Toddler Skirt with Ruffled Hem Tutorial

Step 1: Cut one piece of the fabric that is 36 inches by 12 inches (main skirt piece) and one piece that is 54 inches by 3 inches (ruffle piece).

*If you have less than 1 1/2 yards of fabric you can cut piece two pieces together for the ruffle and/or the main skirt piece. The point is to end up with pieces of fabric that match my original measurements.

Step 2: Serge or overcast all 4 sides of the main skirt piece as well as the 2 short sides and 1 long side of the ruffle piece. This will keep the fabric from fraying.

Step 3: With right sides together, match the two short sides of the main skirt piece and pin together. Use a 5/8 inch seam allowance to sew the seam. Be sure to backstitch at the beginning and the end.

Step 4: Press the seam open.

Step 5: Fold the top of the main skirt piece down, wrong sides together, 1 1/4 inches (as pictured). This will make a casing for the elastic. Pin the fabric in place leaving a 2 inch opening near the seam to thread the elastic.

Optional: To make a tag, cut a small piece of grosgrain ribbon and fold it in half. Pin it under the folded fabric.

Step 6: Sew the casing by placing the left side of your presser foot along the serged edge of the fabric. Be sure to leave the two inch opening to thread the elastic through in the next step.

Step 7: Attach a safety pin to one end of the elastic and use it to thread the elastic through the casing. You should have two ends of the elastic coming out of the opening you left in Step 6.

Step 8: (not pictured) Try the skirt on your baby and determine how much elastic you need. Stitch the elastic together. (Go over the stitching several times for extra reinforcement.) Cut away the excess elastic.

Note: I am pretty sure I used about 18-19 inches of elastic to make the waistband of this skirt.

Step 9: (not pictured) Stitch the opening in the casing closed like you stitched the rest of it in Step 6.

Step 10: (not pictured) Stitch the ruffle piece together along the two short sides, with right sides together, using a 5/8 inch seam allowance. Press the seam open like in Step 4.

Step 11: Press down the unserged edge of the ruffle piece 1/2 inch, wrong sides together. Open the fold, place the raw edge on the fold line, and press again. Fold the fabric one more time so that the raw edge is totally enclosed inside the folded fabric. (See picture above)

Basically, you are going to double fold the fabric. You will end up with about a 3/8 inch hem at this point.

Step 12: Using about an 1/8 inch seam allowance, stitch the hem in place. I stitched from the top because I like to see what the finished hem will look like, but that is just me. It doesn’t mean it is the correct way to sew a hem either. 🙂

Step 13: (not pictured) To gather the fabric, set your machine to the longest length for a straight stitch and pull the bobbin and top thread tails to at least 6 inches in length. Sew just below the serged edge and leave long thread tails at the end, too. Do NOT backstitch at either end.

Step 14: Pull the top thread gently and ease the fabric along until the whole length of fabric is evenly gathered. You should end up with a tube of fabric that is the same width as the skirt. I recommend checking periodically to see if you have gathered the ruffle tightly enough by placing it over the main skirt piece.

Note: The correct way to gather is to make 2 lines of stitching, but since 1 line of stitching worked fine for me, that is what I did. Don’t you just love how I can throw caution to the wind like that? I like to live on the wild side. 😉

Step 15: Pin the ruffle to the bottom of the main skirt piece, right sides together. I recommend using lots of pins to keep the ruffle in place properly.

Step 16: Using a 1/4 inch seam allowance sew the ruffle to the main skirt piece.

Step 17: Turn the skirt right side out and topstitch along the main skirt piece, being sure to flip the seam towards the top of the skirt. This means you will be sewing on top of the seam from Step 16.

Step 18: Press the skirt and put it on a cute little toddler. 🙂 I do want to note that this skirt hits my niece mid-calf. You can always make the main skirt piece shorter if that is too long.

Isn’t my niece a cutie? I think she liked her birthday outfit. What do you think?

As you can tell I made her a shirt to go with her new skirt. I used the tutorial from Angela Yosten which was very detailed and easy to follow. When I printed out the pattern pieces from the tutorial I shrunk them down to fit the front of an 18 month shirt. Otherwise, the sock monkey would have been way too big, but would have been a good size for an older child.

Here’s a close-up of the sock monkey. The face is made from a sock that you would use to make a sock monkey. So cute!

I also made my niece a little tote bag to match her outfit. She had to have something to open from us at her party. James folded a $1 bill to look like a butterfly and we put it inside the bag.

Now that I have taken longer to write this tutorial than it took to make the skirt, I think Janna will need a couple of these skirts to add to her wardrobe.

If you have any questions please let me know. Happy sewing!

I am linking this post to Tatertots & Jello Favorite Projects of 2012 Link Party.