How to Make a Jersey Wrap-Around Skirt

Jersey fabric is stretchy.

Jersey cloth is stretchy and allows for movement in those places on the body where you would rather have a bit more room. It takes some practice getting used to making clothes with jersey; you must be careful when cutting folded jersey because the top and bottom pieces need to be the same, and you need to sew by slightly stretching the fabric but not too much to avoid puckering at the seams. Jersey is an ideal fabric choice for a wrap skirt, which wraps around your legs and is secured with a tie at the waist.

Things You'll Need

• Butcher's paper
• Tape measure
• Straight edge
• Pencil
• Jersey fabric
• Sewing machine
• Pins
• Ribbon
• Scissors

Instructions

1. Wrap a piece of butcher's paper around your waist and legs; hold the edge of the paper by your right hip, and the paper should wrap around in front of you and over your right hip to your left hip. Make a mark on the paper at your left hip. Measure from the end of the paper to the mark you made. Draw a 30-inch line going down a piece of butcher's paper; adjust the length of the line if you want a longer or shorter skirt. On the top of the line, draw an intersecting line that is one-third of the measurement you made from the paper; label as waistline. On the other end of the line, draw an intersecting line that is one-third of the measurement from the paper plus 4 inches; label as hemline. Draw another line from the end of the waistline to hemline; this line will be tapered and you will have drawn a trapezoid shape on your paper.

2. Cut out your pattern piece along the lines you drew. Place the pattern piece on a piece of fabric and pin in place. Cut out the pattern in your fabric three times.

3. Sew two pieces together along the side seams, the long vertical edges. Sew the third piece to the other two at the side seam. Put right sides together to sew them.

4. Finish the top of your skirt with a serger or zigzag seam. Fold over towards the inside, the wrong side of the fabric, about 1 inch. Stitch in place, creating a casing for ribbon.

5. Make a button hole on the right side panel close to the side seam. This hole will be for your ribbon to pass through.

6. Hem the skirt by finishing with a serger or zigzag seam. Turn the edge up towards the wrong side of the fabric and stitch.

7. Thread ribbon through the waistband casing. Bring the left side of the tie through the button hole, wrap the skirt around your waist and secure by tying a bow in the ribbon.

References

• Big Red Couch; Wrap Skirt; March 2007
• Make Baby Stuff: Maternity Wrap Skirt Pattern
• Burda Style: Wrap Skirt