How to Sew a Chiffon Skirt
A lightweight chiffon skirt is a delight to wear in warmer weather. A simple chiffon skirt is also a delight to sew. All you need is about a yard of chiffon, a yard of woven cotton or lining fabric and some elastic. Chiffon fabric can be a little tricky to work with at first, but you will soon get the hang of working with the slippery fabric. Here's how to make your own simple chiffon skirt.
Things You'll Need
- 1 yard of 45-inch-wide midweight cotton or polyester lining fabric
- Scissors
- 1 yard of 45-inch-wide chiffon
- 1/2-inch to 1-inch-wide elastic
- Sewing machine
- Thread
- Serger (optional)
- Iron
- Safety pin
Instructions
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Measure and Cut Your Materials
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1
Fold the lining fabric in half so that the selvage edges meet. Cut the fabric on the fold.
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2
Fold the chiffon fabric in half so that the selvage edges meet. Cut the chiffon on the fold. You will end up with two pieces of fabric that are 45 inches wide by 18 inches long.
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3
Determine how much elastic you will need by wrapping it around the part of your waist where you want the skirt to sit. Cut the elastic about 3 inches shorter than the circumference of your waist so that it will stretch to fit when your skirt is finished.
Make Your Skirt
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4
With right sides together, sew the lining pieces together along one of the shorter edges, leaving a 1/2-inch seam allowance. If you have a serger, serge the edge to finish it. If you do not, sew a zigzag stitch along the edge.
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5
If you do not have a serger, you will want to use a French seam to sew the chiffon pieces together. Place the wrong sides together and sew along a short edge, using a 1/4-inch seam allowance. Press the seam, then trim it. Press the seam again so that it is turned down. Now turn the fabric so that the right sides are together and press your seam one more time. Sew the seam once again, so that the raw edges are trapped inside.
If you do have a serger, you can simply sew a regular seam and serge the edge.
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6
Line up the two lengths of fabric. Make sure the two seams you just stitched are aligned. You will want the right side of the chiffon fabric to be against the wrong side of the lining fabric. Sew the two pieces together along the top edge, using a 1/4-inch seam allowance. Press the seam open, then turn the fabric so that the wrong side of the chiffon is against the right side of the lining.
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7
Sew a casing for the elastic along the top of the fabrics. The width of the casing depends on the width of your elastic. If you are using 1-inch-wide elastic, make the casing about 1 1/8 inch wide.
Thread the elastic through the casing, using the safety pin to guide it through. When the end of the elastic comes to the end of the fabric where you started threading, secure it using another safety pin or straight pin. When you've threaded the elastic all the way through, secure the other end using a pin.
Sew both ends of the casing so that the elastic stays in place.
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8
Fold your skirt in half, right side out. Sew along the open edge, leaving a 1/4-inch seam allowance. Press this seam and trim it, then press it down.
Turn the skirt wrong side out. Sew the seam again, using a 1/2-inch seam allowance.
Hem your skirt to the desired length.
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