I seem to have a knack for buying fabric with one project in mind and then using it for something completely different. I bought white cotton fabric and some lace, thinking I would make a milkmaid style shirt, but then I realized I had enough fabric to make a skirt! I based the design of this skirt on the cottagecore aesthetic, but I noticed it also somewhat resembles an Edwardian-era petticoat. Either way, it’s flowy and romantic and I absolutely love it, and I hope you will, too.
By Hilly
Step-By-Step Cottagecore Skirt Sewing Tutorial
9 materials
$20
2 Hours
Easy
Tools and materials:
- 2 yards of white cotton fabric
- 2 yards of eyelet lace
- White invisible zipper
- A full skirt (for the pattern)
- Scissors
- Pins
- Measuring tape
- Fabric chalk
- Sewing machine
Lay the skirt on the fabric
Use a skirt to create the pattern
To start, I folded my fabric in half, and laid a skirt I already owned on top of it. Leaving one and a half inches around the skirt for seam allowance, I used pins to mark where to cut all around the skirt.
Cut around the skirt
Cut the fabric
I cut the fabric around the skirt, using the pins as a guide.
Make a cottagecore skirt
Sew up one side seam, and pin the other
Once the fabric was cut, I had one front piece and one back piece for my skirt. I pinned the pieces together along one side, right sides facing, and sewed the seam. I left the other side open, so I could place a zipper there later.
Sew a cottagecore skirt
Hem the top edge of the skirt
Next, I folded over the top edge of the skirt about half an inch and sewed it down.
Measure the waistband
Measure the fabric for a waistband and cut it out
I used a ruler and fabric chalk to mark where to cut for the waistband. I measured out a width of six inches, and to get the measurement for the length, I simply measured my waist and added an inch and a half for seam allowance. Then I cut the waistband out of the fabric, using the chalk lines as my guide.
DIY cottagecore clothing
Pin the waistband to the top edge of the skirt
I pinned the waistband all the way across the top edge of the skirt.
Sew in the zipper
Add the zipper
Once the waistband was in place, I pinned the zipper along the top of the open side seam, sewed it down, and then sewed down the rest of the side seam.
Use a straight, wide stitch
Create ruffles
I wanted to add a ruffled border to the hem of the skirt, so I cut a length of eyelet lace about one and one-third the length of the hem of my skirt. I ran the solid section of the fabric through my sewing machine using a long straight stitch.
Pull the thread
I did not backstitch at the beginning or end of the stitches. Once I finished stitching the length of the fabric, I pulled gently on the ends of the thread, bunching up the fabric as I pulled, creating ruffles.
Cottagecore tutorial
Pin the ruffles to the hem of the skirt
I adjusted the ruffles so they were spread evenly along the length of the fabric, and when I was satisfied with how it looked, I pinned it to the hem of the skirt, right sides facing.
Sew on the ruffles
Sew the ruffles down
Then I sewed the ruffles onto the skirt.
Make a lace ribbon
Make a ribbon for the waistband
I would have liked to use the same eyelet lace to make a border around the waistband, but I did not have enough. So I found a different piece of lace and decided to make a bow for the waistband instead.
Pin the ribbon
Pin and sew the raw edges
I pinned the raw edges along the length of the ribbon and sewed it down.
Tie a bow
Step: Tie a bow
Once the edges were hemmed, I tied my ribbon into a pretty little bow.
Sew the ends together
Make the finishing touches
Before attaching the bow, I sewed the two ends of the ruffle together by hand.
Sew on the bow
Then I sewed the bow by hand onto the center-front of the waistband.
Cottagecore clothing
And then my beautiful, romantic cottagecore skirt was complete!
Edwardian skirt
This skirt is just so flowy and feminine and I love it so much! I hope this tutorial was helpful. Let me know what you think of this skirt.
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Comments
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What a beautiful skirt! I am just beginning to sew. I don't even have a sewing machine. I have been making Alabama Chain clothing. You sew it all by hand. I was wondering it you could use a stretch waist band. I love the bow too! It seems like you could sew this by hand? Thank you for sharing and the inspiration also.
this i like to do it with a thirt !
Me too i am a beginner and am already happy !