TUTORIAL: Ruffled Jelly Roll Skirt

I'm so excited about this tutorial!  

Why?  Because it is so darn cute AND simple to make.  I was inspired to make this skirt for a few reasons....

• My daughter's LOVE for dresses and skirts
• An upcoming photo shoot I have scheduled for the girls (I wanted something really colorful)
• A jellyroll I had sitting around doing nothing
• It's almost time to go back to school....this is a great addition to the fall wardrobe

 

The fact that it is made up of jelly roll strips takes the "thinking" out of it.  The fabrics will all coordinate without much effort on your part.  And, one jelly roll will make several child's skirts!

This skirt whips up in under an hour - it's really that simple! 

Ready?  Let's get started (after the jump)

MATERIALS:
1 jelly roll (or 6-10 2.5' x 45" strips of fabric)
2 pieces of 3" x 45" strips of coordinating fabric for the ruffle (you can always use 2 jellyroll pieces, but I like a wider ruffle)
1 pkg 1/2" or 3/4" elastic

NOTES:
> I used a 1/2" seam allowance unless otherwise noted
> This tutorial includes the use of a serger, but if you don't have one, you can use a zig zag stitch for the seams and regular gathering techniques for the ruffles.

HOW TO MEASURE:
You will need two measurements.  Waist and desired length of skirt.

WIDTH: Take the waist measurement and double it - this produces a very full skirt - if you prefer a less full skirt, take a few inches off.  For both the skirts I made I used a 40" width.  NOTE:  Don't cut the actual width until after you have sewn all the strips together!

LENGTH: Measure from the waist down to your desired length.  Divide that number by 1.5 - round to the nearest whole number.   This will tell you how many strips of jelly roll you will need (it does NOT include the ruffle).  Please note that the length will not be exact - I like to keep things simple.

ELASTIC:  Add 1/2" to the waist measurement.

Measurements I used:
3T - 6 strips of jelly roll, the 3" ruffle, all 40" wide*;   21" piece of 3/4" elastic
5/6 - 8 strips of jelly roll, the 3" ruffle, all 40" wide*;  19" piece of 1/2" elastic
(* 40" is after sewing all the strips together)

STEP 1
Start by laying out your fabric strips in the order you want (minus the ruffle piece) and sew together (Note that the top strip will not be visible - it will create the casing for the elastic). 

Ignore the number of strips in these photos -
I ended up shortening the skirt after they were taken!

Once assembled, now you can cut to the desired width. Trim from both sides so you have straight lines to work with!

Clean up the raw edges by serging, zig-zagging and press each seam downward.  If desired you can stitch these seams down using a top-stitch, but I opted not to.

STEP 2
Make the ruffle.
Sew the two ruffle strips together at the short ends (right sides together) and press the seam open.

Serge one long side of this entire strip then press under 1/2" to achieve your bottom hem.  If not using a serger, press under 1/4" then fold under again to create your hem.

Ruffle the raw edge of the entire piece (I created a soft gather using my serger).

Pin the ruffle to the bottom strip of the skirt (right sides together, raw edges matched up)Chances are your ruffle will be too long - just trim the excess off.

Sew together and press the seam upward. 

 Hold the seam allowance in place by top-stitching.

STEP 3
Pin the sides together making sure to line up the seam lines as best as you can.

 Sew and serge (zig-zag)

STEP 4
Create the casing for the skirt. 
Fold the top of the skirt over 1/2" and press

Fold over again so the press line falls on the seam line of the second strip.  This will give you about 1" of casing space and a clean fold.....

Stitch the casing about 1/8" from the bottom edge.  (If using 1/2" elastic, you will want to make a second seam line about 1/4" above this to narrow the channel.  Make sure to leave a 2" opening for the elastic!

I choose to top stitch around the very top because I like the look and
I think it makes a prettier gather, but it is not necessary.

Using a safety pin, feed your elastic into the channel.

Being careful not to twist the elastic, overlap the elastic ends about an inch and sew in place with two zig zag stitches.

Pull the elastic into the channel and close up the opening.  Add a label if desired...

You are finished!

If you do make one, please share in the Sewplicity Flickr Pool!  I love to see what others do with my tutorials!