How To Sew A Skirt Beginner Tutorial

Lisa Miller-Mecham
by Lisa Miller-Mecham

This post may contain affiliate links for products I love and recommend.

If you’re just getting started, learning how to sew a skirt can be intimidating. Rest assured, this tutorial will walk you through how to make a simple maxi skirt in no time.

This skirt is soooooo easy to make. You are actually only going to be sewing a single seam! What this means for you is that this project truly is super-fast to make (you could whip it up today during an hour-long nap time) and is absolutely perfect for the beginner. Other great beginner DIY fashion projects include this Lulu Lemon Knockoff Tank and this 3-Step Casual Draped Top.

Tip: Often, the secret to styling crop tops is just to pair them with high-waisted bottoms. It can be a skirt, pants, shorts, etc. but the high-waited silhouette compliments a crop top so it’s never too revealing.

But let’s get back to today’s project before I get too excited. This DIY maxi skirt is going to be perfect for almost every summer event you can think of. Make it out of a beautiful fabric for a more polished, night-time look, or make it out of sheer lace for a super-sexy, resort-wear, swim-suit cover-up.

As for me, I love the drape, comfort, and look of a good knit fabric. If you don’t have a serger or know how to work with stretchy fabrics, don’t stress. I’ll show you a simple way around that too. 🙂

How To Sew A Skirt Video Tutorial:

For all of you visual learners out there, I created this video on how to sew a skirt so you can watch and follow along. For written instructions and lots of photos, just keep scrolling down.

Supplies:

My supply lists are shoppable for your convenience! Just click any affiliate link below to get everything I’ll be using to make this DIY Maxi Skirt without adding extra errands to your day.


How To Sew A Skirt Step By Step

Start out by wrapping your 3″ black elastic around your waist. Honestly, you don’t even have to worry about measuring it if you don’t want to.

Trim your elastic so it’s nice and snug (but not tight to cause extra lumps and bumps in your waistline) and sew the ends together making a circle.

Set your circle aside and take out your fabric. Fold your fabric in half lengthwise. Then, take your ends and overlap them a few inches. This creates the pretty little drape and side slit on your skirt.


Tip: The more you make your fabric cross over itself, the more conservative the drape of your diy maxi skirt will be. For example: you could create a revealing and super-sexy slit that travels all the way up to your waist by skipping this step altogether. For a full-proof no-show maxi skirt, overlap your fabric until it’s almost folded into thirds.


Once your fabric is overlapped a few inches, pin into place.

Now, slip your elastic inside your fabric. Stretch your elastic and pin the fabric onto it and into place.

Your last and final step is to sew the fabric to your elastic. Stretch your elastic while you are sewing and use a zig-zag stitch to let your fabric stretch more and avoid any “popped” seams. Now slip your new DIY maxi skirt on and enjoy!

If your skirt is too long, just trim any excess off the bottom. The ITY knit won’t fray so I often skip hemming it altogether.

I hope you guys liked this little tutorial on how to sew a skirt. It’s soooo much more fun to me when I get to come up with my own designs and make my closet truly my own. Chances are, if you’re reading this blog, you feel the same way.


This DIY and others have been featured on AllFreeSewing.com It’s a great resource full of free DIY projects that you’ll never get tired of. Check it out!


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Lisa Miller-Mecham
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