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I made a DIY tiered maxi skirt from a favorite capsule wardrobe pattern. And these tiers are also gathered, so this one is extra special!
Well, this fabric is a pretty color to brighten the day. The skirt is the perfect length for a casual stroll or a night on the town.
Protea Capsule Wardrobe Pattern
The Protea sewing pattern is beginner-friendly. It’s a capsule wardrobe with a pull-on top, skirt, and dress.
The top and dress have two neck and sleeve variations. Make the sleeves fitted or fluttered, and the neckline round or square. There are front darts at the bust.
The skirt has an elastic waistband with a drawstring. It is also tiered and gathered, but you make it without tiers.
One dress variation has a drawstring, and the dress and skirt both have pockets!
And I made a tutorial on cutting PDF patterns in case you don’t know how.
Materials
Here are the things I used to make my garment. I had so much of this fabric in my stash!
Fabric: I used a linen-rayon blend that I found at Joann. I love the turquoise color, but the drape wasn’t as flowy as other choices.
I bought this fabric in many colors, and this is the one that is the prettiest.
Suggested fabrics for the project include shirt or dress fabrics such as cotton, shirting, voile, batiste, lawn, silk, crepe, rayon, chambray, and linen.
Notions: I used 1-1/4-inch (1.25-inch) wide woven non-roll elastic for the waistband. You can use ribbon or cord for the drawstring variation.
Sewing the Tiered Skirt
Well, the directions are so easy to follow, and the pictures are great. As I mentioned, it’s easy to sew, so it was pretty straightforward.
The thing about making a gathered skirt is the gathering itself. This is the part that takes the most time for me.
I make sure to mark the side and center seams because this helps when distributing the fabric. Straight pins are good for marking these points.
The pockets are side inseam ones. They’re basted across the front of the skirt before attaching the waistband.
And then there are the tiers. This skirt has two of them that are gathered, so that’s why it took me time to make this skirt.
And honestly, with the weight of the linen, it wasn’t too hard, but I’d prefer a lighter fabric.
I made my own drawstring instead of using cord or ribbon. To do this, I measured out a long piece of fabric, much longer than the waist.
Longer is better than shorter, as you can cut it later. Then I sewed it right sides together to create a tube.
I used my tube turner to flip it out, and voila! I had a matching drawstring for the skirt.
Notes
By the way, I made a gathered dress with this same pattern, but with crepe fabric. The linen was definitely easier to sew!
I’d also go with lightweight fabrics for the tiered skirt next time. They’re easier to gather, but then I’d probably have to add a lining.
I’ve got some upcycling ideas brewing up, and think I’ll try a patchwork skirt next time.
Planning colors and designs that can be mixed and matched together would be nice. But then again, the skirt is awesome the way it is too!
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