Learn How to Turn an Old Bed Sheet Into a Fun and Flowy Peplum Skirt

7 Materials
2 Hours
Medium

Do you have an old bed sheet sitting in the linen closet that you never use anymore? Rather than throw it away why don’t you upcycle it to create an amazing peplum skirt? I decided to take one of my old bed sheets and refashion it into a gorgeous tie-dye peplum skirt that I am just obsessed with! Follow this step by step tutorial and learn how you can create a new fashion statement skirt from an old sheet!

Tools and Materials:

  • Old bedsheet
  • Fabric scissors
  • Ruler
  • Marker
  • Pins
  • Elastic
  • Sewing machine
Fold four times
Fold the sheet four times over


I had an old bed sheet which I had previously tie-dyed and I decided to upcycle it into an amazing tie-dye peplum skirt. Start by folding the fabric four times. 

Measure yourself
Take your measurements


To get the perfect fitting skirt, make sure to measure your waist and hips if you don’t already know your measurements. 

DIY peplum skirt
Mark your fabric


Next, take a piece of string and measure it so that its length is a quarter of your hip measurements with an added 10 inches for seam allowance. A great tip is to wrap your measured piece of string around your marker at the right length to make marking much easier!

Mark cutting lines

Take your string and marker and make markings of the hip radius at the corner of your fabric. I love that the string wrapped around the marker is a DIY compass which makes marking simple and easy! 

Measure the length
Measure the length of the skirt


From the edge of your marking measure about forty-five to fifty centimeters, which will be the length of your peplum skirt. Create a marking just above and below the ruler. 

Easy DIY circle skirt

Move the ruler upwards at a diagonal slant and mark the same measurements of forty-five to fifty centimeters. Keep on moving it upwards and marking the fabric every few centimeters until your ruler is standing vertically on the fabric. 

Mark the length

Now that you’ve reached this point make the same measurements. Having clear measurements will make it way easier to cut later! 

Mark the radius

Now that you have your markings ready, use your marker to create a semi-circle along your markings. A great tip is to go over all your markings so that they are clear and easy to see for cutting. 

Cut the fabric
Cut your fabric


Now it’s time for the fun to start! Cut your fabric along the outer semi-circle and then along the inner semi-circle. 

DIY circle skirt pattern

Now you’re going to begin your peplum preparation! Cut the peplum with a length of thirty cm with the same measurements at the waist, as the skirt. 

Place the pieces together
Sew the pieces


Before you can start sewing, place the two pieces together, right side facing each other. Start pinning them together at the waist where the waistband of your awesome skirt will be. Once your pins are in place sew all the way around. 

Cut the inside
Cut inside of the circle


This step may seem a little destructive but don’t worry! Cut lightly inside the circle making small incisions all the way around. 

Press the skirt
Press the skirt


In this step, turn over your skirt so that it’s facing outwards the right way. Gently press around the waistband seam until there are no creases to be seen! 

Measure your elastic
Add an elastic waistband


You are so close to the finished product but before you can throw on this stunning skirt, it’s time to add an elastic to the waistband. First, measure the width of the waistband so that you know how big to make your top stitch later. Mark the width around the waistband using your marker. 

DIY circle skirt elastic waist

Make the elastic casing by topstitching another circle around the waist according to your new markings. Make sure to leave an opening to insert the elastic through!

Pull the elastic

Now that you have a perfect topstitch, attach a safety pin to the one end of your elastic and start threading it through. Chop off any extra bit of elastic and sew the end pieces together. Now you’re ready to sew closed the opening. To create that perfect finish on your upcycled skirt, sew all the raw edges with either a zig-zag hem, an overlock hem, or even with some bias tape. 

DIY circle skirt

I love how fun and flowy this skirt is! It’s hard to believe this was once a bed sheet! What other fun pieces would you upcycle from a sheet? Let me know in the comments below! 

Suggested materials:
  • Old bedsheet
  • Fabric scissors
  • Ruler
See all materials

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Comments
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3 of 4 comments
  • Hayley Breshears Hayley Breshears on Oct 02, 2020

     Wow, I cannot believe this is a bedsheet! (BRB, running to my linen closet lol)

  • Tc Tc on Apr 04, 2021

    Cute job. Sheets get you the absolute most fabric for the money no matter what you make with them, clothing, table cloths, curtains or whatever.

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