Ruffle skirt

This is the project that teaches you ruffles. A ruffle is just a long edge of fabric gathered down to a shorter length — once you’ve done it once, you can ruffle anything. The skirt itself is two rectangles sewn into a tube with an elastic casing at the top.

You’ll also need: a piece of elastic about 2 cm wide and 2 cm shorter than your waist measurement, a safety pin, an iron.

Measure and cut

1. 1

   Your waist measurement × 2 is the width of fabric you need. So if your waist is 80 cm, you need at least 160 cm width. (More gives a fuller ruffle.)

2. 2

   Your desired skirt length + 6 cm is the height you need. The extra 6 cm covers the waistband casing (4 cm) and a bottom hem (2 cm).

3. 3

   Cut two rectangles at those dimensions. Two pieces, not one — the side seams make the skirt easier to sew and let you taper later if you want.

Sew the side seams

1. 1

   Place the two rectangles right sides together, lined up at the short edges. Pin both short edges.

2. 2

   Sew both short edges with a straight stitch at 2.5 mm length, 1 cm from the edge. Backstitch at top and bottom. You now have a tube.

3. 3

   Zigzag the raw edges of each seam allowance (the 1 cm flap on each side) so they won’t fray inside the skirt. Set a wide-ish zigzag — about 4 mm width, 2.5 mm length.

4. 4

   Press the seams open with an iron. The two seam-allowance flaps fold to either side of the stitch line.

Make the waistband casing

1. 1

   Fold the top edge down 1 cm to the inside, all the way around. Press flat with the iron.

2. 2

   Fold down another 3 cm to the inside. Press again. This creates a clean folded tunnel.

3. 3

   Stitch around the bottom edge of the casing, about 2 mm from the lower folded edge. Leave a 4 cm gap at one of the side seams — you’ll thread elastic through this gap.

Thread the elastic

1. 1

   Attach a safety pin to one end of the elastic. Push it into the 4 cm gap and feed it through the casing all the way around.

2. 2

   When both ends of the elastic emerge, overlap them about 2 cm and sew a small square (back and forth several times) to join them securely.

3. 3

   Stretch the elastic gently to pull the joined ends back inside the casing. The casing should now be gathered into a soft ruffle around the waistband.

4. 4

   Close the gap with a few stitches along the bottom of the casing.

Hem the bottom

1. 1

   Fold the bottom edge up 1 cm to the inside, press.

2. 2

   Fold up another 1 cm, press. This is a classic double-fold hem — the raw edge is hidden inside.

3. 3

   Stitch around the top of the fold about 2 mm from the upper folded edge. Try to keep the stitching even all the way around.

Variations once you know the basics

• Fuller ruffle: use 2.5× or 3× your waist measurement for the width.
• Tiered skirt: make the skirt out of 2–3 horizontal panels, each wider than the one above it. Gather each panel onto the bottom of the next.
• Different fabric: linen drapes differently than cotton. Try a few weights to find what you like.