How to Sew a Gathered Skirt

A gathered skirt with an elastic waistband is one of the simplest garments to sew. Any fabric can be used and the length and amount of gather is easily customized. This skirt can be sewn in a few hours or less, and only requires simple measurements, some fabric and wide elastic.

Things You'll Need

• Fabric of your choice
• 2 inch wide elastic
• Sewing machine
• Thread
• Scissors
• Pins
• Tape measure

Instructions

Making a Gathered Skirt

1. First take some measurements: measure around the waist where you want the skirt to sit; then measure the length from the waist to where you want the hem of the skirt to be. Take your waist measurement and double it. This is the width of fabric you will need to cut. Add 7 inches to the desired length measurement to include allowance for the waistband and the hem. This is the length of fabric you will need to cut.

2. Once you have cut your fabric, fold the piece in half width-ways with the wrong sides together. Pin and sew a 1/4 inch seam along the edges, flip this tube inside out and press the seam you just made. Sew another seam containing this first one along the edge, leaving a 1/2 inch seam allowance. This method contains the raw edges and gives a nicer appearance to the inside of the skirt. Press the seam.

3. With the tube still inside out, fold and press the top 5 inches of the piece towards the wrong side for the waistband casing. Fold, press and pin the raw fabric edge inside the casing by 1/2 inch. Stitch along the top folded edge of the skirt as close to the edge as you can, all the way around the waistband.

4. Take the elastic and measure it around the waist by stretching it a little so that it is still comfortable around the waist, mark the length with a pin or pencil, and cut the elastic. Sew the ends of the elastic together by overlapping them and sewing with several rows of zig-zag stitches.

5. Without stretching the elastic, place a section of it underneath the fold of the waistband, starting at the back seam of the skirt. Sew along the bottom fold of the waistband, encasing the elastic inside the fold without stitching the elastic. As you sew, you will need to adjust the fabric by gathering it up as the elastic is shorter than the perimeter of the skirt, but keep the section you are sewing smooth and flat until you have sewn around the entire waistband.

6. Distribute the fabric gathers evenly around the waist, then sew a line of stitches at the back seam through the elastic and fabric layers of the waistband to secure it in place.

7. Fold and press the bottom edge of the fabric towards the wrong side by 1 inch, then fold it over by another inch. Pin and sew along the top fold to hem the skirt, trim threads and turn the skirt the right way out.

Tips & Warnings

• If you cut the fabric a little longer you can decide the length after trying the skirt on and hemming it to the desired length. Almost any kind of fabric can be used, stretchy and non-stretch alike, to create different looking skirts. The waistband can be made wider or narrower by using different widths of elastic, but bear in mind that wider elastic creates a generally more flattering waistband.