There are two types of people in this world… those who like to wear costumes for races, and those who are WRONG. Ok just kidding…. but we’ve all had at least ONE race in our lives that just SCREAMED for a sparkle skirt, tutu, or something else festive…. right? Well – now you can DIY your way to festive fun with this super simple circle skirt tutorial.
There are a bunch of ways you can spice up this skirt – so we will give you the basics then let you go to town!
Supplies
- Fabric – sparkle fabric and spandex work the best although you can really make this with any fabric. (amount will depend on your numbers below so calculate that first. If you need help just ask the sweet ladies behind the sewing counter at your fabric store.
- 1.5″-2″ elastic for the waistband. You will need enough for your waist measurement plus an inch or two for overlap.
- Straight pins (to hold the fabric and elastic when cutting and sewing)
- Scissors
- Measuring tape or yardstick
- Marker (you can use a fabric marker that will fade away after washing, or any marker will do if you trim the marker part away ;)
- Poster Board or large paper (if you want to make a pattern first instead of marking the fabric directly
- Sewing machine – or string and thread if you are desperate and want to hand sew it ;)
Directions
Note: While you don’t HAVE to make a pattern, I strongly recommend making a pattern out of poster board first… This will make marking the fabric easier AND you can reuse it cutting the time to make skirts almost in half!
Measure your waist where you want the skirt to sit. Take that measurement and divide by 6.28. Write that measurement down.
Example: 30″ waist measurement / 6.28 = 4.77″
Measure how long you want the skirt from the point of your waist where the skirt will sit to the bottom of wear you want the skirt to fall. Remember that booty-licious mamas may need extra length because bubble butts will make the skirt seem shorter. When it doubt measure from the back side or measure one of your existing skirts. Write this measurement down and add the measurement from above.
Example: 14″ skirt length + 4.77″ = 18.77″ (you can round up or down to make it easier if you want. I went with 18.75″ just because it was easier to mark)
From the corner of the poster board, measure the measurement you got from your waist/6.28. Mark this then move the ruler, measuring from the corner, mark again, repeating over and over until you have a semi circle of marks. Connect the dots. you should have a semicircle. If one or two of the marks look off, just remeasure.
Again starting from the CORNER of the poster board (not from the line you just made – this is why we added the waist/6.28 measurement) start marking your length in the same way you did your waist always starting from the corner of the poster board. You should have another semicircle of dots. The more you make the easier it is to connect.
Cut out your new pattern :) It should look like this:
Fold your fabric in half and then in half again. Make sure you have the wrong side facing out so when you trace your pattern it is on the back side of the fabric. Place your pattern on the FOLDED edges. Trace the top and bottom – you don’t need to worry about the sides. It should look like this:
Cut along the two curved lines – DO NOT cut the sides. You should now have a big donut looking piece of fabric :) Save the tiny inner circle part and you can make a skirt for a doll! My daughter had a fit when she saw I made her barbie one!
Cut the elastic to your waist measurement plus an inch or two for overlap. I like to stretch out the elastic first because it will stretch and you don’t want your skirt to fall off ;) Start with an inch of overlap and pin the fabric to the overlap half way down the elastic. Find the opposite side of the skirt and opposite side of the elastic and pin that, then pin either side between it. this will ensure even distribution of fabric to skirt. You can place pins in between those if you wish.
Work from the BACK side. The wrong side of the fabric should be on top of the elastic. Start by sewing back and forth on the overlap to ensure it stays put. Then carefully stretching the elastic from the front AND back (never pull only in one direction – you will wreck your machine and needle! I was taking photos myself so I couldn’t show pulling from the back also ;) ) start sewing the fabric to the elastic. You will notice as you pull the elastic from front and back the fabric will start laying flat. When you let go it will bunch up. This will give the ruffled/gathered look at the waist to make it all flowy and what not.
When you get back to the overlap make sure you enforce the seam there. Flip it right side out and you have yourself a little sparkle skirt!!! If you want to get fancy you can hem the bottom although this type of fabric as well as spandex is pretty good about not fraying. You can also layer this on top of a tutu for added fullness or sew a few circle skirts in varying lengths together to make a layered look! Have fun and be creative with it!