- this will make your pleated fabric into a basic skirt shape. Sew along the pinned edge with a half-inch seam allowance. Lay the skirt over the ironing board with the newly-sewn hem facing up, and press the hem open.
Elastic Waistband and Joining it to the Body
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7
Cut a strip of fabric that is four inches in width and is as long as the hip measurement, plus one inch. Fold this strip in half, pretty side to pretty side, and pin the short edges together. Sew these edges together with a half-inch seam allowance, and press the seam open.
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8
Cut a piece of waistband elastic to the waist measurement plus one. Overlap the ends by half an inch and sew into place, using a zig-zag stitch to make the join stronger. Be sure that the waistband oes not have a twist before you sew it into a loop.
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9
Turn the waistband "wrong" side out. Slide the elastic band around it, and fold the waistband over it, matching the edges. Scoot the elastic as far into the fold as you can, with the elastic laying flat against the fabric- no kinks or folds. Pin into place just below the elastic. Sew around the waistband, under the elastic, pulling the elastic taut as you sew.
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10
Turn the skirt right side out. Take the waistband and, with the fold of the waistband pointed towards the hem of the skirt, pull the waistband over the top, unfinished edge of the skirt until the unfinished edges meet. Pin in place. Sew around the top, with a half-inch seam allowance. When you are done, pull the waist band band up. Turn the completed skirt inside out and press the seam so that the unfinished edges face the bottom of the skirt.
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Tips & Warnings
Some fabrics do not have a "wrong" side, but most will have a "right" side that looks nicer than the "wrong" side. The "wrong" side is the side of the fabric you want to face your skin.
When you sew a hem or seam, reverse by five stitches at the beginning and end of each seam or hem, to "lock" the stitches in place and keep them from unraveling.
You can add more pleats by adding more inches to your hip measurement. The first inch is for seam allowance, and the others are for each 1 inch deep pleat. You can also make your pleats shallower instead, and have more of them.
Some find it easier to do pleats in panels. You can divide the hip plus 11 measurement into smaller panels if that helps with the pleating and ironing. Be sure to add extra fabric for the additional seam allowance
Take safety precautions using your sewing machine, including using a finger guard should your machine come with one.
Follow all manufacturers instructions on you iron, to prevent scorching the fabric and burning yourself.
References
- Photo Credit Marc Debnam/Digital Vision/Getty Images
