How to Make a Long Skirt That Hangs on Your Hips

Hand-dyed crinkle-pleat fabric is a good choice for a floaty skirt.

Enhance your shape with a skirt that does not add any extra fabric around your waist. Sew a long skirt with a slim, flowing silhouette that suits many different styles of tops. Crinkle-pleated cotton is an excellent choice for this garment. The vertical pleats emphasize the long lines of the skirt and the fabric has just enough weight to enhance the skirt's drape. Make your skirt in any length from mid-calf to floor-length.

Things You'll Need

• Tape measure
• Fabric
• Scissors
• Sewing machine with buttonhole attachment
• Pin
• Ironing board
• Iron
• 1/4-inch-wide satin ribbon

Instructions

1. Tie a string around your hips at the height you want the top of the skirt to be. Measure from the string to the desired hemline. Measure around your hips at the level of the string.

2. Multiply the hip measurement by 1.5 and add 1 1/4 inch to the length of the skirt. Cut a rectangle of fabric with these measurements. If you are using pleated fabric, be sure the pleats are running along the length measurement and do not stretch the pleats out of the fabric when you cut.

3. Set the sewing machine to sew a medium-width zigzag stitch with a medium stitch length. Stitch a zigzag stitch along all the edges of the fabric. Gently stretch the fabric at the top and bottom to flatten the pleats as you sew. This will finish the hem and strengthen the seams.

4. Divide the length of the top of the fabric by 4, and place a pin this distance along the top edge from the right side. This is the center front of the skirt.

5. Make two 1/4-inch-long vertical buttonholes placed so that the tops of the buttonholes are 1 1/2 inch below the top edge of the fabric. Place one each side of the pin so they are half inch apart.

6. Fold the fabric in half by bringing the side edges together. Sew a straight seam one-half inch from the edges to hold the sides together. This seam will run down one side of the skirt.

7. Make a 1 1/4-inch fold at the top of the skirt. Fold the fabric toward the side of the fabric with the seam so the raw edge of the casing is on the inside of the casing. Set the machine to sew a straight stitch with a standard stitch length. Sew three-quarters of an inch from the fold to hold the casing in place. Turn the skirt right-side out.

8. Add 18 inches to the hip measurement and cut a piece of 1/4-inch-wide satin ribbon that length. Fasten a small safety pin on the end of the ribbon, and use the pin to thread the ribbon into one buttonhole, through the casing around the top of the skirt and out the other buttonhole. Cut the ends of the ribbon at a 45-degree angle to prevent fraying. Tie the ribbons in a bow.

Tips & Warnings

• Knot the ribbons one inch from the ends to keep the ribbon from pulling out of the casing.