How to Make Pettiskirts
Most little girls love to dress up and play pretend. Pettiskirts are perfect for playing princess, ballerina or nearly any imaginative game your little girl can come up with. A pettiskirt is similar to a tutu but it is gathered and has ruffles. It involves more sewing than a tutu but the end result is a full, fluffy skirt that is perfect for twirling in. In addition to being great for dress-up games, a pettiskirt paired with a t-shirt and leggings would be a wonderful outfit for a birthday party or a photo shoot.
Things You'll Need
- 60 yards of 2-inch nylon chiffon
- 30 yards of 5-inch nylon chiffon
- Scissors
- Yardstick or measuring tape
- Sewing machine
- Ruffler foot for the sewing machine
- 1/4 inch foot for the sewing machine
- 1/4 yard of satin
- Fusible interfacing
- Iron
- Roll of 7/8-inch elastic
- Ribbon
- Clear nail polish
Instructions
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1
Cut the 5-inch roll of nylon chiffon into two 5-yard strips and two 10-yard strips. Cut the 2-inch roll into two 30-yard strips.
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2
Stitch down the center of each of the 2-inch wide strips with the ruffler foot on the sewing machine. This will turn the entire strip into a ruffle. Do not back stitch on either end and leave 6 inches of extra thread on both ends when you cut the thread. This ensures that you will be able to adjust the ruffle to match the other strips.
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3
Lay the ruffles next to both of the 10-yard strips of 5-inch chiffon. Adjust the ruffles by pulling on the thread to make the ruffles the same length as the strips.
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4
Sew the two ends of one of the 10-yard strips together with the 1/4-inch sewing machine foot, creating a circle. Turn the circle right-side out so that the seam is on the inside. Pin one of the ruffles to the bottom edge of the circle. Sew down the center of the ruffle all the way around the circle. When you reach the point where the two ends of the ruffle meet, overlap them and backstitch several times.
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5
Sew a basting stitch around the top of the 10-yard strip, leaving a 1/4 inch seam allowance. Leave 12-inch long tails when you cut the threads so that you can gather the fabric.
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6
Sew the ends of one of the 5-yard strips of 5-inch chiffon together, creating a large circle.
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7
Place the 5-yard strip and the top of the 10-yard ruffled strip together (right sides together) and adjust the gathering on the ruffled strip so that they are the same length. Pin together.
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8
Sew the two layers together, using a 1/4-inch seam allowance.
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9
Repeat Steps 4 through 8 with the other ruffle and strips.
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10
Cut a piece of satin that is 8-inches-by-40-inches.
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11
Cut two pieces of fusible interfacing that are 1/2 inch by 40 inches. Iron them onto the wrong side of the satin piece, along the 40-inch edges.
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12
Fold the satin piece in half with the right side facing each other so that the 8-inch sides are together.
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13
Measure 4 inches on the 8-inch side of the fabric and place a pin at that point. Measure another inch from the first pin and place another pin. Sew the 8-inch sides together, leaving a gap between the pins. Sew another seam just above the first seam using a zig-zag stitch, still leaving a gap between the pins.
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14
Fold the satin in half width-wise. The finished edge should be at the top and the raw edge should be at the bottom. Make sure that your gap in the seam is on the outside of the fabric. Iron the fold to keep it in place. This will be waistband and has two layers.
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15
Measure 1 inch from the top fold all the way around the fabric. Mark it with chalk or pins. Sew all the way around the fabric on your markings. This makes a casing for the elastic.
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16
Measure the waist of the girl the pettiskirt is being made for. Cut a piece of elastic that is 6 inches shorter than the measurement.
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17
Cut two pieces of ribbon that are 18 inches each. Seal the ends by putting a small amount of clear nail polish on them.
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18
Sew one end of one piece of ribbon to one end of the elastic. Sew the other ribbon to the other end of the elastic.
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19
Put a safety pin on the end of one of the ribbons and thread it through the casing in the satin. When you finish, all the elastic will be in the casing and the ribbons will be outside of the casing. Tie the ribbons in a bow.
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20
Sew a basting stitch around the top edge of one of the ruffled layers. Leave tails of thread to adjust the gathering.
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21
Pin the ruffled piece to the bottom of the outside layer of the satin piece, with right sides together. Use the tails of thread to adjust the gathering so that it's even with the satin piece all the way around. Sew the two pieces together all the way around, using a 1/4-inch seam allowance.
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22
Repeat Step 20 with the other ruffled piece.
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23
Turn the skirt inside out so that the inner layer of the waistband is on the outside.
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24
Pin the right side of the satin layer to the wrong side of the ruffled layer all the way around the skirt. Stitch in place with a 1/4-inch seam allowance.
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25
Sew a top stitch along the bottom of each satin layer, folding the raw edges upwards as you sew.
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1
Tips & Warnings
The two sizes of nylon chiffon should be different, but coordinating colors. The satin and ribbon should also coordinate with the chiffon.
The measurements in this article make a 3T to 4T size pettiskirt.
Exercise caution when using a sewing machine, needles and pins.
Keep the needles and pins in a safe place out of the reach of children.
Check to be sure your removed all the pins from the pettiskirt before trying it on your little girl.
References
- Photo Credit Pixland/Pixland/Getty Images
