Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Hi there! I made a DIY tiered skirt with mixed prints in knee length, and just love it. With the light colors, it’s my go-to summer skirt.
It’s flowy and gathered, with a nice, comfy elastic waistband with a flat front. It was easy to make, and easier to twirl around in!
McCall’s M8066 Skirt Pattern
McCall’s M8066 sewing pattern has an A-line shape with gathering at the waist. It is also known as Posie McCalls.
You have the option to make a tiered skirt like mine, or not. You can make a gathered skirt without tiers.
What I like about the pattern is the flat front elastic back waistband, which makes it comfortable to wear.
It’s also a level one in their Learn to Sew collection. So, if you already have sewing basics, you might want to tackle this skirt.
Materials
This is a great project to use cottons. Here are the fabrics and notions I used to bring this creation to life.
Fabric: I used rayon challis for kicks. It’s a bit tricky to sew because it’s a silky fabric and tends to slide around and unravel easily.
Rayon also comes in different weights, and mine has a crinkle to it. I got it from Joann before they closed, and it’s good for tops and bottoms.
The two different fabric designs I chose for the tiers are in the same color scheme. I love wearing white and off-white—just keeping them clean is another story.
I used lightweight polyester to make a lining because I had some in my stash. Plus, I needed something opaque.
The suggested fabrics for this sewing pattern are cotton blends, lawn, and polished cotton.
Notions: I used a 1-1/4 inch (1.25-inch) knit elastic and lightweight fusible interfacing for the waistband.
Sewing the Tiered Skirt
Making a skirt like this is usually straightforward. However, I’ll note that I lined it, so I didn’t follow the directions.
Although I always advise making a mockup, I didn’t make one here. Instead, I measured the flat pattern waistband to make sure it’d fit over my hips.
By the way, cutting rayon can be annoying, or any silky material for that matter. It’ll drape and move around on the cutting table.
This skirt was basically layered rectangles. I used the serger for the gathering, and by golly, it does an amazing job!
Adjusting the gathers took time because I had to make sure they were distributed evenly all the way around. My least favorite part of all of this!
I always mark the side and center points to help me with this. And gathering is always easier with lightweight fabrics.
I only had 2 layers to gather for the knee-length version. You can make 3 tiers for the maxi length, or no tiers at all.
As I mentioned before, I added a lining because the rayon was see-through. And I wasn’t going for the sheer look.
Given it’s a rayon skirt, I preferred to line it in a similar fabric. When I looked around and ordered swatches from fabric stores, nothing was opaque enough, so that’s why I went with polyester.
Notes
Well, this skirt doesn’t have pockets. I have sewn similar patterns that have them.
Maybe they left them out because this is a level one sewing pattern. I didn’t add pockets this time, but this will be a future adjustment.
Overall, I like how pretty my skirt turned out. The length is perfect for those hot summer days.
And I’m lucky to go through the day without getting at least one stain on this skirt!
Read More
