Easy Pleated Skirt Pattern, FREE Sew-Along: Part 1

I have a new, easy pleated skirt pattern to share with you that will help streamline your figure and look great.  This A-line shaped skirt style is so easy to sew that you'll want to make a few skirts and they should last you for many years.

Warning:  This is a sew-along where you will learn how to handle this pattern to fit it to any waist size, how to shorten and lengthen the skirt.  Therefore, sizes are limited.

Made of linen, cotton, light wool or other fabrics with a bit of body, this skirt will give you an effortlessly classy and elegant look.  This skirt has three pleats in the front and three in the back.

Lately, I have had a few requests and since there are a few that relate to each other I thought a sew-along showing how to do alterations and customizations would cover many of the questions and requests you guys sometimes send my way.

I must say that I do enjoy getting mail and comments from everyone and, believe it or not, requests make my life easier since I don't have to wonder what am I going to write about next.  So thank you and keep them coming!

I have divided this tutorial and sew-along into four parts so I can share with you a few details that will make this an easy and valuable learning experience.  I really want you to end up with a great finished product!

• Part One:  Print, cut and sew the skirt and pleats.
• Part Two:  How to sew a skirt lining with an invisible zipper.
• Part Three:  How to hem a pleated skirt.
• Part Four:  How to fit and alter the pattern to make the skirt bigger or smaller.

Materials

• two (2) yards of medium weight fabric at least 44″ wide (cotton, quilting cotton, linen, or light wool)
• 3/4 yard of lining soft cotton (lawn or batiste), silk or satin.
• 1/4 yard of woven or non-woven fusible interfacing
• one (1) invisible zipper 10″ long
• thread to match.

Tools

• Sewing needle #70, #11
• Rotary cutter
• Sewing machine
• Serger or overlocker
• Invisible and normal zipper feet
• Tailor's chalk

Fabric recommendations

Please note: Do not attempt to make this skirt until you have read all the instructions.  You should know how to read a pattern, how to layout fabric and have made at least one skirt before attempting this tutorial.

Advanced sewers or those that do not require instructions can proceed.

For confident beginners and intermediates, after following the four parts of the tutorial you will be able to:

• Attach an invisible zipper
• Sew pleats
• Hem a skirt with pleats in two ways
• Alter a skirt with your own measurements
• Pattern transformation using the same pattern

Finished Measurements

Pattern Layout

Pattern Download

Download the Free Pattern

You can download the pattern for this Easy Pleated Skirt from our account at Payhip.

For help downloading and printing PDF patterns, please CLICK HERE.

 

 

Pattern Download

Step One:  Print the pattern

Use the latest version of Adobe Reader and print in Landscape mode.  Your pattern does not contain seam allowances.  Add 5/8″.  The hem of this easy pleated skirt pattern is 1″ and the lining of the skirt is 3/4″.

Step Two:  How to layout the easy pleated skirt pattern

I folded the fabric lengthwise and used both ends.  There will be some leftover in the center, but I know I can use it to make a small handbag with the rest of the fabric.

The same pattern is good for the front as it is for the back.  In other words, we need to cut the pattern as a mirror image.  All the pleats will be folded toward the left.  Make a notch on the waist seam allowance to mark the pleats.  Make sure you have five notches, one will be in the fold of the fabric.  The tendency is to forget this fold, but you will need it because this notch will mark the center of the skirt and the depth of the second pleat.

All the pleats will be folded toward the left.  Make a notch on the waist seam allowance to mark the pleats.  Make sure you have five notches, one will be in the fold of the fabric.  The tendency is to forget this fold, but you will need it because this notch will mark the center of the skirt and the depth of the second pleat.

Pattern placement for the front. 

Pattern placement for the back.  Flip the pattern upside down to get the pleats going in the same direction. 

Step Three:  Sewing the zipper and sides of the skirt

I'm using a 10″ zipper because I am recycling one from an old blouse and it also fits this design perfectly.

Sew the zipper using the invisible zipper foot.  For a detailed explanation of this step please visit this tutorial about how to attach an invisible zipper.  The method below is a little different, but both ways are going to give you the same result.

Mark the seam allowance using tailor's chalk.  I'm using blue and I have only made a very faint line but I still can see it.

Use your overlocker to finish the seam allowance but don't use the knife unless you have to so we don't reduce the size of fabric before fitting.  I prefer to do this before I sew the zipper because I find it hard to do it at the end when the zipper is already in place.  The lining will not cover to the hem of the skirt so the side seam will need to be zigzagged or serged. 

Align the top of the zipper face down with the top of the skirt and pin the zipper, aligning the zipper teeth with the tailor's chalk marking you have done previously (see picture above).

Using your invisible zipper foot, sew the zipper in place using the left-hand groove of the zipper foot.  For more information on how to use your zipper foot, please check out this article.

Still working with the zipper right side down, place the fabric upside down and align the teeth with the tailor's chalk.  Pin the zipper and sew.  

Use the right groove of the invisible zipper foot.  

Change your machine to a normal zipper foot.  This is necessary so we can get as close as possible to the zipper and still sew the side using the chosen seam allowance.  In my case, the seam allowance is 5/8″.  Right sides together fold and sew the side starting where you had to stop sewing the zipper.  (see picture above)

Sew all the way to the hem and then iron with the seam open.

Sew the other side of the skirt and iron seams open as well.

Step Four:  Making the pleats

There are 6 pleats on the skirt, three in the front and three in the back.

The picture below shows you the skirt on the fold.  Starting on the right-hand side of the zipper.  Fold line A up to line B, (B becomes under pleat).  Place A/B on top of C.  

This is when you will be making the first fitting.  I will explain in more detail in Part Four.

Sew the pleats down 3.5″ from the waistband.

Fold the pleats from left to right and topstitch at 1/4″ to keep in place.

Step Five:  Sewing the waistband to the lining

Apply woven or non-woven fusible interfacing.  If you are using woven interfacing cut the interfacing following the same gain line as the facing.

Place the print sides together, sew the right-hand side of the facing.  

Open the seam and serge the seam edges open.  Iron.

We will work on the lining now and you will have to join right sides together and sew the left side of the lining at 5/8″.   In other words, don't sew where the zipper is supposed to go.  Serge with open seams, then iron.

Join the facing to the lining by first pinning the side seam, right sides together.  

Pin the other end of the lining and the facing together.  You will notice the lining of the skirt is a fair bit bigger than the facing, this is so when you sit down the lining will not crawl up your thighs.

Make a few pleats between the side seam and the zipper on both front and back of the lining and sew at 5/8″.

Serge the seam allowance and iron the facing and the lining.

Step Six:  Attaching the lining to the skirt

We will work with the skirt right side out (print) and the lining wrong side out, or right sides skirt and lining facing each other as shown in the picture below. 

As before, we will start by aligning the side seams of the skirt with the side seam of the lining.  Continue pinning from the side to the zipper.  

When you get to the zipper, wrap the facing around the zipper. 

Sew at 5/8″.  Keep a strict seam allowance at the ends where the zipper and the facing meet since this will be visible once you turn the lining inside.

End of Part One of the Easy Pleated Skirt sew-along.  Check out the rest of the parts by clicking the links below.

• Part One:  Print, cut and sew the skirt and pleats.
• Part Two:  How to sew a skirt lining with an invisible zipper.
• Part Three:  How to make pleats and hem a pleated skirt.
• Part Four:  How to fit and alter the pattern to make the skirt bigger or smaller.

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