Ribbon Skirt

https://i.postimg.cc/Y03krgXL/Lizs-skirt-copy.gif https://i.postimg.cc/k56nQ25L/Liz-with-skirt.gif

As soon as I have a chance I will post more pictures below of how it is being created, so any parts that you are not sure on will have a picture to go with it.

TUTORIAL!
Materials:

• Preferred fabric, 1-3 yards depending on size
• thread
• sewing machine
• ribbon(s) (I usually use 3-5 of them, and nothing smaller than 7/8" in width
• Peel and stick tape
• measuring tape
• scissors
• fabric cutter
• cutting mat
• straight edge
• Pins
• Iron
• Large safety pin
• bias tape
• elastic (2-3 inch width)
  

Preparation

1. Measure your waist, depending on where you want your skirt to hang, and take the measurement from the widest part either the waist or hips
2. Take that number and add 15" (ex. 35" waist adds 15" 35+15=50) this will be the width of the fabric you need. So the number of yards.
3. Divide this number by 4 (ex. 50/4=12.25)
4. Measure your leg from where it will sit on your waist/hips to where you want it to fall to whether it's shin, calf, ankle, or even knee
5. Take that number and add 4" ((ex. 15" leg adds 4" 15+4=19) this will be the height of the fabric you need to cut it to.
6. Find a nice fabric. If you use a stretchier fabric than polyester or cotton you will need to adjust the sizing
7. Don't worry about cutting it to size yet
8. Fold your fabric in half the long way.
9. Fold it in half again. This will be 1/4 of the amount around the waist. You still need to trim however
10. Lay the fabric out on your cutting mat, with the folded part away from you
11. DO NOT cut that edge, or you will cut your skirt into 4 panels. We only want 2.
12. Using your measuring tape adjust the end with the two pieces not the other fold until the two folds measure the number you got in in #3
13. Measure it out so that it is even all the way across when you cut. Using your fabric cutter & straight edge, cut off the excess as well as that folded edge (not your main folded edge, the edge with the folded part and two nonfolded pieces
14. Now measure the length of the skirt with the number from #5. Cut off the excess
15. When you open your fabric now there will be two pieces
16. Lay out your ribbon how you would like it to look. You have two options here. If you want them to lay side by side like in my picture or if you want them to be separated as in this picture
17. Measure out the ribbon across the width of the fabric on one front of the skirt panel. Make sure that it is even from the bottom, across where you would like the ribbon to sit on your legs.
18. Leave extra ribbon on the ends by 2-3 inches or more if you wish to let ribbons hang on the sides of the skirt
19. Once you are happy with where the ribbon will be tack it down with your peel and stick tape.
20. Do this with all the ribbon you are using on the panel
21. Put the skirt backs together and make sure your ribbon on the second panel is in the same location on the panel as the first panel
22. Tack the ribbon on the second panel down

Sewing

1. Prep your sewing machine. Use a thread that will blend in well for the ribbon, unless you want it to stand out. You could even change the threads for each one as needed
2. Using a wave stitch, sew the top and bottom of each ribbon if they are separated, or the top ribbon and each connecting ribbon, and finally the bottom ribbon to the skirt
3. Separate your skirt panels
4. Do the same on the second skirt panel with the ribbons
5. Get your pins, and starting right where the ribbons are pin the two panels together
6. Continue pinning just the ribbon area. Then complete pinning all the way up the skirt to the waist as well as the bottom of the ribbons to the bottom of the skirt
7. Do the same to the other side of the skirt, again starting the pinning at the ribbon
8. Place the two front sides of the skirt together
9. Do a straight stitch either from the top of the skirt to the bottom or bottom to the top about an inch away from the edge, removing the pins as you go
10. Trim off the excess ribbon
11. Using your hem stitch and presser foot, create a hem along the edge of the skirt going from top to bottom or bottom to top
12. Do the same on the other side of the skirt
13. Using the straight stitch again, sew the bias to the bottom of the skirt
14. Make sure the longer edge of the bias is on the inside of skirt
15. Fold over the top edge of the skirt about 2 inches (or a little over the height of your elastic)
16. Use an iron to smooth this new bias of two inches you are creating. Make sure both front and back measure the 2 inches
17. Do a straight stitch almost all the way around the top hoop of the skirt Sew close to the two inch edge so the elastic will fit inside the pocket. You are creating the top bias. Stop about 5 inches from the start of the sewing of the hoop of your skirt
18. Take a large safety pin and attach it to the elastic
19. Thread the elastic into the top edge bias through that 5 inch hole until it comes out the other end
20. Depending on how tight you wish the skirt to be, adjust the elastic for comfort
21. Once you are happy with the width of the waist, sew a square connecting the two ends of the elastic
22. Sew the 5 inches of the top bias closed
23. You now have a beautiful ribbon skirt!

• Cardboard tube - from toilet paper or paper towel or wrapping paper
• Yarn - these don't take a lot of yarn, so you can use scraps if you already have some, or whatever you can find at a discount store will work just fine
• Tissue paper, or a tissue or napkin, or any "soft" paper
• Scissors