inside: Sew up a summer skirt for a beautiful wardrobe item you will want to wear everyday. Simple summer skirt with elastic waistband and optional pockets.
Have you been noticing the summer trend? I’m sharing sewing tutorials/patterns and ideas every Wed.. and I’m trying to go every other week with ME {women’s} ideas and kids sewing projects. This week I’ve got a super simple summer skirt sewing tutorial for you. If you have a sewing machine collecting dust, this is the perfect project to dust it off and sew something for yourself. The skirt is easy to sew and fully sizable based on measurements…
**Updated with new photos**
My favorite part? I put in pockets!!! Pockets make everything better!!!
Summer Skirt Sewing Tutorial
for this project you will need 3″ elastic – long enough to go around your waist, and 2/3 yards of light cotton fabric depending on fabric width. You can get great deals on beautiful fabric through Craftsy and Fabric.com!
Measure your waist {or where you want the skirt to sit}_______ {mine is 28} X 2=______ {me 56}
Cut two panels the x2 width {me 56″}. Measure from your waist to knee {or where you want the skirt to fall} ______ MY fabric was really wide and I was able to cut it in half and then have two panels. Add 3 inches for hem. total length_____
Now you should have to rectangle panels. The fabric should be 4x your waist. Cut pockets using the pocket template here. {just updated old link 4/22}
cut out 4 pockets… you can use different fabric if you don’t have enough of the skirt fabric left.
hold the fabric up to your front and estimate how far down you want the pockets on your sides. Mark where the top of the pocket should be and pin pocket there. Sew right sides together. Both skirt front and back should have 1 pocket side on each side.
Now, sew the side seams. sew down from top, AROUND the pocket, then down the rest of the side.
Trim the bottom if needed…
Sew your elastic waistband to fit your waist/hips as desired. Pre-gather the top of the skirt. I ran it though my serger to gather. You can also use your regular sewing machine. Gather to double the size of the elastic.
Mark four equal parts on the skirt and four equal marks on the band. Pin at these places, then stretch and sew the skirt to the elastic band. Back side of band to front side of skirt. The inside looks like this.
And you’re done!! I wore it with a tank here and the white shirt below and loved both. The skirt is really full, so a more fitted shirt looks good. Let me know if you have any questions while trying this summer skirt sewing tutorial, I’m here to help!!!
Here are a few more free sewing patterns and tutorials for women.
Laura says
Is pocket template the exact size or do you have to enlarge it? Thanks for such an awesome pattern!
Emily says
Yep, it should be full size! Just make sure to print at 100%!
Donna T. Robinson says
Awesome! As soon as I read this I knew just what to do with some knit fabric I’ve had for 10 years! I made it this afternoon in about 30 minutes and it is so comfortable! Thanks for the great tutorial!
Emily says
Yeah! So glad it worked well for you!
Stacy says
Love this pattern!! If I’m making this for a person that has a 37″ waist and the fabric width is only 42 after pre-washing. Can I still cut the 2 panels at 41×20 and if so will it still have a full look?
Martha says
Hi Emily, could I replace the 3 inch elastic for a waistband like a yoga one? I don’t have 3 in elastic but I’m dying to use all my cotton fabric I have 🙂 Thank you for the lovel tutorial 🙂
Alida Viviers says
Love your tutorials. So simple and easy to use. Keep it up!
Bonnie C. Westrom says
Thank you for sharing your adventure. You have a wonderful family.
Victoria @DazzleWhileFrazzled says
Cute and looks simple enough for a newbie (ish) sewer like myself! My 2018 goal is to get back into sewing so this looks like a good project. Visiting from Made By You Monday.
Emily says
yes! You can do it! Easy enough to make.
Louisa says
What a lovely tutorial. Pockets make everything better! I’ve made lots of skirts like this but have never used elastic as a feature waistband, it looks really great #creativemondays
JaneEllen says
This skirt looks so cute and adjustable per person. I have sewn for years but not in last 3-4 just occasionally.
One suggestion to all: iron your fabric first so it’s straight and will line up as you go along on your project.
I was taught by my aunt who sewed for years and professionally for big dept.stores in Cleveland, OH so I figured she ought to know what she’s talking about. I was quite fortunate to have her oversee my sewing several times and many projects as I grew up.
I prefer wearing skirts in summer as find them cooler and they hide old lady legs. No shorts in public for me,lol. The how-to’s for this skirt are quite good, no offense about ironing the fabric.
Claire says
What a lovely skirt. Pinned! Thanks for sharing at Creative Mondays last week, you will be one of my featured blogs today 🙂
Monte says
Hi, what kind of material did you use for the navy skrt?
Thanks
Julie says
The best thing about making your own clothes is the ability to put pockets in things!
Emily says
yes!!
Sheri says
Thanks for sharing at the To Grandma’s House We Go DIY, Crafts, Recipes and more Wednesday link party!
Enormous says
Hi Emily,
Thanks for the great tutorial. Talk about evergreen content: still producing skirts 4 years later. I have just finished my skirt. I used a huge polycotton Mary Quant scarf that was languishing at the bottom of a box. I was delighted with the pockets: who doesn’t love pockets and the skirt is so full you wouldn’t notice them.
However, attaching the elastic to the pre-gathered skirt nearly killed me. My hands are still sore. Maybe my elastic was particularly strong but between that and trying to keep all the gathers in I have a big wavy line of zig zags all around the waist. It looks pretty ugly. I’ll post pics here shortly https://pin.it/ypyleoxfszocdf
ANy tips? I looked at so many online tutorials but none have the pre-gathered waist, they let the elastic do the gather IYKWIM.
Anyway thanks so much: two new techniques learned! Go raibh míle maith agat!
Sara says
Took me a few goes to get the elastic right, and it’s still wonky, but that is my inexperience and not your pattern. Love my new skirt!
Jill says
Your pattern was the best I have found!!
I hope you still see this and are able to help!! I need a skirt for myself and my daughter for this weekend!!! Problem is her waist is 27 and mine is 43. The fabric is 44 (unwashed). What can I do to make this work? It has a pattern so I can’t even turn it to try it that way…
PLEASE HELP!!
Thank you!!
Emily says
This tutorial can work with any waist width… You are simply gathering the top of the fabric… So you will just need yardage for both skirts… You will have to trim it down as 44″ will probably be too long of a skirt. Follow the directions for how much fabric you will need.
Alita says
How do I access the free pattern to download. I’m a novice sewer [retirement hobby] .The skirt appears to be a simple style and great for a beginner