Sunday 7 December 2014

DIY Pleated Skirt

Hello! So about a week ago I was inspired by Carbon Chic to learn how to make my own pleated skirt. I had always been scared of sewing pleats - but now I know that it's actually much easier than you might think! In this video, I have tried to explain how to make a style of pleats called "knife pleats" - the same type that is popular in American Apparel skirts right now - as simply as possible. Enjoy, and let me know what you think of the video!

I hope you're all having a great weekend,







Bloglovin' | Youtube | Facebook | Twitter |  Instagram | Chictopia | Lookbook | Tumblr

19 comments:

  1. This skirt is soo cute! I just need to see if I have any fabric to make this with... if not I shall definitely go charity shopping to find some <3

    The Quirky Queer

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Welp my fabric is just an old bedsheet, so you can pretty much use anything :P A tip, though, try and find fabric that doesn't crinkle easily - otherwise you'll forever be ironing your pleats!

      Delete
  2. I'm going to try this right now. :) I'm 20 inches short on fabric, so I'll just make new calculations for the pleats. Wish me luck! :)

    vegcourtesy.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh my goodness, good luck! Let me know how you do the measurements & how it works out! If you leave a bit more space between each pleat (so like, 2 inches between marks 3 and 1), you should be fine :)

      Delete
  3. Pleated skirts are awesome! \o/ I like the way yours turned out, I should probably consider sewing down the pleats a bit to make them look sharper.

    I made a couple of pleated skirts this fall, but I didn't measure the pleats, I just folded them over because I'm lazy :D I also usually start the pleats from the middle of the fabric and make the pleats go inwards from two directions, just because I like the way it looks better :)

    While making a waistband I've stopped using the method you use and instead started making waistbands that encase the upper edge of the skirt - it's a better way if the upper edge is fraying because then it's hidden within the waistband! (Like I did with this skirt: http://somescoundrel.blogspot.fi/2014/09/diy-pleated-skirt-tutorial.html ) The method you use is a bit faster to do and works if the fabric is not the fraying kind, but I find the encasing waistband works better with most fabrics I use :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yess thank you so much, I'm sorry I never replied to that but that is awesome :)

      Delete
  4. Such a cute skirt! I should really try my hand at sewing.

    Melissa
    wildflwrchild.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  5. Wow!! Using a bedsheet is genius :D I was wondering if you could maybe do a tutorial sometime on how to do a sweetheart neckline! I had this awesome idea to make a pinup style dress by attaching one and a circle skirt together with halter-ish straps. I always see them online but they're so freaking expensive! But unfortunately I don't really know how to do the bodice haha. Anyway, thank you for this fabulous video!

    ReplyDelete
  6. oooo! That fabric is an absolute dream! You did a great job!

    xoxo,
    Laura
    http://lauraisthriftingthroughlife.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete
  7. Such a cute skirt! I sewed a pleated skirt once, and thanks to the fact that I had help, it came out pretty well! I want to make another one somewhere soon :) You did a great job yourself!
    x Angela // the-style-doll.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  8. Such a cute skirt! I sewed a pleated skirt once, and thanks to the fact that I had help, it came out pretty well! I want to make another one somewhere soon :) You did a great job yourself!
    x Angela // the-style-doll.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  9. OMG, the skirt is so lovely, I love its color and pattern, look so good!!!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Wow, love this! Such pretty fabric too :)
    xox

    ReplyDelete
  11. Thanks so much! This skirt is adorable and so much easier then I thought it would be. Thanks for saving me hours trying to find this on the web!
    xx

    ReplyDelete
  12. You sure can!
    You just need to change the width between each 1, 2, 3 mark. So change the distance to 0.7 inches or 0.5 inches (instead of 1 inch) if you want to make your pleats thinner. You will still use the same amount of fabric, so still use 3x your waist measurement! I hope that helps :)

    ReplyDelete
  13. Can I make this skirt without the zipper?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You could use buttons instead. You could also try it with stretchy fabric - although I don't know what effect that will have on the shape of the pleats.

      Delete
  14. What would I need to alter if I wanted to make smaller pleats? Great tutorial by the way :)

    ReplyDelete
  15. Honestly Annika you have the clearest and easiest videos to follow. Thank you.

    ReplyDelete

Thank you so much for taking the time to leave me a message! I read every single one. Don't forget to check back for a reply if you leave a question! ♥

Related Posts with Thumbnails