PLEATED FABRIC SKIRT

Instructions

Amount of pleated fabric required:

For a straight style pleated skirt:

• Add 5cm to your hip measurement

For a full style skirt:

• Add 1m to your hip measurement.

Note: If you want your skirt 70cm or less in length, and don't want it in a continuous piece all the way around, you will only need half of the measurement above as the 150cm wide fabric can be cut into half into two panels - front and back, sewn together with side seams.
If you want the skirt in one continuous piece, with only one back seam, you will need the full amount of fabric as per measurements above.

Exposed Elastic Waistband Skirt

1. Trim off the selvedge along one side of the pleated fabric piece. Sew a line of stitching 1cm in from this cut edge.
2. Turn fabric over with the backing side facing up. From the stitching, measure down the desired length of the skirt. Cut fabric along this line.
3. Starting from the top stitching, carefully peel away the backing fabric.
4. Overlock each of the side edges. With right sides facing, pin these side edges and sew together with a 1.5cm seam allowance.
5. Overlock the base hem with a 3 thread overlock stitch. Lay hem flat and finger press pleats back into shape.
6. Cut a length of elastic to fit waist plus 4cm. Sew ends together with 2cm seam allowance. Fold each raw edge of seam under by 1cm, then under again and top stitch neatly in place to hide raw ends.
7. Measure & divide the elastic waistband and top edge of skirt into quarters and mark with pins.
   With the stitching 5mm up under the base edge of the elastic, pin the skirt to the waistband aligning the pins and back seams. Starting at the back seam, sew the elastic to the fabric, stretching the elastic to fit the width of fabric between the pins.

Elastic Casing Waistband Skirt

1. Trim off the selvedge along one side of the pleated fabric piece. Sew a line of stitching 1cm in from this cut edge. Measure in 5cm from the cut edge and sew another line of stitching along width of pleated fabric.
2. Turn fabric over with the backing side facing up. From the lower line of stitching, measure down the desired length of the skirt. Cut fabric along this line.
3. Starting from the top stitching, carefully peel away the backing fabric.
4. Overlock each of the side edges. With right sides facing, pin these side edges and sew together with a 1.5cm seam allowance.
5. Overlock the base hem with a 3 thread overlock stitch. Lay hem flat and finger press pleats back into shape.
6. Turn the skirt inside out. Fold the top of the skirt over along the lower 5cm stitching line, pin the place. To make the waistband casing, sew along 1cm stitching line, leaving a 3cm gap at the back
   seam to insert the elastic.
7. Cut a length of elastic to fit waist plus 2cm. Thread elastic into the casing and adjust length to fit. Overlap the raw edges of elastic and sew together securely. Hand sew or machine sew the casing opening closed. Evenly space out elastic within the casing and sew down seam line of casing to secure elastic in place.