How to: Make a Pleated Floral Midi Skirt

Tools and materials:

• Paper
• Fabric
• Pencil
• Measuring tape
• Elastic
• Zipper
• Scissors

Make your pleats 

Start by making three-inch pleats. To do this, measure the circumference of your waist, divide it by two and then multiply it by three. Add on seam allowance for all the raw edges and cut out two rectangles at this width. Next, mark the side seam at either side of the rectangle and then make three-inch marks across the rest of the skirt. 

To create the pleats, pinch the markings together so that each pleat consists of two adjacent pinches. You'll pinch, pin, pinch pin, skip and start again. Next, open up each set of pinches so that you have one large pleat, and then bring the edges of the pleats together and pin the corners together. The front and back pieces should mirror each other. Finally, secure the pleats by using a wide straight stitch. 

Attach the waistband 

Place the two halves of your skirt, right sides together, and align the edges. Sew down one side. The other side remains open so that we can insert the zipper. Next, cut out a waistband that is twice the height of your previous waistband and place it onto the skirt with the right sides together. Sew one edge of the waistband onto the skirt. 

To insert the elastic, the ideal solution would be to encase the elastic into the waistband, however, if like me, your waistband wasn’t big enough, simply place the edge of the elastic right below the seam of the waistband. Next, fold the top part of the waistband over the elastic to secure the rough edge and use a pencil to mark where the folded fabric meets the elastic. With right sides together, sew the elastic onto the fabric along the line you just marked. Once you’ve done that, fold the waistband over to the inside of the skirt and sew again across the seam to secure the elastic in the skirt. 

Attach the zipper 

Attach an invisible zipper to the open side of the skirt. Do this by pinning the zipper to each side of the fabric and then sewing the zipper to the wrong side of the fabric. Next, hand stitch the top part of the zipper and the seam to the waistband so that the seam lays flat. Finally, sew the remaining part of the side closed, making sure to pull the bottom part of the zipper out of the way. 

To finish the skirt, double fold the bottom and stitch it in place for a clean hem. This floral midi skirt tutorial is so quick and easy there’s no reason not to make one!