Quick and Easy Basic Skirt Tutorial

Basic Skirt | Mabey She Made It #sewing #easyskirt #sewingforkids

When Saige was little, I found a style of pants I LOVED on her and I bought a whole size run from 18 months to 4T. I love how they fit, and we’ve gotten such good use out of them–they still look fabulous now that Brynley has worn the smaller sizes.

But something has happened recently–Saige has decided that she doesn’t like pants. At all. Even during this past winter I had a really hard time getting her to put pants on to go to the grocery store (when it was below 0 and pants were a necessity). I’d finally get her in pants, and the second we got home, she’d go strip them off and put on a skirt. So those super cute jeans? Yeah, they’ll still look great when the third Miss Mabey wears them. 🙂

And I’ve kind of given up the pants fight. Skirts and dresses it is around here. And since Brynley imitates everything Saige does, I have two skirt wearers in the house. It’s a good thing making basic skirts is so simple, because I see a lot of them in my future.

So today I’m going to walk you through making a quick and easy basic skirt, then over the next few weeks I’ll show you a couple of variations you can do to spice them up and make your girlies feel like queens.Basic Skirt | Mabey She Made It #sewing #easyskirt #sewingforkids

Here’s what you’ll need:

  • Fabric of your choice (I like non-wrinkly varieties because I don’t want to iron–ever)
  • Sewing machine and thread
  • Elastic for the casing (enough to go around your cutie’s waist comfortably)
  • Ribbon (optional for embellishment)
  • Serger (optional)

Okay, let’s do it!

  1. Measure your skirt-wearer. Saige has a 21″ waist and I wanted the finished length to be 17″. So take your numbers and we’re going to do some SIMPLE math. For the fabric width, multiply the waist measurement by 1.5 or 2 (depending on how full you want the skirt). So in this case, 21″ x 1.5=31.5″ wide. To get the length, add 2″ to your finished length for hemming and an elastic casing. So in this case, 17″ + 2″= 19″ tall. You’re ready to cut!
  2. Cut your fabric to your dimensions (31.5″ x 19″ for this skirt).Basic Skirt | Mabey She Made It #sewing #easyskirt
  3. With right sides together, sew the short sides together. Finish the edges with a zigzag stitch or with a serger. You’ll now have a tube of fabric.Basic Skirt | Mabey She Made It #sewing #easyskirt
  4. At the top of your fabric, press down 1/4″ all the way around your tube, then press down another 3/4″. You’re making a place for the elastic to run (called a casing) for the waistband.Basic Skirt | Mabey She Made It #sewing #easyskirt
  5. Now sew close to the edge around the tube, leaving about 2″ open so you can insert your elastic.Basic Skirt | Mabey She Made It #sewing #easyskirt
  6. Now cut your elastic about 1″ shorter than your waist measurement. So in this case, I cut my elastic 20″ long (21″ waist – 1″). Now put a safety pin in one end of the elastic, and start threading it through your casing. When you get back to the start, pull your elastic so you’re holding both ends and overlap them like this. Make sure your elastic hasn’t twisted anywhere.
  7. Sew a couple rows of zigzag stitches to secure the elastic and pull on your waistband a little so the elastic disappears into the casing.
  8. Sew up the 2″ gap.
  9. Now press 1/4″ up and then turn and press another 3/4″ to create a hem (like you did for your casing). Stitch along the top of this pressed piece, and you’ve got a finished hem.

You just made a basic skirt!

Basic Skirt | Mabey She Made It #sewing #easyskirt #sewingforkids

I added a ribbon bow to the front of this skirt just to make it easy for Saige to put it on right (so the seam is in the back) plus I like how it makes it just a little more fancy without any real effort. But your basic skirt is also really cute without.

 

9 responses to “Quick and Easy Basic Skirt Tutorial”

  1. Diana Avatar
    Diana

    How lovely she looks (Good job Mom!!) My kids who are now grown used to wear pants (jeans,cords-whatever they could find!)till they discovered shorts; dresses/skirts were for holidays.
    Now the oldest daughter wears a dress all the time and the youngest you cannot get her out of sweats unless its to go to work !LOL

    Hope you are doing good !

    1. Lisa Avatar

      Thank you, Diana! Happy Mother’s Day this weekend!

  2. kathrine wardell Avatar
    kathrine wardell

    You did a great job detailing all the steps. Love ya sis

    1. Lisa Avatar

      Ahh, thanks Kath! Love you too!

  3. Harriette Meyers Avatar
    Harriette Meyers

    God Bless you &your. I have 16 grandchildren ,I foster grand and one great.when I saw your beautiful little child ,I thought my little Nyla would love this !Then I thought my Autumn Lee would love this too! One is 3 the other is 9.so thank you very much

  4. Lauren Avatar

    Adorable little skirt. My girls are in need of some play skirts… I might just have to pull out my sewing machine and give these a shot. I’d be thrilled if you’d link up at this week’s Off the Hook!

    1. Lisa Avatar

      Thanks, Lauren! I hope you get a chance to whip up a few. They’re saving me from a daily battle right now. 🙂

  5. Sharlyn Avatar
    Sharlyn

    Very cute!

    1. Lisa Avatar

      Thanks, Sharlyn!

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I’m Lisa

Welcome to Mabey She Made It, my cozy corner dedicated to all things homemade and delightful. One of the greatest things I learned while growing up was to know what “home” felt like. Creating feels like home to me, and I’m at home when an idea translates into something beautiful or functional.

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