Polka Dot Pintuck Skirt Tutuorial

Supplies

-Around 2 yards of fabric (if you want it less big then mine, then so less fabric) *make sure it is a more flowy or light weight/thin fabric because if it is heavy or stiff it will be very hard to gather or it will be way too fluffy looking.

*optional - lining fabric or buy extra to add underneath. I just wore a slip

-sewing machine

-thread that matches

-scissors

-elastic (or zipper if you want to add a waist band with the fabric instead)

 Instructions:

1. Measure how far you down from your waist (where you want the skirt to sit) to where you want the first pintuck to start and make sure you add an inch for the elastic (All together mine was 8 inches form the waist to the first pintuck).

2. Mark this with a fabric pen, or if you are like me and you don't have one, then mark it with pins.

3. Then start marking your pintucks. Choose how big you want your pintucks ( I choose an inch), the double it (for me 2 inches), then mark that with pins or a fabric marker. So....in my case 8 inches down plus 2 more inches. 

4a. Iron or just sew depending on what you are more in the mood for. If you iron, match up the pins or the fabric pen markings (This is why I feel pins are WAY more helpful) then Iron down a crease. Keep the pins in to make it your guide to sewing the pintuck, unless you marked it then that will be your guide. OR 4b.

4b. Because I have a lack of a big ironing board I decided just to sew and bypass the whole iron thing till the end. So, This is where I matched up the pins between my fingers then added another pin to keep it perfect. If you also marked, then you can take out the 2 pins and just keep the one pin.

5. Time for pintuck #2...and the rest! So, space the pintucks out however much you want. I decided to make the pintucks and inch long and the space between an inch long as well. So, I measured an inch from the first pintuck and marked it, then measured 2 more inches below that (because my pinctucks are an inch long, then you have to double it). Then sew by using either 4a or 4b. Then continue with as many pintucks as you want. I did 7 all together. 

6. Now time to hem! Under your last pintuck, cut down the fabric short enough so it can't be seen. Mine was about a quarter inch. Here you can serge or finish it off by zig zag stitching the edges like a serge. Make sure the thread matches. I didn't have matching thread so I ripped the fabric short so it would curl inwards. But that won't prevent the fraying.

7a. How to add the elastic is super easy. The first way you can do it, shown below, involves stretching the elastic as you sew. The more you stretch the more gathered it will be. I put it on a very long straight stitch because it will give more room to stretch and the stitch will be tiny when unstretched. If you want the fabric to be stretched equally around the elastic band, then mark the elastic band in quarters as well as the skirt's un-gathered waist.

7b. This isn't shown, but it is the method I used. If you are using lots of fabric or you want it very gathered and need it to fit in an elastic band, but the stretching isn't getting all the fabric gathered then you will have to gather the fabric before hand with a basting stitch or ruffling or gathering foot. When the waistband of the skirt is all gathered to exactly your waist size, add the elastic without any stretching at all, but make sure to zig zag stitch this time. when you have finished, pull the waistband to hear lots of stitches popping, which is the basting stitch. Then at this point the zig zag stitch will be holding it up.

8. Sew the two ends together putting right sides together. pin the pintucks and elastic band together before hand to make sure they line up perfectly. 

9. Iron the gathered part of the waist band to de-fruff it and iron down the pintucks!! DONE!

If you feel the skirt is very big, then wash is to soften it.