How to Sew a Skirt

Sewing a skirt is one of the easiest sewing projects to do; often the first thing kids in home economics classes are taught is how to sew a skirt.

PARTS OF A SKIRT

1. Front and Back. Often the front is one piece of fabric and the back is two; this makes it easy to install a zipper in the back seam.
2. Zipper or Other Closure. Skirts can have zipper closures, button closures or no closures except waistband elastic or drawstring.
3. Waistband. Some skirt waistbands are a separate strip sewn around the top edge of the skirt; others are in the form of an inner facing; other skirts have a casing wide enough to string elastic or a drawstring through.

Sewing the Basic A-Line Skirt

Step 1: Cutting the Fabric

Pin and cut the pattern pieces according to the instructions on the package. These will generally consist of a front, which is pinned to the fold of the fabric so that it is all one piece; a back, which is positioned away from the fold so that there are two separate pieces; and a waistband, which is usually a long narrow strip of fabric that can go either wideways or lengthways on the fabric, depending on which works best with any print on the fabric.

Pay careful attention to lines indicating the straight grain; these should all be parallel with the edges of the fabric. Mark any darts or other features with washable seamstress chalk on the wrong sides of the fabric.

Step 2: Pinning the Darts

Pin and sew any waistline darts along the indicated lines; double-stitch at the point and edge of the dart to keep them from ripping out

Step 3: Sewing the Back Seam

Pin together the center back seams. If there is to be a zipper, lay the zipper out on the pinned pieces and make a mark on the fabric where the end of the metal or plastic part of the zipper is. Then sew the back seam with regular stitches from that point to the bottom hem, and with long loose stitches from that point up; these are basting stitches and will be removed later. Press the seam open.

Step 4: Adding a Zipper

Lay the zipper back down on the wrong side of the fabric and carefully pin it so that the zipper is laying straight and even along the seam. Put the zipper foot on your sewing machine and, still working on the wrong side, run it down the left side of the zipper, then put the needle down into the fabric and pivot it to go across under the metal end of the zipper, then pivot again and follow the zipper up the right side. Pull out the basting stitches. This can take some practice, but eventually you'll get nice straight stitching on the front of the fabric and a nearly invisible zipper.

Step 5: Side Seams

Match and pin the side seams of the front and back pieces. Sew each side seam. Press them open.

Step 6: Waistband

Press one long edge of the waistband up the width of the seam allowance, wrong sides together. With wrong sides out, pin the short ends and stitch along the seam allowance, making sure the pressed flap stays up. With the right side of the waistband to the wrong side of the skirt top, pin the two pieces together, easing in any fullness. There should be about an extra inch on one end near the zipper. Sew the waistband to the skirt, being careful not to catch any folds of fabric in the seam. Turn the waistband; the ironed edge should be on the outside of the skirt. Carefully pin it so that it covers the first line of sewing. Sew it neatly down all the way to the end of the protruding inch. Add a fastener to the protruding end; if it's a button, you'll need to put a buttonhole on the even end.

Step 7: Hem

Mark the hem for the right length (the best way is to wear the skirt and have someone mark a uniform distance up from the floor). Trim excess fabric off, leaving an even two inches or so. Turn under a narrow portion so the rough edges are hidden, and hand-hem the skirt using an unobtrusive hand stitch.

Voila! This basic construction will help you make any skirt style.