How to Sew a Pretty Cottagecore Skirt Step By Step

Hilly
by Hilly
9 Materials
$20
2 Hours
Medium

In this tutorial, I'll show you how to sew a cottagecore skirt from scratch. I'll be tracing a long skirt I already own, so you don't need a cottagecore skirt sewing pattern.


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 long, floaty 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.

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
Laying the skirt on the fabric

1. 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.

Cutting around the skirt

2. Cut the fabric

I cut the fabric around the skirt, using the pins as a guide. 

Pinning the side seams of the DIY cottagecore skirt

3. 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.

Hemming the top edge of the cottagecore skirt

4. 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. 

Measuring the waistband for the skirt

5. Measure and cut fabric for a waistband

I used a ruler and fabric chalk to mark where to cut for the waistband. I measured a width of 6 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.

Pinning the waistband to the top of the skirt

6. Pin the waistband to the top edge of the skirt

I pinned the waistband all the way across the top edge of the skirt. 

Installing the zipper into the cottagecore skirt

7. 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 to create ruffles

8. 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. 

How to sew a cottagecore skirt

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. 

Sewing the ruffles to the hem of the skirt

9. Attach the ruffles to the hem of the skirt

I adjusted the ruffles so they were spread evenly along the length of the fabric. When I was satisfied with how it looked, I pinned it to the hem of the skirt, right sides facing, and sewed down.

Making a lace ribbon for the waistband

10. 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. 

Attaching lace to the ribbon

11. Pin and sew the raw edges

I pinned the raw edges along the length of the ribbon and sewed it down.

Tying a bow with the lace ribbon

12. Tie a bow

Once the edges were hemmed, I tied my ribbon into a pretty little bow.

Sewing the ends together

13. Make the finishing touches

Before attaching the bow, I sewed the two ends of the ruffle together by hand.

Sewing the bow to the waistband

Then, I sewed the bow by hand onto the center-front of the waistband.

DIY cottagecore skirt

My beautiful, romantic cottagecore skirt is complete! 

How to make a cottagecore skirt

Cottagecore skirt sewing tutorial

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 in the comments below.

Suggested materials:
  • White cotton fabric
  • Eyelet lace
  • White invisible zipper
See all materials

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Comments
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2 of 4 comments
  • Greetje Greetje on May 06, 2021

    this i like to do it with a thirt !

    Me too i am a beginner and am already happy !

  • Stacy Stacy on Apr 02, 2022

    Hello, It's actually called Alabama Channing. That is the women's name and she has created a whole wardrobe that you hand stitch. It's quite amazing. She works on the premise of slowing down and relaxing through hand stitching. I bought a book she wrote and have made a skirt and blouse using her techniques. You can go to Amazon and just punch in her name under books and they should come up for you. 😊 Sorry for writing her name wrong.

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