Cutting out
Step 1
Referring to the size chart above, cut the waistband, skirt front, and skirt back pieces from your fabric. Sizes 10 and up may require wider width fabrics or extra fabric to fit the needed width of the skirt. Calculate the fabric required from the table before you buy it.
Step 2
Cut out the waistband lining from iron-on interfacing.
Joining the back to the sides
Step 1
Fold the skirt back in half lengthwise with wrong sides (WS) together and press. Open up the piece and cut carefully up the pressed seam to make two halves.
Step 2
Match the skirt back pieces to the corresponding sides of the skirt front with right sides (RS) facing and pin together.
Step 3
Stitch together down both seams.
Making the pleats
Step 1
The joined skirt front and back needs to be pleated so that it is the same measurement as the length of the waistband. Inverted box pleats work well here and are made by having two pleats facing each other.
Step 2
Each pleat will need twice the fabric width of the finished pleat so you’ll need to do some calculations to work out the width of each pleat and how many to add. We have inserted six pleats on our skirt.
Step 3
Each pleat has two outer fold lines, two inner fold lines and a placement line, all spaced evenly apart across the skirt. Mark these lines in pencil onto the WS of your fabric.
Step 4
Fold the fabric RS together along the placement line, matching inner fold lines and outer fold lines.
Step 5
Tack the outer fold lines together then press the pleat flat so they match up with the placement line and the inner fold lines become the outer edges of the pleat.
Step 6
Carefully tack the pleats in place using the longest stitch setting on your machine.
Attaching the waistband
Step 1
Centre the iron-on interfacing on the WS of the skirt waistband fabric and press.
Step 2
Place the waistband and pleated skirt top RS facing, matching raw edges, and stitch together all the way around.
Step 3
Press the waistband piece upwards.
Step 4
Topstitch the seam allowance of the waistband in place just 2mm ( 1⁄16in) up from the seam. This give the waistband a neat edge.
Stitching the back seam
Step 1
Place the skirt open and flat RS down then measure 7.5cm (3in) down from the top edge and mark this point.
Step 2
Measure 20cm (8in) down from the marked point on the waistband and mark. These points mark the start and finish of the zip.
Step 3
Fold the skirt piece RS together so the raw edges of the two back pieces meet.
Step 4
Beginning at the top mark and using a 1.5cm (5⁄8in) seam allowance, machine tack by stitching together with the longest stitch length on your machine down to the lower marking.
Step 5
Without stopping, shorten your stitch length, reverse stitch to secure, and continue the stitching all the way down to the bottom.
Inserting the zip
Step 1
Press the skirt back seam open. Working on the inside of the skirt, centre the zip, RS down over the machine-tacked section of the seam. Line up the top of the zip slider with the top of the tacking.
Step 2
Stitch around the zip from one top edge to the other. Turn the skirt RS out then remove the tacking stitches.
Finishing the waistband
Step 1
Measure and press the top edge of the waistband under by 5mm (¼n) to the WS.
Step 2
Press the waistband in half WS together to cover the raw edges of the seam. Press into place.
Step 3
Pin the bottom edge into place then topstitch 2mm ( 1⁄16in) from the top edge.
Step 4
Slip stitch the sides and lower edge of the inside of the waistband to secure.
Hemming the skirt
Step 1
Turn the the bottom edge of the skirt under by 1cm (3⁄8in) to the WS, then turn it under again by 3cm (1¼in) to the WS and press to create the bottom hem.
Step 2
Stitch in place to finish.
