Sewing: Plaid Taffeta Wrap Skirt with Ribbon Tie (Tutorial)

I love plaid for Fall, don't you? I spied this beautiful plaid taffeta fabric at Jo-Ann last year and had been wondering what could be done with it. Lucky for you they are still carrying it in the store and I've seen it online. They have this Royal Blue, as well as a Fuchsia and a Green. I bought some of the Green, perhaps for myself--we'll see.

Bold plaids are such a fun statement for Fall so when Jo-Ann invited me to create a "Sewing with Style" look for their Jo-Ann 2014 Fall LookBook I decided to use this fabric for a sophisticated look for Scarlett. It's not very often that a little girl wears a full length dress or skirt. It's such a great, dressy look! I would love to see a wedding party of little girls dressed this way. Scarlett loves it.

We just happened to have this beautiful velour top to match and some gold glitter flats. I think this is a great look with a cardigan too.

This is a pretty easy project to make. Great for beginners! It involves simple hemming and straight seams. I've got all the instructions below.

PLAID TAFFETA WRAP SKIRT WITH RIBBON TIE

You'll Need:

• Taffeta 55" fabric in Large Plaid (I used Royal, but Fuchsia and Green are great too) (see the directions below for determining the amount of fabric you'll need for your size)
• 1.5" wide grosgrain ribbon in a coordinating color (I used Emerald) (see below to determine the amount)
• Coordinating thread

This skirt is one wide piece of fabric, with a ribbon waistband and integrated tie. It is worn by wrapping the skirt around the waist, slipping one of the ties through a large buttonhole in the waistband, wrapping the ribbon and round the back and joining it with the other tie to form a large bow on the side.

Determining measurement of the skirt piece:

• To determine the amount of fabric you will need, measure your girl's waist. You will want fullness in the skirt that is about twice the circumference of her waist. But the skirt will wrap, so you will need an overlap of another 1/2 of that amount. For example, if my girl's waist is 20", I will need 40" for the width plus an additional 20" for the overlap, which means I need about 60" of fabric for the width. For the length measure your girl from her waist to the desired length and add 1.5" for seam allowance and hem. So if my girl's waist to ankle measurement is 32" I will need 33.5" for length which means I need to cut a piece of fabric 33.5" high and 60" wide. Purchasing one yard of 60" fabric, or about 2 yards of 45" fabric will work.

Determining the length of ribbon for the waistband and tie:

• For the wasitband, you will need one and one-half times (1.5) the circumference of your girl's waist plus 1" for finishing, and then this same amount again so you can encase the gathered top of the skirt in two layers of ribbon. You will need another length for the ties forming the bow, which will be 1/2 the waist measurement plus 1 yard. using my example, for a 20" waist I will need two 31" lengths of ribbon for the waistband and another 46" for the ties.

To Make:

• Cut two lengths of the grosgrain ribbon the measurement for the waistband (1.5" yoru girl's waist circumference plus 1"). Turn under the raw edges 1/4" twice and stitch down to finish and prevent fraying. Take the ribbon for the ties (1/2 the waist circumference plus one yard), finish it similarly and set it aside.
• Finish the short ends of your skirt fabric by turning them under 1/2" two times and stitching close to the fold.
• Hem the skirt by turning up the bottom 1/2" twice and stitching close to the fold.
• Gather the top of the skirt fabric by stitching two rows of basting stitches 1/2" below the top or using another method of gathering, such as zigzag stitching over a doubled piece of thread, which you can then pull to gather.
• Pulling your threads, adjust the gathers evenly to fit the skirt to your waistband ribbon.
• Pin the skirt to the bottom of one of the lengths of waistband ribbon with right side of the skirt to wrong side of the ribbon (if there is a wrong side). The bottom of the ribbon should be just below your basting stitches.
• Stitch the skirt to the ribbon waistband.
• Now lay the second length of waistband ribbon on to of the first, wrong sides together, so that the gathered to of the skirt is sandwiched between the ribbon. Pin well along the top and bottom of the waistband pieces.
• Before stitching, take the ribbon you set aside for the ties, measure a length for the short tie (the piece that won't wrap aground the back of the waist). This should be something close to the waist measurement. In my example I cut 18". Insert the raw end of the short tie ribbon into the end of the pinned waistband, between the two layers of ribbon. Insert it about 1/2" inch and pin to secure. Take the remaining, longer length of ribbon, and insert the raw end of it into the other end of the waistband, and pin it to secure.
• Stitch the waistband ribbons close to the edges, all along the top, bottom and short ends, securing the ties you have pinned into the ends.
• Place a pin at a distance equal to 1/2 the waist circumference from the edge of the waistband with the shorter tie. Create a button hole running perpendicular to the waistband at this point.

To wear the skirt, wrap it around the waist overlapping it in front. Take the long tie and insert it through the button hole from the inside of the skirt to the outside. Wrap this long tie around the back of the waist and bring it to the other side to tie with the short tie, forming a bow.