DIY Circle Skirt

Oh my god, it's been a while. The blog has been quiet, we've all been super busy, but I've got a DIY to share with you all!

I love skirts and I love circle skirts the best. They're flattering, make your waist look smaller without making you look ridiculous and if you have a chubby tummy like me, they make you feel a little more confident. You can dress them up and dress them down. You can wear a tutu underneath to give it extra puff. They're amazing. Problem is, they're not always in fashion and can be pretty pricey to buy which is ridiculous because they are the easiest skirt to make and great for a novice sewer like myself.

I watched a whole bunch of videos from The Pineneedle Collective by Annika Victoria and shopped around on Pinterest and YouTube as well for all the tips I could get. Annika has the best videos for DIY and upcycling, so I really recommend watching hers. She explains it better than I do and her work is wonderful.

You can make a circle skirt with an elastic waist, a zipper or just on its own if you have very stretchy fabric. I managed to get a four-way stretch fabric for only £2.99 a metre at Remnant Kings in Glasgow (bargain!) so I won't need to worry about how it will stay up, the fabric should stretch and reshape to me. I am going to work on one with an elastic waist and one with a zipper to post as well, but again, check out what Annika has done.

So, you will need: Stretchy fabric, with extreme stretch

Needle and thread/Sewing machine if you are braver than me Pins Chalk Measuring Tape Calculator Fabric scissors

You're going to have to work out how long you want your skirt to be. I wanted mine to come just above my knee so I measured that at 21 inches. I cut out a square of 42" x 42" and then folded it in half and then in half again, right side of the fabric up.

You'll need to take you waist measurement, or your hips, depending on where you want the skirt to sit. I added an extra inch to mine. A lot of these DIYs are done by girls with very thin frames and flat tummies, so if you have a larger frame or tummy then you have to adjust for that. If you have large hips then the difference between the hips and waist is going to impact how the skirt moves over your hips and if it will hang off your body. My tummy is round as is my butt, so again, I'm adding that inch just to make sure the skirt will get around that entire region, even with the stretch. It's always better to make something just a tad larger because then you can tweak it to fit the way you like.

So, I got 5.7 inches. I measured that out bit by bit from one corner to make a semi-circle.

Then I measured 21 inches from the corner, not the chalk line, and made another semi-circle, marked in chalk. Now I have my outline.

Get your scissors! Cut along your chalk lines.

You should have a big fabric doughnut.

Cut along your doughnut. This is to make it easier to attach your waistband later along the inside circle.

Waistband! Measure out the length of your waist, with an extra half to full inch for seam allowance. I made mine too small and had to start again, boo. Then determine how wide you want your waistband to be and double that. So if you want a three inch wide band, measure out six. Then cut it out and pin together, the right sides together like below and sew.

Then turn the tube inside out, or, right side out so you have your band.

Pin the tube to the inside circle of your skirt. This is why we made that cut earlier so you can pin it easier. Pin it on the right side so when you're finished it will fold up.

Just like this! You have your band attached.

Pin along the cut we made previously and sew. Try on the skirt and take in the waist if you need too. Just sew a new line down the waistband to tighten and then cut off the fabric excess.

You should have a nice summer circle skirt. I haven't hemmed the bottom because my fabric is none-fray, but you should hem your skirt if the fabric is fraying. I'll probably hem mine at a later date.

Here it is!

Circle skirt complete! I have loads of leftover fabric, so I might make a matching crop top and a pair of shorts so I can mix and match. I'll post any attempts! Have a go at making your own circle skirt, and if you do, please share with me!

With circular love,

Red

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