How to Make a Gothic Skirt

Gothic skirts are great for any costume party, or just to attract extra attention. Turn yourself into someone ominous and feminine all at once with this easy-to-make gothic skirt. If you're just not talented at sewing, try a poofy net gothic skirt, which can be made without a sewing machine.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

• 10 to 13 yards of black tulle
• Hem tape that is 2 inches longer than your waist measurement
• Package blanket binding, 2 inches longer than the hem tape
• Needle and black thread
• Straight pins
• 2 hooks and matching eyes
• Iron

Prepare

1. Measure the amount of tulle you will need. For an accurate formula, double your waist size, then divide that number by 13. This figure represents the number of yards of fabric you will need per layer.
2. Measure enough hem tape to be 2 inches longer than your waist measurement. You will be pinning your tulle to this hem tape.
3. Decide how wide you want your pleats to be, which are the folds you will create in your skirt. Pleats allow for more fullness and can be flattering to your figure. A good rule of thumb is to have pleats that are 1 to 1.5 inches wide.
4. Pin the top edge of the tulle to the hem tape. Fold in the pleats in even intervals as you're pinning the tulle. When you have pinned the first layer, trim off the excess fabric.

Sew

5. Stitch the first layer of tulle to the hem tape using small, even stitches with your needle and thread. This technique will make your pleats relatively flat. Use this technique for your additional layers.
6. Fold the blanket binding about 1/2 inch on one side and use an iron to press. This binding will be your waistband.
7. Fold the blanket binding with the wrong sides facing each other and use the iron to create a crease. Stitch both edges to hold them in place.
8. Insert the top edge of your skirt into the blanket binding and sew the binding together on both sides to enclose the skirt.
9. Close the skirt by sewing the edges of the tulle together. Be sure to sew with the wrong sides facing out.
10. Turn your skirt right side out. Sew 2 hooks on one end of your waistband and the matching eyes on the other end.

Tips & Warnings

• Some of the best colors for gothic skirts are forest green, red, black and purple.
• For an edgier look, tatter or add small tears to the hem of your skirt. Just make sure you aren't too neat or even with your tears.
• Try sewing some tiers of tulle under your skirt to make it fuller. You can even gather up the skirt to expose some of the tulle for a sexy, disheveled look.
• If you end up with very wide tulle, you can fold it in half before sewing it to have two layers.
• Gothic skirts come in a variety of styles and fabrics. In addition to the tulle skirt, see other styles at The Velvet Garden (see Resources below).
• If you make a shirt with heavy, stretchy fabric, you may have to re-hem your skirt after a few months to bring it back to its original length.