How to Make a Homemade Poodle Skirt Costume

Whether you're making a poodle skirt for Halloween, a costume party, or because your daughter just wants to dress up for a day, it's easy to make one from home. While creating a skirt from scratch may sound like a lot of work, poodle skirts are easy to make with little time and few materials. You don't even have to know how to sew. Once you get started, you could be wearing your new skirt just a few hours later.

Things You'll Need

• Large square piece of felt fabric
• Elastic band
• Fabric glue or Velcro
• Iron-on transfer
• Pom-pom puffs (optional)
• Sewing tools (optional)
• Scissors
• Measuring tape
• Black marker
• Stapler

Instructions

1. Measure the waist of the person who will be wearing the skirt, as well as the length you'll need (from the waist to mid-calf or right below the knee). Add three inches to the length.

2. Lay the square piece of felt on a flat surface. Measure a circle with the radius of the length you got in Step 1. Use a black marker to mark your circle, which should almost be the entire size of the felt, with only a small edge and corners left. Cut out the circle.

3. Measure a smaller circle, using the width that you got in Step 1 as the circumference. Use a black marker to mark your circle and cut the circle out. Check to ensure your felt fabric now looks donut-shaped, as it should.

4. Fold the small circle's edge over and insert the elastic band under the flap. Glue the two ends of the elastic together so the circle is not broken. Staple the ends together for reinforcement when the glue has dried. Seal the flap with fabric glue so that the elastic is inside of the loop at the top of the skirt. Wait until the glue has dried to proceed.

5. Iron the iron-on graphics to the skirt by following the manufacturer's directions. Place the iron-ons close to the bottom of the skirt, rather than the middle. Sew additional items to the skirt, such as pom-pom puffs or ribbons, if you'd like to have more decoration.

Tips & Warnings

• Purchase a square-shaped piece of felt that measures the length of the skirt you want to make, plus two inches. For example, if the length from the person's waist to mid-calf is 30 inches, the square piece of felt fabric should be 32 by 32 inches.

• Purchase a strand of elastic band that is a few inches longer than the waist of the person you measured.

• Also purchase iron-on transfers representative of the 1950s, such as an iron-on poodle or a record with musical notes symbolizing rock and roll. Find iron-ons at your local fabric or arts and crafts store.

References

• Madame X Costumes: Poodle Skirt Tips
• Factoidz: DIY Poodle Skirts: How to Make a Homemade Poodle Skirt