Cute Skirts!
Annie's AGD Jessica, my new model.
On the left, basic skirt. On the right, Ruffled Skirt.
The Ruffled Skirt is somewhat wider than the basic Granny-type skirt.
You will need two different fabrics, which we will call color A and color B.
Materials Needed for Basic Skirt
20" x 10" Skirt (Color A)
20 X 2 1/2" (Color B) waistband
11" of 1/4" elastic
Safety Pin to pull elastic through waist casing.
Materials Needed for Ruffled Skirt:
22 X 9 Skirt (color A)
One: 22" x 2" (Color B) waistband
38" x 2 1/2" (Color B) Ruffle
11" of 1/4" elastic
Safety Pin to pull elastic through waist casing.
The seam allowance is built into the pattern. Do not add it.
Seam allowance is 1/4" for this pattern.
Step One
For Both Skirts
Cut out skirt from Color A.
Cut out one waistband from Color B.
For the Ruffled Skirt only, cut out the ruffle from Color B.
Step Two
For Both Skirts
Take the waistband. Fold in half the long way, wrong sides together, and press.
Repeat for the Ruffle on the Ruffled Skirt.
Tip: The wrong side of the fabric is also called the 'inside'.
Make sure not to put the right (or outside) sides together.
Step Three
For Both Skirts
Pin waistband to skirt, raw edges together. Sew across.
Press seam down towards skirt.
Tip: When you place your pins, make them jut out from the fabric as much as possible.
(See above picture)
This makes it much easier to remove each pin as you come to it during sewing.
NEVER sew over a pin if you can avoid it. This can break or dull your sewing needle.
Step Four
For Both Skirts
Insert elastic into skirt casing. Let it show a bit on both ends, pin,
and then sew with a 1/8th inch seam just on the waistband/elastic.
Repeat for other end.
Step Five
For Ruffled Skirt only
Take the ruffle, and sew across the raw edges with the biggest stitches your machine
can make (mine is #4). Make sure to leave about 4" or so of extra thread on both ends.
This is your drawstring to pull the strip into a ruffle.
BEFORE you pull it into a ruffle, find the middle of the skirt bottom
and the middle of the ruffle. Pin. Make sure not to pin through the thread.
Pin both ends on. Then, look at the picture below--I have looped the ruffle band
out to find the middle between the two pins, and I pinned that to the skirt 'middle'
between the two pins. Continue until you have pins placed every 1" or so.
Now, gently gently tug one of the threads to create your ruffle. This is not easy, but if
you go slowly you will manage to make the ruffles. Smooth them out and distribute them as
best you can. Repeat for the other end. It's just too hard to attempt to pull one thread
through the entire ruffle, so really do it from both ends to the middle.
Sew across with a 1/4" seam. After checking to make sure you have the ruffle sewn
on correctly, remove your drawstring thread.
Step Six
For Both Skirts
Pin at seams and sew down long edge.
And here is the Ruffle Skirt, DONE!!