Friday, November 13, 2009

The Girly Twirly Skirt Tutorial

I finally got the guts to post my first tutorial.
The skirt that I made is for size 3T. If you need any measurements for other sizes you can email me, along with any questions and I will try to help you out as much as I can. I apologize ahead of time for the long tutorial. I am visual type of girl and hope you are too! Good luck.



1. Choose your fabric. I chose two heavy cotton fabrics that compliment each other.



2. For the main part of the skirt cut 2 on fold.  21 1/4" wide x 9" high.



3. For the drop waistband cut 1 on fold.  12 1/2" wide x 5 1/2" high.



4. For the hem band cut 2 on fold.  21 1/4" wide x 6" high.



5. With right sides together, sew both sides of your drop waist band together at the edges. Then finish raw edges. I used pinking shears. You can use zigzag stitch or a serger.



6. With right sides together sew both strips of the main skirt together at the edges. Finish raw edge.



7. With right sides together sew both strips of the hem band together at the edges. Finish raw edge.



8. Fold the strip in half all the way around and press it down with an iron to make a firm crease. You should have a large circle when done. (see next photo)



9. It should look like this.



10. This is what all pieces should look like at this point. You should have 3 all together.



11. With right sides together take the hem band and line up the side seams with the side seams of the main skirt and pin all around.



12. Sew the hem band and main skirt together and finish raw edges.



13. Turn the skirt over and press the seam with an iron.



14. Gather the top of main skirt with a gathering or basting stitch. I set my basting stitch on 1. When you start your basting stitch I do a couple of back stitches to secure the thread so it doesn't pull out when you gather it and do not back stitch when your done. Make sure you have enough thread to pull on to gather the fabric. ( I think this is the hardest part)



15. Your gathered skirt should look like this.



16. With the right sides together pin the gathered part of the main skirt to the drop waist band. Make sure the seam of the waist bad in centered in the back with the 2 side seams are even on each side of the main skirt.



17. Sew the pieces together with the gathered side up. Finish raw edges.



18. This is what it should look like at this point.




19. Fold the top of the waist band over about an inch.



20. Pin all the way around the band leaving an opening for the elastic.



21. Sew all the way around the band making sure you leave the opening for the elastic.



22. I sew again around so I have two rows of stitching. I do that so it stays secure.



23. You may want to measure the waist of the child and cut the elastic an inch smaller than their waist. For the size 3t that I am making, the average waist measures about 19-20 inches.
24. Insert a large safety pin into one end of the elastic.



25. Thread the elastic with the safety pin through the opening of the waist band.



26. When it is threaded through, pull both sides of the elastic out of each end of the waistband and overlap each other and lay flat then sew the two together.



27. Push the elastic into the waistband casing, even it out and sew the opening closed.



28. I like to sew a vertical stitch on the center back seam to secure the elastic in place so it doesn't move around and twist.




ALL DONE !!!!
Congratulations. Sorry about the long long tutorial.

32 comments:

  1. Awesome! You do such a great job! ......c.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Oh my gosh!! You are GOOD!!!!!!! That skirt is absolutely adorable!!! I LOOOOOOOOOOVE the tutorial and Willow is going to love her skirt from Ms. Kara!!! Mam oh man girl, you gots SKILLS!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Christmas gifts for my girls minus Taylor :) Great job so easy to follow and I don't even have to leave the house! I have everything I need in my stash :0

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thank you for such a great tutorial!
    I sewed up a skirt for my boyfriend's niece and it turned our absolutely lovely!
    Thank you and Happy New Year!

    ReplyDelete
  5. I found out your blog through Ayumills. It's a great tutorial! I don't mind with long tutorial as long as it can helps beginner like me to create the same skirt like yours too. Great job! Two thumbs up!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Saw this mentioned on Pink Penguin blog. Do you have suggested measurements for 1T and 4T? Thanks! Great tutorial.

    ReplyDelete
  7. great tut!!!
    what do u think the dize will be for a 7Y?
    thanx!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Marsha, Thanks for stopping by my blog. Here are the measurements for the skirt tut you are looking for.
    4t: Drop waistband: cut 1 on fold, 13" wide x 51/2" high Main skirt: cut 2 on fold, 21 1/2" wide x 9 1/2" high Hem Band: 21 1/2" wide x 6" high.
    Please let me know about (1t) do you want measurements for a 12 month old or 24 months. I actually have never heard of a 1t.

    ReplyDelete
  9. HI. The measurements for a size 7:
    Drop waistband: (cut 1 on fold) 14" wide x 6"high
    Main Skirt: (cut 2 on fold) 22 1/4" wide x 11" high
    Hem Band: (cut 2 on fold) 22 1/4" wide x 6" high
    Hope this helps.
    Thanks for stopping by my blog!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Love this skirt...would love to make it for my girls for Easter!! What would the measurements be for a size 6 and a size 8? Thanks so much for the tutorial....love your blog!!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Hi Crystal. Thanks for stopping by my blog
    Here are the sizes.
    6 years: Drop waist band: (cut 1 on fold) 14"wide x 6" high
    Main skirt: (cut 2 on fold) 22"wide x 10 1/2 " high
    Hem Band: (cut 2 on fold) 22" wide x 6" high

    8 years: Drop waist band: (cut 1 on fold) 14 1/2 " wide x 6 1/2 " high
    Main skirt (cut 2 on fold) 22 1/2" wide x 11 1/2" high
    Hem Band: (cut 2 on fold) 22 1/2 " wide x 6 1/2 " high

    Good luck.
    I would love to see pictures when you are done! ~Kara

    ReplyDelete
  12. How wide is the elastic you use? Love the skirts--I make them for my granddaughters.

    ReplyDelete
  13. This is adorable!

    I need 24 months size. Can you help?

    ReplyDelete
  14. I'm new at sewing so please explain this for me: I cut the waistband for 3T at 13" but it won't fit around her waist. Did I miss something? The fabric store clerk said most size 3T waists are about 20" so she was confused too. Also, what do you mean by "cut on fold"? I want to try again and get it right this time, so please help me :) Thanks.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Oh man, So sorry that happened to you. Yes, a girls waist should measure about 20 inches.
    I'm pretty sure I know what you did wrong....
    Cut on fold means, you have to fold the fabric in half then measure it 13 inches then cut. so, when you unfold the fabric it should measure 26 inches.
    Does that help? Please email me with any other questions.

    ReplyDelete
  16. I used about and inch wide elastic. It's your preference.

    ReplyDelete
  17. I have a question. I have never sewn before and wanting to make a skirt. I am wondering why one would choose to do the drop waste as opposed to making the wasteband the same length as the top of skirt and then gathering with the elastic. Is it so there is less bunching at the waste?

    ReplyDelete
  18. Kyra, It's just a personal preference, and style.

    ReplyDelete
  19. I'm very new at sewing but I am going to be posting the skirt I'm working on for a friend. You can come check it out and hopefully give me some tips...lol...i think i made the waist band too big lol...it could almost be a dress right now =D But I'm workin' on it =D

    ReplyDelete
  20. this project is so beautiful that i'd like to invite you to add a link to it from our blog in our brandnew, weekly DIY & craft tutorial linky party:

    http://www.finecraftguild.com/yarn-free-pillow-free-crochet-pattern/

    many more people will love it! so well done.

    ReplyDelete
  21. ooops, gave you the wrong link. it is:

    http://www.finecraftguild.com/diy-linky-party-free-pillow-crochet-pattern/

    ReplyDelete
  22. Wonderful tutorial! I've made three skirts in two days! My daughter and my nieces are gonna love wearing these this Summer! Thank you so very much for taking the time to create this tutorial. I applaud you!

    ReplyDelete
  23. I want to make a size 24 month for my neice, could you give the measurements? I've made a couple for my 3 year old and one for my 8 year old neice, they came out great and the girls LOVE them. Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  24. Can you give measurements for a size 6x?

    ReplyDelete
  25. For size 18-24 months
    Drop waistband cut 1 on fold 11 3/4 wide x 5 1/2 high
    Main Skirt cut 2 on fold 20 1/2 wide x 8 high
    Hem Band cut 2 on fold 20 1/2 wide x 4 high

    ReplyDelete
  26. Tanklm, can you please more specific for 6x would I can only give measurements up to 7 years.

    ReplyDelete
  27. 6x is for my 5 year old. She's about 40 pounds and about 41" tall.

    ReplyDelete
  28. Tanklm,
    For your daughter I would use these measurements.
    Drop waistband cut 1 on fold 13 1/2 wide x 5 1/2 high
    Main Skirt cut 2 on fold 21 3/4 wide x 10 high
    Hem Band cut 2 on fold 21 3/4 wide x 6 high

    Have fun! Send pics!!

    ReplyDelete
  29. I just linked here from Pink Penguin - I love your tutorial. I think this skirt will be a great Christmas gift for my 2 girls. Thanks for taking the time to make such a detailed tute :)
    nannergirl@hotmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  30. This was exactly what I was looking for in a twirly skirt. I'm a bit of a beginner but your instructions were perfect! I'm thrilled with the outcome. Thanks.
    I mentioned your post in my little blog. http://crafty-laura.blogspot.com/2011/01/my-ovaries-are-aching-just-bit.html

    ReplyDelete