DIY Bubble Skirts

Bubble skirts are a staple item for a female wardrobe. These versatile skirts can be worn alone or with leggings and work as either daytime casual wear or a more glamorous nighttime outfit. You can purchase bubble skirts from most major fashion stores. However, it might be cheaper to make your own at home. You don't need to have an advanced sewing technique, and it's a useful way of recycling old skirts you don't wear anymore or adapting an existing skirt without changing it permanently.

Difficulty:

Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Long skirt
• Needle
• Thread
• 1/8 inch ribbon
• Eyes
• Measuring tape

1. Cut eight 16-inch pieces of ribbon. Put the skirt on and choose the approximate length you want the skirt to be, marking it with pins if necessary.

2. Take the skirt off and pin the bubble in place. You can do this by turning the skirt inside out, fanning it out on a flat surface and folding the hem in towards the waistband, so the outside pattern of the skirt is exposed. Fold the outside inwards until you reach the pins you may have placed earlier.

3. Insert pins at the side seams, front and back of the skirt to hold the new length in place. Find the part of the skirt's hem that is in line with the side seams and sew eyes onto the inside of the hem in this place. Measure equal lengths between each seam and sew two more eyes onto the front center and back center of the skirt on the inside of the hem. Then, add another eye an equal distance between each of the four eyes you have sewn so far, giving you eight eyes on the hem in total.

4. Stitch the center of a ribbon directly onto each of the seams on the inside of the skirt at the level you marked earlier with a pin. Then, move around the skirt, sewing the center of each ribbon at the same level inside. Remember to use the same colored thread as your skirt, so the stitches won't be conspicuous from the outside.

5. Remove the pins from the skirt, so it hangs at full length. Check the ribbons are not visible below the hem and, if they are, trim them so they are hidden under the skirt.

6. Insert one side of a ribbon into the corresponding hem at the bottom of the skirt and tie it to the other side. Repeat this process with the other ribbons, bringing the hem under the skirt and attaching it to the correct ribbons. You will now have your own bubble skirt.

7. Untie the ribbons and let the hem down again to return the skirt to its full length.