Pleated Skirt

Pattern Markings

Transfer all pattern markings to the fabric using a disappearing fabric pen or chalk. 

Pleat Markings

Carefully measuring and marking is the key to achieving successful pleats and to avoid ending up with pieces that do not fit together.

• Mark the first pleat lines for open pleats.
• Mark the first and second pleat lines for a more fitted Skirt through the hip.
• Mark the first, second and third pleat lines for a mermaid look.

NOTE – The first two pleat options can be used for the mid-thigh and knee length options, and all three options for the midi and maxi length options.  

There are many ways of transferring pleat markings from the pattern. If you have a method that you are more familiar with, please use this. Alternatively, here is how I like to do it:

Place the pattern piece on top of the wrong side of a Skirt piece, lining it up accurately.

Using an awl or a pin, punch a small hole through the paper at the bottom of each pleat marking.

Using a washable marker or tailors chalk, mark the bottom of the pleat through the hole with a dot. 

Mark the top of the pleat.

Trace a line to connect the top and the bottom of the pleat.

NOTE – If you are sewing the second or third pleat option (longer pleats) you need to connect the bottom of the first pleat to your chosen pleat marking.

Interfacing

Using the manufacturer’s instructions, apply Interfacing to the Waistband.

SERGER / OVERLOCKER OPTION – Place the two Skirt pieces right sides together. Pin at the side seam and serge using a ½ inch seam allowance. Press seam to the back. Then skip to step 2, leaving the other side seam open.

REGULAR SEWING MACHINE OPTION – We are going to use French seams to stitch the Skirt pieces together. This will hide all the raw edges and gives a much cleaner finish. If you haven’t done these before, don’t worry, all the steps are below so you can just follow along.

Place the two Skirt pieces wrong sides together (right sides outwards). Pin along the side seam.

Stitch using a ¼ inch seam allowance.

Trim the seam allowance approximately in half.

TIP – You are trimming here so that when you encase the seam in the next step all the threads and raw edges are hidden. I generally try to trim my seam allowance in half as I like to make sure absolutely nothing is sticking out. However, just neatening up the edge here will also suffice.

Turn wrong side out and press from the other side as flat as possible. Make sure that the seam line is at the exact center of the fold.

TIP – For some fabrics, you will find it easier to first press the seam to one side, then turn the fabric wrong side out and press it so the seam is in the middle. This gives a little more control and helps ensure the fold is nice and crisp.

Stitch again a ¼ inch from the edge.

This will encase the raw edges, so they are not seen (a French seam).

Press the seam allowance to the back.

NOTE – You will only be stitching ONE side seam here. The other side seam will be stitched in step 4 and 5 with the side seam Zipper.

NOTE – We are showing how to stitch down the second pleat line, however, the steps are the same for all pleat options.

You will be working with a set of three lines, folding each of the outer lines towards the middle line.

Place the Skirt wrong sides facing up. Take the fabric at the first angled marking and the third angled marking and fold them together, right sides together. Pin.

NOTE – The middle marking will now be at the center of your fold.

If you are doing the longer length pleats, line up the lower pleat markings and pin in place.

Stitch the pleat together, starting at the waist edge, stitching down to the bottom marking of the pleat, following the pattern markings. Backstitch to secure at either end. Trim any excess thread.

NOTE – Check that you are only stitching through the folded pleat and not through the Skirt.

Repeat step 2.1 to 2.2 for all the pleats on the Skirt.

Fold and press each pleat to one side. The middle line will now be marked with a crease which will make it easier to create the box pleat in the next steps.

Open a pleat and press it flat, matching the pressed middle fold from step 2.4 to the stitched seam from step 2.2. Press the pleat flat and pin.

Repeat step 2.5 for all pleats.

NOTE – There are half pleats at the side seams. For these pleats (on either side of the side seam) match the pleat line to the side seam/seam allowance line for zipper opening. Press the pleat away from the seam allowance.  This will leave ½ inch to add the zipper and match the Waistband in the steps below.

Press the pleat neatly from the waist downwards. Press the pleat only as far down as your stitching goes. Leave the rest of the Skirt below the stitching unpleated. 

Baste across the top of the pleats using a ¼ inch seam allowance.

TIP – Basting is just like normal stitching except the stitches need to be long and loose so that they can be removed later, if needed. Stitch within the seam allowance, so that the basting stitches are not seen in the final garment, while keeping the stitches loose enough to pull out just in case they are visible. The purpose is to hold a piece of fabric in place until that section is properly sewn. Set the machine to a long loose stitch. Test it on a piece of fabric first to make sure that the stitches can easily be removed. Do not backstitch at either end. Leave the ends loose, with approximately 1 inch of thread tails at either end of the stitching.

OPTIONAL – Topstitch around each pleat using a ⅛ inch seam allowance. 

Starting at the waist edge, stitch down the pleat, pivot the fabric with the presser foot up and needle down, stitching across the bottom and up towards the waist.

Fold the top of the Waistband to the wrong side ½ inch and press. This will create a memory hem. 

NOTE – A memory hem is where you fold and press your hem, but do not actually stitch it yet. We do this so that fold lines are pressed into the garment. It’s much easier to do this now, than to try and press the hem later. Some fabrics hold a memory hem better than others. If your fabric doesn’t hold it well, that’s ok.  It is still helpful to do this now. 

NOTE – If you are using directional fabric, the memory hem should be at the top of the Waistband (with fabric pattern in correct orientation). If your fabric can go either way up, just pick one long edge, and fold it under and press.

Mark the center of the Waistband. 

Place the Waistband over the Skirt, right sides together, matching raw edges and center of Waistband to the side seam. Pin.

NOTE – You are attaching the Waistband at the non-pressed edge.

Stitch using a ½ inch seam allowance.

Flip the Waistband up. Press the seam allowance up toward the Waistband.

Press the Waistband in half, lining the memory hem fold to the stitch line attaching the Waistband to the Skirt. This will help when you line up the top of the zipper with the top fold of the Waistband in later steps.

NOTE – If you are using a bulky fabric for your Skirt you may need to trim your seam allowance to reduce bulk.

We recommend doing a fit check at this point to check the fit of the Skirt.

• If you measure at the top of your size range, the Skirt should fit exactly. 
• If you measured ½ inch or more from the top of your size range, you may need to adjust at the side seam before continuing. 
• We recommend trying the Skirt on now and pinning the side seam using a ½ inch seam allowance. 
• If it fits as you wish, continue. 
• If it is loose, adjust the pins to make it tighter, keeping them parallel to the seam allowance from the waist down to the hem. You will need to take an even amount all the way down so that it fits correctly. Double and triple check you are happy with the fit, then trim the excess fabric, making sure to leave a ½ inch seam allowance on each side. Continue.

It is important for the look and fit of the side of the garment to use an invisible zipper. If you use a regular zipper, or don’t install the invisible zipper correctly, it can affect the finished garment measurements, which may mean the finished Skirt will be too big. To help with this, we have made a short video. 

Read through the steps below, then watch the video here. 

Please note this video is from the Cerena Romper pattern, but the sewing steps are similar.

SERGER / OVERLOCKER OPTION – Serge both side seams of the Skirt to finish the raw edges. Do not remove any seam allowance, just serge to finish. Then follow from step 4.1.

REGULAR SEWING MACHINE OPTION – Follow along below.

Unzip your invisible zipper. Place it teeth face down onto your ironing board.

What you want to do here is iron the zipper, so the teeth are as unfolded as possible. The best way I find to do this is press the teeth towards the center with my fingers gently then butt the iron up against them before sliding the iron along the rest of the zipper. The zipper will look a little odd now, but the teeth should now lay flat (vs being curled upwards as they are when the zipper is done up).

NOTE – Use a warm dry (no steam) iron. Be careful not to iron directly on top of the teeth as it can damage or melt them. The goal is just to flatten the zipper out a little to make it easier to attach.

Press a ½ inch seam allowance along each raw edge of the Skirt side seam.

Unfold the seam allowance. With the Skirt right side up, place your zipper teeth side down onto the Skirt.

Pin the left side of the zipper to the Skirt.

Line the zipper teeth up with the folded seam allowance so that they are ½ inch from the raw edge. This will allow us to stitch using a ½ inch seam allowance and have the zipper perfectly aligned with it. 

Align so the top stop (where the zipper teeth start) is ⅛ inch down from the middle fold of the Waistband. There may be a piece of zipper tape that extends up into the lining of the waistband. Just ignore this. It’s the zipper teeth we want to stop exactly at the top of the waistband. That excess bit of tape and the waistband lining will get tucked inside and be hidden in the final garment.

TIP – Take a moment here to check you’ve got the correct side of the zipper on the correct side of the skirt. Also, that the zipper and skirt are right sides together.

INVISIBLE ZIPPER FOOT OPTION – If you have an invisible zipper foot, put this on your machine now. Line up the zipper teeth in the left side groove of your foot. Stitch from the top zipper stop all the way down to the notch using a ½ inch seam allowance.

REGULAR ZIPPER FOOT OPTION – If you don’t have an invisible zipper foot, install your regular zipper foot. Stitch the zipper to the Skirt, as close to the zipper teeth as you can. Stitch from the top of the zipper all the way down to the pattern notch.

NOTE – Only stitch from where the zipper teeth start. Do not stitch the bit of tape that protrudes into the Waistband. 

Close the zipper and then place a pin on the right zipper tape where the bottom of the stitching is. This pin will line up with the notch you marked from the pattern piece back in the preparation step to ensure that your zipper stays lined up when you sew it to the right side of the skirt.

Repeat steps 4.4 and 4.5 with the right zipper tape on the right side of the skirt.

It may feel awkward, but we will now stitch from the top of the Skirt downwards, stopping at the notch. This keeps your zipper aligned from the top downwards.

TIP – If your zipper is longer than you need, you can hand sew around the bottom of the zipper to make a new zipper stop. Then you can just trim your zipper down to the length you need.

Close the zipper and make sure that it is not visible from the right side. If there is a gap that shows your zipper, you can sew another line of stitching closer to the zipper teeth. You do not need to remove your first line of stitching.

The zipper stop should align perfectly with the top fold of the Waistband. The waistband lining will extend up above this for now until we turn it down later.

SERGER / OVERLOCKER OPTION – You will have already serged the side seams, so the edges are finished. Follow step 5.1, then place the Skirt right sides together at the side seam and pin. Serge using a ½ inch seam allowance. Then, skip to step 7.

REGULAR SEWING MACHINE OPTION – We are going to do a French seam to stitch the Skirt side seam together below the zipper. It’s slightly different to the previous French seam as we have to first detach the seam allowance from the zipper. Follow along below.

Clip into each side of the seam allowance, just under where the zipper stitching ends. 

TIP – You want to clip as close to the stitching and fold as possible without cutting into it. Aim for approximately 1-2 mm below the stitching and snip approximately 1-2 mm away from the fold. If you snip too far, you will have a hole so err on the side of caution. You can always come back and snip a little more if you find later your seam isn’t laying flat.

We will now start our French seam. From here it is the same as the side seam but just starting from below the zipper. 

Bring the seam allowance to the right side of the Skirt and pin them together with the wrong sides together (right sides outwards). 

Stitch ¼ inch from the edge.

Trim the seam allowances approximately in half to neaten the seam.

Turn wrong side out and press from the other side as flat as you can. Make sure that the seam line is at the exact center of your fold.

Pin and stitch again approximately ¼ inch from the edge. Press.

TIP – You want to start stitching as close to the bottom of the zipper stitching as possible. Use your zipper foot so you can get really close. The goal is to make the seam look continuous from the zipper downwards while wearing the finished garment.

Lift the zipper tape up and out of the way near the Waistband so you can see the raw edge of the side seam allowance underneath.

Clip halfway into the seam allowance of the Waistband, approximately ½ inch above where the Waistband joins the Skirt. This is so we can turn the section of seam allowance below this under on itself in the next step. 

The blue line in the photo is where you snip. The pink line is the existing stitching where the Waistband meets the Skirt. You should be approximately ½ inch above this, and you only need to snip ½ way into the seam allowance.

Fold the seam allowance on the side of the zipper under on itself so the raw edge is hidden between the zipper and the seam allowance, pin the seam allowance to the zipper tape and press.

The goal here is to hide the raw edges so that the inside of the Skirt is completely finished.

This is a very narrow section of seam allowance, so this can be a bit tricky. If you have them, pin using dressmakers pins or glass head pins (not plastic head pins). That way you can press with the pins in place to make it easier. Make sure to put a pressing cloth or clean tea towel over the pins before pressing so they don’t mark your iron.

Stitch the seam allowance to the zipper tape. You want to stitch as close to the folded edge as possible.

Repeat steps 6.1 to 6.3 for the other side of the zipper.

Flip the Waistband over to the wrong side of the Skirt and pin. Make sure the seam allowance at each short end is tucked under. The Waistband should be wrong side to wrong side together.

Tuck the top of the zipper tape into the Waistband so it is hidden. 

All raw edges at the Waistband should now be neatly tucked away inside and the zipper should go all the way to the top of the Waistband.

TIP – The folded memory hem of the Waistband should be just below the seam where the Waistband attaches to the Skirt. That way when you do step 7.2, you will catch the Waistband on both sides when you sew. I overlapped mine approximately ⅛ inch to do this.

From the right side of the skirt, stitch along the seam where the Waistband attaches to the Skirt. This is called ‘stitching in the ditch’.

If you haven’t done this before stitching in the ditch is when you sew exactly on top of a previous seam. The stitching will not be easily visible in the finished garment and you will catch the other side of the Waistband in your stitching, so the raw edges are all hidden.

Stitch slowly and hold the Waistband and fabric flat on either side of the presser foot to help you get the stitch right into the crease, so it is not visible on the finished skirt. Lift the Skirt up occasionally and check you are catching the other side of the Waistband in your stitching. 

When you have finished, check if the short ends are also secure. If not, stitch down these approximately ¼ inch from the edge using your zipper foot to secure all raw edges inside.

TIP – Use a thread in your needle that matches the Skirt and aim for a tiny fraction onto the skirt instead of the Waistband and it usually ends up fairly invisible.

ALTERNATIVE – If you would prefer, you can topstitch on the actual Waistband (approximately ⅛ inch from the crease). Your stitching will be more visible but it’s definitely easier.

OPTIONAL – If you have a gap above your zipper you can add a hook and eye to close it. 

SERGER / OVERLOCKER OPTION – Serge along the hem to neaten the edges. Fold the hem 1 inch towards the wrong side. The skip to step 8.4.

REGULAR SEWING MACHINE OPTION – Follow the instructions below:

Fold the hem ½ inch toward the wrong side and press.

Fold a second time ½ inch toward the wrong side and press. This will enclose the raw edge.

OPTIONAL – If you are sewing with a heavier fabric, before stitching around the hem, unfold the hem and trim the French seam allowance just under ½ inch.  This will reduce bulk in the seam but still conceal all the raw edges.

From the right side, topstitch along the fold just under ½ inch into the seam allowance. 

Press well.

Alternatively, you can sew a blind hem on the machine or by hand.