How To Sew A Long Skirt With Elastic Waistband
Long skirts are highly fashionable. They flatter your body regardless of your size. As a result, they are loved by many. One thing about long skirts is that they are easy to make. With the right fabric and sewing skills, you can easily make yourself a beautiful long skirt.
How Do You Sew A Long Skirt With Elastic Waistband?
Measure the size of your waist and hips for a comfortable dress and elastic waistband. Sew the sides of the fabric together to form a skirt. Then fix the elastic band onto the waist of the skirt.
To sew a long skirt with an elastic waistband, you need a long piece of fabric that you will turn into a long skirt. You also need elastic that is equal to the size of your waist to make your waistband.
Step 1. To start, measure the widest part of your hips. This ensures that the dress you make fits you properly. Wrap your measuring tape around your hips.
Mark the width of your hips and add at least one to five inches to the measurement. This ensures that your long skirt flows freely when you finally wear it. If you don’t want it too wide, add one inch. If you want it wide, add up to five inches.
Step 2. Measure the length from your waist to the floor. This helps to determine how long your skirt will be when it is finally done.
Record the measurement. Then add about three to five inches to the measurement. This provides you with several inches of allowance to sew the bottom seams and for the length of your waistband casing.
The measurements you have taken in these steps will determine the size of the fabric you need to make your long skirt.
Step 3. Cut a rectangular piece of fabric to correspond to these measurements. The top of the fabric will be equal to the measurement of your hips. The height of the fabric will be equal to the waist to bottom measurements.
When cutting the fabric, make sure you are as accurate as possible. Since you will be adding elastic to the waist, you may end up with a tight skirt if you don’t cut accurately. Or, you may sew a skirt that is too wide for your body.
Step 4. You need a large surface to work on. Make sure that your working area is clean and without clutter. Then lay your long skirt fabric on it with the wrong sides facing up. We will start working on our long skirt by first preparing the casing for the elastic waistband.
To do this properly, you can either fold or iron down flaps that will make the casing. For stretch fabrics, fold with your hands and pin the folds in place. For other fabrics, you can iron the flap of the casing into place.
Make the casing folds about two inches to allow enough room for your elastic band to get through to the other end easily. Then sew the folds in place on your sewing machine. You can use either the zigzag stitch for stretch fabric or the straight stitch for ordinary fabric.
Step 5. With the casing ready, you can insert your elastic band into it to make your waistband. But before you do that, you need to get the right measurement for the elastic band, Wrap an elastic band around your waist where you want your skirt to sit.
Make sure that the two opposite ends of the elastic meet. Then, add an extra inch and cut at this point. Hook a safety pin on one end of your elastic band. Use the safety pin to thread the elastic band through the casing from the provided ends.
You may insert your full elastic band into the casing before you get to the end of the fabric. Pin the elastic to the end where you began. Then, with one hand, hold and pull the safety pin as you pull the fabric back over the elastic with the other hand,
When you get the elastic band to the other end of the casing, sew the ends of the casing to secure the elastic. Make sure that the elastic band sits properly in its casing without rolling.
Step 6. With your waistband ready, you now need to make the sides of your skirt. Pick one side of the fabric and fold it onto the other side. The right side is folded onto itself. Straighten the sides and pin them in place from the waist to the bottom of the skirt.
Bring the pinned sides to the sewing machine. Sew along the sides without sewing on the pins. Your long skirt is now starting to take shape but it’s not yet ready to wear.
Step 7. Before you proceed to the final touches of the skirt, you must try it on. When you wear it, you will test the comfort of the elastic band and the skirt itself.
If it is too wide, you can fold the sides further to make it slimmer and more comfortable. If the elastic band is too tight, you can add some more inches to it, to make it more comfortable around your waist.
This is important as you don’t want to make the changes if any after you have finished sewing your skirt.
Step 8. Make finishing touches on your long skirt. You can start by sewing the bottom hem. Lay your skirt on your working surface inside out. Fold the bottom of your long skirt inwards about ¼ inch to ½ inch.
Pin the folds in place all around the skirt. Then bring the skirt to the sewing machine and stitch the hem in place.
Cut off any hanging threads on your long skirt. When you are satisfied that there is nothing else to do to perfect it, you have finished sewing a long skirt with an elastic waistband.
Step 9. It is now time to wear your long skirt. Before that, iron it to remove any wrinkles on the surface. Sewing may sometimes cause your fabric to crumble. If need be, you can wash and dry it before you iron it.
When it is ready, you can now wear your long skirt. Pair it with your favorite top and jacket and walk around in it to check how it feels and falls when worn. You can then make any final alterations that you may require.
How To Make A Gathered Skirt With Elastic Waistband
To make a gathered skirt with an elastic waistband, it is best if you started with a particular design in mind. You can make any type of skirt and then make it a gathered skirt by adding the elastic waistband onto it.
Take the amount of fabric you need for a skirt. Make the necessary measurements for your waist and the height of the skirt. Fold the fabric lengthwise to make its ends meet. Pin the ends in place and sew them on a sewing machine. Also, hem the bottom of the skirt, to have a ready-to-wear skirt.
All that’s missing now is gathers and an elastic waistband. Gather your skirt by hand and pin the pieces of gathered fabric together. Make the waistband casing for your skirt and sew it over the gathers you have already made.
Measure your elastic by wrapping it around your waist for the exact size you require. Mark an inch longer and cut. Insert this elastic band into your waistband casing with a safety pin and sew the ends of the casing once you are through.
Your gathered skirt with an elastic waistband is now ready to wear.
How To Sew A Waistband With Elastic
As a tailor, sewing a waistband is one of the important skills you should have. You can use the waistband to embellish and make your garment stand out. Sewing a waistband with elastic is one of the easiest waistbands you can make.
There are two ways to make this waistband. First, you can sew with a serger. This is a quick method that applies an elastic waistband to the garment. Measure an elastic band equal to the waist size of the garment. Sew its ends so that it is a circle.
Divide it into quarters so that you can mark equally the parts of the elastic that will go to the back front and sides of the garment. Pin the marked parts onto the garment and zigzag with a serger all around the waistline of the garment.
The second method involves sewing a casing through which you will insert the elastic. Leave enough allowance on the waistline of your garment to fold into a waistband casing. Leave an opening on both sides of the casing once you have folded and sewn it in place.
Insert the elastic through the opening with a safety pin. Sew shut the openings of the casing once you have inserted the elastic band.
Crafting has always been a deep-seated passion of mine, one that has flourished and evolved over the years.
I've dedicated considerable time to both studying and practicing in the realm of fashion and sewing, amassing a wealth of experience and skills.
It brings me great joy to share these insights and experiences with you all, hoping to inspire and foster a similar passion for the art of sewing.
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