How to Hem an Umbrella Skirt

Alter and sew a new ham on your umbrella skirt.

Making an umbrella skirt is a great way to reuse and reconstitute old household items. As you would guess, an umbrella skirt is made from an old, broken umbrella. The fabric sections are cut and removed and situated to form a skirt. Straight and pleated umbrella skirts are made with different strategic placing of each umbrella section. Because most umbrellas are the same size, almost all umbrella skirts will be the same length. Hemming an umbrella skirt will allow you to customize the length and fit.

Things You'll Need

• Seam ripper
• Iron
• Sewing pins
• Fabric measuring tape
• Chalk pencil
• Needle
• Matching thread
• Scissors

Instructions

Hemming a Straight Umbrella Skirt

1. Insert the seam ripper into the hem on the bottom of the skirt. Carefully pull out a few stitches. Work around the bottom of the skirt, removing the entire hem. Be careful not to rip any of the material or leave any holes. Iron the fabric so the hem lays straight.

2. Put on the skirt. Estimate the area where you would like to create the hem. Fold the skirt at the desired hemline and insert a pin to keep the fold. Take the skirt off and turn it inside out. Lay it flat on a work surface.

3. Measure the distance from the bottom of the skirt to fold. Remove the sewing pin. Measure around the skirt at several intervals and mark the measurement with the chalk pencil. For example, if the fold was 3 inches from the bottom of the skirt, measure up and mark 3 inches at several points around the skirt.

4. Fold up the bottom of the skirt at the chalk markings. Pin the fold in place. Iron the fabric, creasing the fold and creating a stiff hemline.

5. Sew around the bottom of the skirt, creating the hemline. Remove all pins as you sew.

Hemming a Pleated Umbrella Skirt

1. Remove the hem on the bottom of the skirt with the seam ripper. Pull out a few stitches at a time. Be careful not to rip any of the material or leave any holes. Iron the fabric so it lays flat.

2. Put on the skirt. Estimate how much of the hemline you would like to remove. Take off the skirt and lay it flat on a work surface, right-side out. Arrange the pleats so they fall in their natural folded position.

3. Measure and draw a chalk line around the bottom of the skirt, marking the desired hemline. Simply draw the line on top of the pleats. This will leave a short area in between each pleat that is not marked.

4. Pull the fabric to extend the pleats, revealing the unmarked material. Connect the drawn line in between the pleats.

5. Iron the bottom of the skirt at and below the new hemline. This will straighten the fabric, removing the pleats at the bottom and ensuring a straight stitch. Do not iron the pleats up the skirt.

6. Fold the skirt at the chalk line and pin into place. Sew along the hemline, removing the pins as you go. Cut away any extra material above the hemline inside the skirt. Turn the skirt right-side out and lay it flat on the work surface.

7. Follow the first pleat from the top of the skirt to the new hemline. Fold the pleat along its natural fold and crease it flat. Iron the pleat along the hemline, making it crisp and straight. Repeat this process for each pleat along the skirt.

References

• Replayground: DIY Umbrella Skirt
• Start Sewing; Hemming a Dress or Skirt; Laura Farrant; August 2010
• Burda Style; Hem Pleats; March 2008