My apple green bedsheet dress had a circular bottom. This is how you make one.
1. Measure your waistline, or where you want the waistline of your dress to fall. Divide by four.
2. Measure length of your skirt.
3. Fold fabric into four equal parts. Take into consideration the length of your dress when you do this.
4. Trace a quarter of a circle, the size of which is 1/4 of your waist measurement, on the corner of the fabric where the folds meet. Use a paper template for easier tracing.
5. Measure the length of your skirt. The hem should be shaped like a 1/4 circle as well. To make your hem perfect, measure from the corner (red dot) of the fabric. Now you have a pattern that looks like a quarter of a doughnut!
6. Trace your doughnut to the other layers of fabric. Do not forget allowances. When you unfold your pattern, you will have a whole doughnut. Yay!
7. Sew the waistline to the bottom of the upper part of your dress.
8. Sew hem. Now, this would be very tricky. Patience is the key. Adjust the sewing machine’s presser foot as you sew along the hem to make it cleaner. Seeing that the skirt is circular, it would feel like you’re sewing a neverending hem. Compose a song as you sew. This would make the task easier. If no song comes to mind, take a break whenever you feel your patience wearing thin. Eat pancit canton. Watch American Idol. Make out. Iron the hem when you’re done.
The final product would be worth all the trouble. Your dress would float as you walk. You would re-discover the joys of twirling and jumping down a flight of stairs while you watch your dress bounce and flirt with the breeze.
HAPPY SEWING!
And please please let me know if the instructions are clear.
Feb 19, 2008 @ 10:16:07
I would like to know how you got your top and skirt into such a cute dress with no hem line? I am short and hate to add any horizontal lines to my waist and because I am so small in size, the babydoll trend with the band underneath your bust line doesnt help much either… any advice?
Thanks, and great work by the way!
Mar 11, 2008 @ 10:10:11
Oh, this is lovely! Thanks for sharing!
Apr 05, 2008 @ 06:38:39
thanks so much! :]] that was great. it helped a lot!
i cannot find my scissors «
May 29, 2008 @ 21:05:27
[...] fancy to wear to the opening reception so I made myself a summer dress. Green, just like the one I made last summer. It’s becoming a pattern, I suppose. Green, surprisingly, goes well with my skin color. [...]
Jun 02, 2008 @ 08:05:26
So did you put a zipper or buttons or anything?
Jun 12, 2008 @ 20:29:34
Hi Meream
Any advice on making straps? How did you do the ones on the dress above? Looks great, think I might try it, but have always struggled with making straps!
Jun 13, 2008 @ 09:52:05
this is beautiful. Do have instuctions fot the whole dress including the top half?
making straps «
Jun 13, 2008 @ 11:07:58
[...] is just like making a strap for a dress. A reader asked me how to make straps after she read my post on making a circular skirt. This is actually pretty easy but I understand how it can be [...]
Aug 02, 2008 @ 01:51:58
Thank you so much for the pattern. I have been looking for a skirt pattern that is simple and flattering- I’m certainly plus-sized and have problems finding simple skirts that are comfy for the summer. Thanks again!
Sep 27, 2008 @ 06:10:31
its so great and so lovely! i love circular skirts and have waited a long tym to learn how to sew it on my own……thanks a lot!
and by the way the instructions are crystal clear!:)
thanks again….
Oct 03, 2008 @ 15:10:22
this was a fantastic help, and it only took me 2 hours from start to finish. i even added an elasticated waist band!
THANK YOU SO MUCH!
:)
Oct 20, 2008 @ 02:08:00
this is amazing, your creations are beautiful, i just printed out the instructions for this skirt and i am getting started right now.
Oct 20, 2008 @ 02:51:12
your creations are still lovely, but your instructions are hard to follow, haha i just wasted like 2 yards of fabric
Oct 29, 2008 @ 13:44:27
I think that you missed the part of explaning how to fold the curve its not so simple. Im working on a dress with a train and i can’t keep the curve. I have looked at so many sites and haven’t learned anything. If you can help more that would be awsome. Thanks
Jan 04, 2009 @ 02:33:23
hey, cool dress. im 13 and love to sew! but how did you make it into a dress? you only showed how to make a skirt. i think you should also show how to make the dress version.
:) so cool!
Feb 21, 2009 @ 16:41:27
this is awesome i tried it in chiffon with different colours and i love it!!!!!!!!!!!
Mar 26, 2009 @ 06:06:37
Hi, I love your dress! And the pattern instructions are very clear too. Anyway, I was always wondering for example, if you have a stripped material and you want to make a circular skirt out of that, how do you make the stripes right? That is, how do you make the stripes all nice and straight on the whole dress?
Thank you very much!!! :)
Mar 31, 2009 @ 22:20:19
Hi, Please can you tell me how to amend this (really good) design to make a full length circle skirt? Thanks!!
KIDDIE DOODLE 3: How to sew a circular skirt «
May 18, 2009 @ 00:17:21
[...] Read the rest of the turorial HERE. [...]
Jun 07, 2009 @ 11:01:14
I Love this idea! Wondering how much fabric I will need?? Can someone help me out?
Jun 07, 2009 @ 16:41:47
A lot. Haha. I used a bedsheet for this so I really had enough. A fabric with a width of 60 is okay if you want a medium-length skirt.
Jun 13, 2009 @ 23:36:26
Love the dress, only how were you able to make it one piece without a joining hem between the skirt and top?
Thanks
Jun 14, 2009 @ 23:36:05
Hi! I’ve never done a whole dress with a full skirt. I guess you can make the bottom part more balloon-y but doing a full circle might not be possible. Sorry I’m not helpful, I’m not an expert on patterns. I sew as I go. Hehe.
Aug 27, 2009 @ 02:23:31
Hi,
i’m still a bit puzzled. how do i measure the lines out so that they curve so beautifully? Do you do that by taking a measuring tape and curving that???
I would be much obliged with a little extra info on this.
Aug 27, 2009 @ 04:29:59
Hi! You mean how to make the circles? Hmm what you do is use the middle point as guide and measure the circumference using your tape measure. Okay, that did not make sense. I might need to make a video, but I can’t do that. I will see if I can draw something helpful. :)
circle skirt tutorial addendum | Bored & Crafty
Sep 03, 2009 @ 15:18:45
[...] For those who asked, this is how you do step 4 of the Circle Skirt Tutorial. [...]
Jan 06, 2010 @ 21:01:47
This is great, iv been wanting to make such a skirt for so long because i simply love the 1950s silhouette more than anything, especially being a big its the one that flatters my body the best.
Im gonna go ahead and try ur method, it looks full proof thank you so so much
will be back with feedback for sure :)
Jan 07, 2010 @ 08:05:46
The silhoutte then were just sweethearts, right? :) Hope you find this tute helpful!
Mar 10, 2010 @ 15:27:51
thanks for the explanation, I will give it a try.
Mar 11, 2010 @ 08:58:23
Happy sewing! :)
Mar 14, 2010 @ 10:59:05
Making out. Best. Break. Ever. ;D
Feb 18, 2011 @ 01:47:56
I especially like the graphics and the way you say to calculate for the waist size instead of a “size 8″ (which is what?, right?). Thanks Much!
Mar 13, 2011 @ 11:31:55
This tutorial is brilliant…
Instructions are very easy to follow..
Loving the extra curricular instructions:
“Compose a song as you sew. This would make the task easier. If no song comes to mind, take a break whenever you feel your patience wearing thin. Eat pancit canton. Watch American Idol. Make out.”
Made me laugh ^.^
May 18, 2011 @ 12:07:31
Can’t wait to try this tomorrow!!! Will definitely be blogging my results and sharing your tute on my blog! Thanks!!!
Aug 02, 2011 @ 22:37:44
Hi! I love the skirt and i think I can follow the directions (I hope) but the dress is Beautiful!! and I was wondering if you had a pattern for that also? I looked at one that was simmilar but the pattern that was given was drawn out but there were Measurments for the neck like or the arm holes. Do you need to measure your neckline (never heard of doing that) and measure the arm hole (never heard of that either) Anyway I AM going to make that skirt today hopefully! and I WILL BE USING A BED SHEET ALSO!!! But I sure would like to make that dress!!!
Thank you so much for posting your patterns!!
Wendy Leitheiser
leitheiw@yahoo.com
Aug 06, 2011 @ 13:29:58
Thank you thank you – I had lost my instructions, and have been looking for the longest time for the instructions.
Nov 11, 2011 @ 05:46:50
I have been searching for this pattern for months and out of all the ones that I found your instructions and pattern are the easiest to follow by far. Thank you.
Jan 07, 2012 @ 08:49:07
I love this skirt I tried different instructions to get a round skirt, but it had so many strange mathematics that I couldn’t understand it. Yours is much simpler. Thank You
Feb 25, 2012 @ 12:09:56
This sewing ‘World’ is new to me and so I almost gave up…it takes so much talent that I felt lost…until I saw your lovely, stunning Green circle skirt !!!!!!! thanks for giving me some hope and a whole lot of inspiration !!!!!
Sep 04, 2012 @ 05:51:49
How would you reccomend finishing the top of the skirt if you only wanted it to be a skirt. also what is the shortest you’d reccomend this type skirt being? Would it look good as a length that came right above the knee?
Sep 04, 2012 @ 10:29:03
Hi! You can use a band through which you can insert an elastic. See this tutorial: http://boredandcrafty.com/?p=3221
As for length, an inch above the knee might work but this type of skirt is perfect calf-length, to give it that fun 50s look. :)
Feb 09, 2013 @ 02:25:57
I would like to know the best way to make this just into a skirt with a non-elastic waist band. Thanks! :)