Super cutie ruffle skirt mini-tutorial

Super cutie ruffle skirt mini-tutorial

• 10.27.2011

I'm really excited about another project and tutorial featuring the awesome Ruffle Fabric, an online store devoted entirely to pre-ruffled, easy and fun to use fabrics in a rainbow of colors!

You may remember Ruffle Fabric from when I made this darling little dress for our flower girl with a ruffle fabric skirt, and made this ModCloth-inspired asymmetrical hem party dress that I wore to my bachelorette party!  Tutorials for both.

So I was so excited when Ruffle Fabric asked me to make another multi-directionally-draped skirt for them to bring to a trade show this weekend!  Of course I obliged. =)  I picked out this lovely dark grey 2" ruffle fabric.

In fact, here are some skirts, also from ModCloth, to give you an idea of the basic look.  I just grabbed these now as I write this, though... the inspiration for the skirt I made was really the asymmetrical hem dress I made in pale pink!

Anyway.  Super cute for a party, right??

When making my own... I only needed 1 1/4 yards of ruffle fabric for this 19.5" long mini-ruffle skirt.  It was so fast and easy to make, and the multi-directional drape makes it so exciting and fun!  I can't wait to pair it with tights and fun shoes for a fall or winter look, or wear it with a tank in the summer.  Ideas?

I was so excited about the project I planned it ahead of time... I sketched this out while taking a break at work!

Here's the basic tutorial!  No photos, but check out my little drawings above... or, for photos, checkout the tutorial for a sort of similar asymmetrical ruffle skirt on my bachelorette party dress tutorial.  Oh--also--I used a ballpoint needle for the whole project, since the fabric and elastic are knits.

• Start by cutting your fabric at the desired length.  I cut it at 20" to make a 19.5" long skirt.  Starting from the selvedge, cut 20" carefully.
• Cut another panel of 20" (aka, you'd need 40" of fabric, which is a little over a yard).
• Cut along the center fold of the fabric to make four panels--mine was 45" wide, so I ended up with four panels 20" by 22.5"
• You'll need three of those panels, right, back, and left.
• At an angle, cut off a wedge on opposite corners of the left and right pieces.  Make sure you make them opposites!!  I used a straight cutting edge and a rotary cutter to cut these.
• Round the corners a little so you can blend the angled side and top side when you put them in the waistband.
• Gather the shortest sides of your side pieces.
• With another seam, gather the angled side so you can manipulate the fabric to turn it into a straight-across top side.
• Pin your left and right pieces together!  Line up the short sides and angled side... see the picture.  Women's clothing generally crosses right over left, but put whichever piece you want in front.
• Pin super well, or baste the left and right side/front pieces together if that's more your style.  I'm a pinner rather than a baster, though, so I just pinned, arranging the gathers nicely.
• Great!  Now, you basically have a double-thick front piece, and your back piece.  Sew them right sides together at the side seams!
• Now it's the same as any elastic-waistband skirt.  Gather the top with one long seam and pull it tight to about your waist measurement.
• Matching center front, sides, and center back, pin carefully to your elastic waistband.**
• **My waistband was made with a piece of elastic 1" bigger than my waist.  Sew it together at the short ends right sides together with a 1/2" seam allowance, and there you go.
• Zigzag the pinned and gathered top to the waistband.  The zigzag allows the elastic to stretch when you put the skirt on!

Voila!  You're done, and wasn't that easy?  It took me less than two hours to make this--I highly recommend whipping them out for Christmas gifts or for wowing people at cocktail parties.  Or for little girls!

Check out Ruffle Fabric for all your ruffle fabric needs... seriously, something for everyone!  And, when my skirt returns from the trade show it's hanging out at in Houston this weekend, I'll share more pics and outfits.  So feel free to share your ideas!