Sew pleated skirt - simple free guide for beginners

• Material and preparation
• Form box folds
  • The hem
  • The Bund
• variations
• Quick guide

Wrinkles are always trendy, so today I'll show you how you can easily sew a pleated skirt yourself. In this case, I will put two box folds on the front of a skirt. In addition, today I also show you how to sew on the waistband a wide rubber band.

With this manual, you can either create a pattern for a pleated skirt to your own measurements completely yourself, or simply install the imaginary box folds in an existing pattern. Afterwards, I propose, as usual, some variants to it.

Difficulty level 2/5
(this guide for a pleated skirt is suitable for beginners)

Material costs 1-2 / 5
(depending on choice of fabric and size per pleated skirt about 10-20 euros)

Time required 1.5 / 5
(depending on experience and accuracy without pattern about 60min per pleated skirt)

Material and preparation

Today I prefer the selection of materials, because the folding is done directly differently and I do not want to interrupt these steps.
Basically any fabric can be used for this pattern. Especially thinner fabrics, because then the wrinkles fall beautiful. My pattern is made for a stretchy fabric like jersey or other knits. If you want to process woven fabric, you should add at least 2-3 cm of "latitude" in width. From the sewing on of the waistband, a stretchy seam should still be used.

The pattern for the pleated skirt

Your personal pattern is drawn very quickly. As with the wrap skirt tutorial, the pleated skirt will require your waist and hip measurements as well as the distance between these two readings. Hip and waist measurements are divided by four and then drawn on a piece of paper from the left edge. Be sure to start at the bottom of the sheet. Then you record the skirt length, but you measure best directly on the body from the waist or hip down, how long he should be. I prefer to end my skirts just above the knees.

Click here: To download the pattern

Tip: If you have already sewn the wrap skirt, you can simply use the same pattern for the pleated skirt. I'll show you how to modify it. Just read on from the fold creation.

First, draw a curve between the hips and waist and then extend it further down the stream. From the hip, you can also decide if the skirt should fit snugly below or if something is on display. Since today I will insert two box folds at the front, I choose a slightly flared A-line shape. Since our body does not just consist of straight lines, the skirt at the waist height at the side seams should be slightly bent upwards. So he gets better at the body later on. Draw the hip line about 3 cm further up and start there with the arch at a right angle.

Thus, the basic cut of the pleated skirt is already finished. Now we want to attach the two box folds at the front.

Form box folds

First, I put the paper cut pattern on my body and make a note of where I want the wrinkles. In my case, this is about 6 cm from the material break (according to pattern) removed. There I draw a line.

A box fold should be 7 cm wide. Since the fabric is double over the entire width of a box fold, I have to plan for each box fold 14 cm in the pattern. The skirt is tailored in the break, so we have to consider everything only once. The easiest way to do this is directly with the blank. For the front part of the skirt, I put the pattern exactly 14 cm away from the material break, pin everything down and cut it. At the waistband and on the side I cut with 1 cm seam allowance, at the seam with 3 cm seam allowance.

No wrinkles are planned on the back of the pleated skirt, so I cut this cut piece in the normal way, also with 1 cm seam allowance at the waist and sides and 3 cm seam allowance at the hem.

At the front I now put the markings for the wrinkles. To do this, I measure 7 cm down from my drawn line and mark this point on both sides on the waistband.

Tip: For such markings, use (as well as other markings on the fabric) either a tailor's chalk or a trick marker that can be washed out, or make knips (small cuts in the fabric).

From these points now follows in each case in both directions a mark at a distance of 7 cm. The fabric is now folded on each side of the middle marker right to right, so that the outer two markings are exactly on top of each other. At this point I fixed with a pin. At this point, I sew together both layers of fabric within the seam allowance, so that nothing can slip.

The edge is ironed shortly. Then I fold the fabric layers exactly at the seam apart, iron again and apply the fabric carefully, so that the wrinkles do not slip apart.

I put the middle mark on the bow exactly on the underlying seam and pin it down. The post-ironing after ironing shows that the fold is really 7 cm wide. Here, too, I sew all the fabric layers together within the seam allowance, so that nothing can slip anymore. The same goes for the second fold.

Tip: I hate to iron and when it comes to the daily laundry, I avoid it as best I can. This often starts with the purchase. While sewing, I do not love it, but it has so many advantages! It allows me to work easier and more accurately. Please try it out and see for yourself!

Now you can see the two wrinkles already well. I put the front and back side right side together and close the side seams with a stretchable stitch.

The hem

For the hem I measure at the bottom of the skirt three centimeters and fix both layers of fabric with a pin or Wonderclips. Then I also stitch this seam with a stretchable stitch. Here you can also use the twin needle or work with a coverlock. This is how the seam looks from the inside and from the outside.

The Bund

As a bunch, I opted for a glittering rubber band. It is a lot tighter than jersey or cuffed fabric, so it is not calculated this time, but applied directly to the body and cut with 2 cm seam allowance. Immediately I seal the ends by "wedging" them with a lighter. Then I put the ends of the rubber band right to right and sew together both layers with a stretchy seam three times. I used white yarn here because it looks better. Usually one uses yarn in a suitable color, so that the thread is no longer recognizable thereafter.

Tip: I fold the seam allowances apart. Ironing I can not recommend here, since the rubber band would most likely melt.

Like sewing a cuff, I mark four points at the same distance on both the waistband and the elastic band. In the skirt, these are the side seams and the front and back center. The easiest way to determine the front and back center is to place the side seams on top of each other and hang up the fabric at the same angle.

On the rubber band one point is marked with the seam, the other is exactly opposite. So if both layers lie flat on each other, this point is quickly determined. Then I put these two marks on each other and put in the side points pins.

Now only everything has to be put together. I start at the back center of the skirt. At this point I put the seam in the rubber band, right to right. I now put all four marks around. When sewing the elastic waistband is stretched so far, in the skirt fabric wrinkles are no longer visible. Since the glitter rubber is very tight, I do not have to stretch much here and sew it to the fabric with an elastic stitch. Then I fold the rubber band up and step again within the seam allowance. Also this stitch must be elastic.

Tip: Make sure that the wrinkles are accurately recorded during final stitching!
And now your new pleated skirt is ready.

Have fun sewing!

variations

Especially with the larger sizes it looks with the pleated skirt with box folds often better, if the wrinkles do not start directly at the waistband, as they may be unpleasantly pulled out through the belly. For such cases, I recommend lengthening and locking the first suture over the suture allowance by up to 10 cm. Make sure that the seams are exactly the same length for all folds. In the best case, mark the seam end on the left side of the fabric.

The skirt is ideal for delicate, playful ornaments. A lace or ruffle band at the hem gives this garment extra pep and / or grace. But I would refrain from flounces here, because they could apply very much in the area of ​​folding.

Especially with a ruffled ribbon, I could well imagine a curved front - keyword: VoKuHiLa.

Even with a rolled hem, I can imagine this skirt very well, as long as the subject is also suitable. To do this, first check that the bobbin is well filled, because you need a lot more yarn for a rolled seam than for any other seam. Then set to a wide zigzag stitch and reduce the stitch length to 0.2. Often it is recommended to reduce it to 0.0, but I do not like the ripple because it gets too tight for me. And then they have to pull on the fabric when sewing so that it stretches. Strong, but with feeling.

Quick guide

1. Draw pattern and consider folds or modify wrap skirt cut.
2. Cut everything, taking into account the seam and hem allowances as well as the folding
3. Fold and sew inside the seam allowance - iron in between them!
4. For larger sizes, extend the first pleat seam down to 10cm.
5. Close side seams, iron seam allowances apart
6. Seam bottom of skirt
7. Measure the glitter rubber band on the body, seal the ends
8. Sew the rubber band together at the ends and attach 1/4-markings
9. Rockbund also quarter (side seams, front and back center)
10. Put on elastic band and sew on, fold up and stitch again (elastic stitch)
11. And done! (if necessary iron everything again)

The twisted pirate