May
10
from Sheet to Maxi Skirt
it is the most comfortable skirt, and my friends are gonna get sick of seeing me wearing it, cause i pretty much want to wear it everyday.
so i figured…one wasn’t enough…
i changed this one up a bit, lengthening the ruffle for more “scrunch” and sewed the ruffle to the outside of the skirt this time around. i felt like that defined the ruffles a bit more. when i make another (cause i plan to!) i’ll do it this way again.
UPDATE:
10/11/12
it has been called to my attention that the original tutorial for this skirt that i linked above has been removed because the blogger is beginning to sell this item. i’m sorry! and i do not feel comfortable sharing the specifics since it did not originate with me. however, this link is to post i did recently with a tutorial i created that can be used to make this skirt! just use jersey knit (or a jersey sheet) and add ruffles at the bottom!
you could also choose to eliminate the elastic waistband and do a yoga style waistband instead.
i will tell you about the ruffles, since i changed them up a bit. for the ruffles: the length of my ruffles on this original skirt was 148 inches each. the bottom one was 9 inches wide, and the top one was 6 inches wide. i pieced together 2 74 inch strips of fabric (to make long strips that were 148 inches long), for each ruffle (so 2 long strips that are both 148 inches in length), then ran a long stitch on the top of each strip. i pulled the underside of the thread (the bobbin thread) to ruffle the fabric. i scrunched the fabric along the other thread, until it had it ruffled to 74 inches….to fit all the way around the skirt bottom. i placed the shorter ruffle on top of the long ruffle, lining up the tops, and then i pinned them at the same time onto the skirt, and sewed on the OUTSIDE, so that it created a little ruffle on the top where it was attached.
depending on the width of your skirt bottom, you will need to adjust these measurements. (if using the tutorial i linked you to, based on my measurements, i would’ve had 2 strips that were 110 inches long, since my skirt width was 55. i would suggest making it a little wider than that, as the tutorial explains) you just want to be sure that the ruffles are twice the length of your skirt bottom. let me know if you have questions!
Great idea! I love this – will have to do this one, for sure! thanks for sharing!
Girl, you've got skills! I wish I knew how to sew… or owned a sewing machine. Ha! Maybe I can hire you to make one for me?
I was so scared that I would be terrible at sewing which would devastate me (because I really wanted to be good at it), but I got an easy to use sewing machine (brother cs6000i) as a gift and with the ease of it and all the tutorials online it isn’t as hard as I thought – give it a shot!! It is so fun to make your own things!
Totally dig this!! I actually saw the gray jersey knit on sale at Hobby Lobby yesterday and had it in my hands then put it back because I didn't have a project in mind for it. I'm totally going back to get it!
I agree with Whitney! I looked at the heather gray jersey just yesterday at Hobby Lobby, but was worried it was too thin for a skirt. Do you find that the pink jersey skirt seems thin/see throughish? I thought I might need to double the fabric. What do you suggest?
Jill
@Anonymous:
i would not suggest doubling the fabric. i think that would make the skirt really heavy. i haven't had a problem with the jersey knit being see-thru, although if i wear striped underwear, you can somewhat see that. i just try to keep it neutral underneath and haven't had a problem! i also find that when i put the skirt on, i gently tug at it all around a bit so that it stretches some and isn't too tight around the bottom. that helps to not hug the body so tightly.
That's really smart! Thanks for sharing!!!
For dang cute!!!!! You have an amazing tan to go with it!
For dang cute!!!!! You have an amazing tan to go with it! Also…no offense intended for the other blog but your skirt is tons cuter and hangs better. What did you do differently??
@joanna:
thanks for the comment! i really followed the tutorial except for the changes i mentioned above. i do like the pink one where i sewed the ruffle to the outside of the skirt. i think that might make it hang differently. other than that, not sure why it hangs differently? maybe it was the type of fabric i used. some jersey knits are thicker than others. mine was a thinner jersey knit. let me know if you attempt it!
ok – i know you don't know me at all – but i came across this post and i LOVE LOVE LOVE this skirt – i don't have a sewing machine or know the first thing about sewing but i will pay you to make one or two for me
i love both colors you've done here. PLEASE SAY YOU'RE WILLING!!!! This would be a perfect summer skirt!
email me at shellyeve at gmail
@shellyeve:
but its a pretty simple project…i think you should make it your first sewing attempt!! 
you are funny! i wish i had the time and energy to whip these up for lots of you, but i'd have to charge you way more than its worth to make it worth my time and effort
Just pinned this, excited to make a bunch!!! love the hot pink!
Love the pink skirt! I will pay you to make me one too! My email is becky_spears@yahoo.com
Let me know if you will sell me one or two or three! ;o)
Thanks!
Becky
I would love to buy one as well! plgordon22@yahoo.com
Love it, wish I had the patience to sew. HMM going to have to find someone to do it for me
This is such a pretty skirt! Love the ruffles. Thanks so much for the great idea. Can't wait to make one!
this is beautiful!! you did such an awesome job – i love it!!
So excited! Hope mine turns out as nice as yours! Thanks for sharing!
I love this pink skirt with the ruffle and plan on making one! How many yds do you recommend I get? Also, can you tell us how long the ruffle panel was and the width? TIA
@Anonymous:
i used 2 yards, and if i recall, did not have much left over. the ruffle dimensions were 148 inches by 9 inches and 148 inches by 6 inches. i had to piece together (2) 74 inch pieces to make the ruffle piece the proper length.
so cute!!! and a silly question, but where do you find your tanks?
@Kristine:
i bought both tanks at walmart for just a few bucks
I made one of these today in yellow. Turned out super cute, but it is a little see through. Any ideas what to line it with?
@chanelle:
there are a number of things you could line it with: a light cotton muslin, broadcloth, cotton voile, or even the same fabric that you used for the outside. fabric stores also sell dress lining…its usually a slip-like polyester fabric. it really depends on what would feel the most comfortable to you
Re. lining, only line part way down, just enough to hit above your knees and cover up what you don’t want showing. Saves a ton of money and doesn’t make the skirt heavier. Love what you did and thanks for sharing all the ideas!!
Thanks for sharing! I'm planning on makig one tomorrow night. Did you hem the bottom of each ruffle layer or leave the edges raw? Thanks!
@Anonymous:
i left each ruffle edge raw. since i used jersey fabric, the edges roll up nicely, so you don't need to hem them.
I was going to ask the same thing about hemming the ruffles!! Did you? The other tutorial didn't say if she did either!
@Anonymous and Matt, Carrie, Lucy and Molly Allen:
great question! i did not hem the ruffles. i left the edges raw. since its jersey material, it just rolls up nicely and you don't need a hem, saving a lot of time!
How log did you cut each strip for your ruffles? did you only at one or two? did you hem the bottom of the skirt if you added ruffle over it?
@Anonymous:
my ruffle piece dimensions were 148 inches by 9 inches and 148 inches by 6 inches. i had to piece together (2) 74 inch pieces to get the proper length for each ruffle. i did not hem the bottom of the skirt, nor did i hem the edges of the ruffles. if you are using jersey material, it is not necessary to hem since it will roll nicely.
I found the tutorial several months ago and asked her if I could buy one from her (since I don't sew.) She wasn't available to make one for me. I recognized the pattern as soon as I saw your skirt on Pinterest. Any interest in making one to sell? kimjeanr@yahoo.com
These are gorgeous! I can't wait to make some for my girls and I. Stopping at good will very soon!!!
Thanks for sharing.
~Jennie
So comfy and pretty looking! I just bought a sheet at the Thrift store yesterday! Can't wait to make a skirt out of it.
~RacheL H.
Thanks for the great post!! …..it led to me making 5 of these in 2 days….I went overboard for sure, I'm blaming triple shot grande soy cappuccinos !! 4 knits (yes, the pink from Hobby Lobby) and 2 linen. I made a few changes as well, on the linens I added a tiny gathered boarder, or 1″ ruffle above the bottom two, I also made the bottom ruffles larger on all the skirts (10 to 12″) On the knits I used a wide elastic in the waist so I could have it stay put if I was wearing platforms and wanted to have it sitting lower on my hips (so it reached the floor) but so that it also sat right higher up my waist if I was wearing flip flops. The 2 linen skirts have a side zipper. After doing the first skirt like the DIY instructions, I decided to separated the bottom two ruffles on the 5 other skirts, sewing the lower one to the skirt, then the top one about 2″ above (this seemed to give the ruffles more individual “ruffling” or separation)…. I wish I could post the photos here on your great blog, no luck, so I have added my link to the photos here: http://petitebohemians.blogspot.com/
@Angela Maria:
your skirts look great!!! thanks so much for taking the time to post a link with your photos. i especially love the tiny ruffle that you added. i'll have to keep that in mind for the next skirt i make! thanks again for stopping by! enjoy your new summer wardrobe
Ive been wanting to make maxi dresses out of the bed sheets but just havent been able to find a good pattern but i think while im looking im going to make a few of these skirts (i love love love long skirts!)
Thank you!
Jess
The skirts look great! Just curious, what size sheet did you buy? I know you purchased 2 yards for the pink but wondered if you remember what size the sheet was? Thanks! Can't wait to try it!
@Anonymous:
my sheet size as a Full.
I LOVE this skirt!! I will definitely be making one very soon!
Tracey
http://www.ciaofromtexas.com
This is just amazing… it looks so pretty.. I will also follow this to make one mine too.. Thank for sharing..
cheap sequin tank top
so where do I go to see how its made?
@Tiffany Hope:
here is the link for the original tutorial. i linked it above in the post as well.
http://elleapparel.blogspot.com/2012/03/maxi-skirt-dress-it-down.html
good luck!
Is it one piece folded and sewn on just one side? Couldn't tell from pictures and tutorial doesn't specify
@nicole abboud:
it is actually sewn up both sides, so there are side seams on each side. i'm sure you could fold it over and sew, but i cut each piece out and sewed them together. hope that helps!
ok, so I tried making this tonight and the knit was so hard to work with…it kept rolling and then the measurements given on the original tutorial didn't make the two pieces wide enough….will have to try again and find another use for the cut/partially sewn I have left over…. do you have any tips on using the knit?
@Anonymous:
knit can be a little tricky to work with, because it does roll. i would suggest either holding down the edge where it rolls when you measure (someone can help you do this as well. another set of hands might help!), to make sure you are getting the proper measurements, or adding in extra length and width to make up for the rolling. mine also rolled, but i was able to still get the proper measurements and finish the skirt. it takes some getting used to, so if this is the first time you've used knit, it can be frustrating. keep trying
I love the ruffles on the pink one! But I can't seem to find the measurments or the technique you used to make them. Is there anyway you can fill me in???
@Christy Ireland:
if i remember correctly, the length of my ruffles were 148 inches each. the bottom one was 9 inches wide, and the top one was 6 inches wide. i pieced together 2 74 inch strips of fabric, then ran a long stitch on the top of each strip. i pulled the underside of the thread (the bobbin thread) to ruffle the fabric. i scrunched the fabric along the other thread, until it had it ruffled to 74 inches….to fit all the way around the skirt bottom. i placed the shorter ruffle on top of the long ruffle, lining up the tops, and then i pinned them at the same time onto the skirt, and sewed on the OUTSIDE, so that it created a little ruffle on the top where it was attached. for more on ruffling, you can see my post here: http://www.asmallsnippet.blogspot.com/2012/09/childs-elastic-waist-ruffled-skirt.html.
hope that helps!
Brilliant! One more reason to learn to sew!
The original tutorial is no longer available
and I just bought my fabric too…
@Caribbean Island Girl:
thank you for letting me know that! i was not aware. i have updated this post with a new tutorial link and idea to still create a skirt like this. let me know if you have questions!
Its realy wonderful post, looking very interesting are going to be glad present and recomendate my girlftriend Iam positive they shall be happy read this write-up
I realize that this is probably a bonehead question but did you sew both layers of ruffles onto the actual skirt or is the bottom layer of ruffles hanging off the bottom of the skirt? So the top (of the bottom layer of ruffles) to the bottom of the skirt? Yikes!
Does that make sense? I can’t wait to make both of these skirts!
i hope i can answer the question you are trying to ask
the bottom ruffle is a longer sized ruffle. i cut it twice the length of the top ruffle, lined up the top edges of both the two ruffles, and sewed them both together onto the bottom of the skirt at the same time. so the bottom ruffle actually goes all the way to the top of the top ruffle, underneath. does that make sense?
Love this so much! Just getting ready to make it. I noticed the changes in regards to the tutorial and I was wondering if on your original skirts that are pictured did you do an elastic or yoga waistband? I know you used elastic on the attached tutorial, but I’ve often found that elastic doesn’t lay as nice if I wear a shirt over it. Just curious!
@Julianne:
for the skirts pictured here, i did a yoga style waistband
how much material; what width & length, how much elastic & how wide.
Thank you
Carol
@Carol:
you can go to this tutorial:
http://asmallsnippet.com/2012/09/elastic-waist-skirt_20.html
to see specifics on amount of material, etc. just add in the measurements for the ruffles that i posted above.
I’ve been stumbling through your blog and I’m in love!! When I decide to put my computer down and walk away, I can’t seem to! You’re inspiring!
I want to make this skirt as well, but I’m thinking I will skip the ruffles. Do you think it will look silly without? I’m trying to keep this project as simples as I can for now, being I’m still experimenting with my new sewing machine. Would it be easier to go with the elastic waist skirt if I do skip the ruffles?
@Danielle:
come back and tell me how it goes after you try it out!
thanks for reading! i totally think you can you skip the ruffles! the elastic waist skirt tutorial (http://asmallsnippet.com/2012/09/elastic-waist-skirt_20.html) might be easier to begin with, just eliminate the lining and pockets. but this tutorial would be pretty simple without the ruffles too
Super cute skirts… But what about your necklaces???? Love them! Did you make or purchase?
I am really going to have to dust off my very old Brother sewing machine and pray I can make some things with it….
@Lisa:
the necklaces were given to me as a gift, but they were purchased through Avon a few years ago. Avon has a line called Mark that has some young and hip items, and sometimes you can find some great, inexpensive jewelry. both of those necklaces came from that Mark line. i’m not sure that you can find the exact ones anymore, but they do have some current styles that are really cute.