Tutorial: Pleated Skirt

So – this is some of my favourite fabric! I bought a lot when I saw it over a year ago at Ikea. Ikea, I know. The nice thing about their fabric is that it’s huge in width! This stuff is more than 80 inches across. Perfect for this project.

What you need

fabric – a yard or two
machine
scissors
pins
matching thread
zipper

Step One

First step – measure your waist. Double it. Measure your waist to where you want the skirt to hit (like right above your knee) and add 1.5 inches. Cut it out.

Step Two

Second step – take your waist measurement and add 3 inches. Cut out a waistband that is 10 inches high and as long as your waist + 3 inches.

Step Three

Now – time for pleats!!

I was pretty precise in measuring out my pleats since I wanted the skirt to look as professional as possible. Lay out your skirt and measure 2 inches. Fold the fabric back 1 inch creating your first pleat – pin. The next pleat should start in 2 inches.

So…each pleat measures 1 inch. The distance between each pleat is 2 inches. Follow?

Once it’s all pleated and pinned measure it around your waist. Does it fit? If so, serge or top stitch. If not, make your pleats a little smaller (like .75 inches) and try again.

Oddly enough, you’re almost done! haha.

Step Four

Fold the waistband in half length wise (hot dog style). Attach the waistband to the pleated part of the skirt – right sides together. If you’re working with stripes, make sure you’re as accurate as possible. I kept checking mine.

Serge or top stitch.

Now, measure the skirt around your waist and pin where it fits and feels snug (the zipper will give you an extra 0.5-1 inch).

Baste along that line.

Step Five

Fold back the fabric on the inside of the skirt and install the zipper (mine is 8 inches), just like I did in the pillow case tutorial (visit if you need a refresher). Pin in place and use your zipper foot to attach.