Lace & Plaid Midi Skirt DIY

Hi Sewing Rabbit friends! Today I am sharing with you a tutorial for this plaid and lace midi skirt I made myself for the holidays. It has a flattering fit for all sizes since it sits at the smallest part of your waist and has nice smooth box pleats. It even has pockets too!

Vintage modern styling at its best.

Lace & Plaid Midi Skirt DIY.

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MATERIALS:

• plaid fabric
• lace
• lining fabric
• 9-12” invisible zipper

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HOW TO:

• Cut your plaid fabric to your desired width and length. To determine how wide you need your fabric measure your natural waist and then decide how big you want your pleats and how many you want total. I decided I wanted 2.5” pleats and wanted 4 in the front and 4 in the back with a little space on both sides were the side seams are for the pockets. To determine the width of your fabric take your desired pleat width and multiply that by 2 and then multiply that by the amount of pleats you want total. Take that number and then add that to your waist measurement and add ease and seam allowance. So for my skirt I did 2.5″ x 2 x 4+26”+1″=67″. Once you have that measurement cut it in half since you want a front piece and a back piece. For the back piece you will want to add at least 1/2” to allow for the zipper. So my front piece ended up measuring 33.5” wide and my back piece ended up measuring 34″. The length of your skirt is totally up to you. I decided I wanted a midi length but you can make yours longer or shorter.

 

• Now take your plaid fabric and your lace fabric and line them up evenly on top of each other like the photo above. You can pin the fabrics in place or even baste them together so they don’t move around when making your pleats. The length of your lace overlay is totally up to you as well. I decided to make mine about 2/3 the length of my plaid fabric.

• Now measure the width of your pleats using pins all the way across your fabric like the photo above. Since I decided I wanted 2.5” pleats I have a pin every 2.5” across the top of the front piece of my skirt as well as the back piece of my skirt. For the back of your skirt you will want to cut the fabric down the middle so you have two separate pieces so you can install your zipper later.

• Now find the middle pin and then fold the two pins on either side of it so they line up perfectly on top of each other like the photo above. Repeat this step with the rest of the pins on both the front and back pieces of your skirt.

• The front of your skirt should look like the photo above. The back pieces of your skirt should look the same only cut in half so you have two pleats on each piece. Don’t forget to leave about 1/2” seam allowance for the zipper we will be installing later.

• Now you want to cut out pocket pieces like shown in the photo above with your lining fabric or whatever fabric you choose. Pin them in place like the photo above. Now you want to baste your pleats in place at the top of your skirt and then sew the pockets in place at the side seams.

• Place your skirt pieces RST and sew the side seams and around the pockets like shown above. Repeat for both sides.

• Now you will want to cut out a waistband. I made mine 4” wide and 26” long (my waist measurement). Pin your waistband to your skirt and sew in place.

• Now we want to add our skirt lining. The Width of your lining will be the same total width you used for your main fabric of your skirt. Gather it at the top and then stitch to the waistband by sewing RST like the photo above.
• Now we want to install our invisible zipper. I found a great tutorial by Girl Inspired that explains this process so well. The tutorial explains how to add a zipper to a lined dress but it is the exact same process for a lined skirt. You can find the tutorial HERE.

 

• Once you install your zipper all you have left is to hem your skirt and you are DONE! Enjoy your new skirt!

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I hope I have inspired you to break out your sewing machines and make your own version of this skirt!

Happy sewing!