How to make a gathered skirt (adult)

1. Materials & tools

Materials (adult skirt)

• Fabric (cotton, linen or lawn) — 110 cm wide × (skirt length + fold-over + 10 cm), two pieces
• Waist elastic (2–3 cm wide) — the waist measurement

Tools

• Sewing machine (or needle and thread)
• Fabric marker or pencil
• Ruler and scissors
• Iron
• Pins or clips

2. Make the pattern (auto-generated in Katagami)

With the Katagami pattern tool, you just enter the finished size and it drafts a seam-allowance-included pattern, tiled to print at actual size on Letter or A4.

1. Open the tool
   Open the pattern tool and choose “Adult clothes” → “Gathered skirt (adult)” from the tabs at the top.
2. Enter the size
   Enter waist, skirt length and gather ratio. A higher ratio = fuller gathers.
3. Set the seam allowance
   Use the slider at the bottom (beginners: 1.0–1.5 cm / about 3/8–5/8 in).
4. Print
   Press “Print (actual size)”, then in the print dialog set Scale = 100% and turn “Fit to page” OFF. Check the 50 mm calibration box on the first guide sheet with a ruler.

3. Cutting the fabric

1. Fold and cut
   Fold the fabric right sides together and place the pattern's fold edge on the fold.
2. Cut 2
   Cut a front and a back (2 pieces).
3. Finish the edges
   Zigzag or serge the side and hem edges.

4. Sewing

4-1. Sew the sides

1. Sew the front and back right sides together at both sides; press open.

4-2. Make the waist casing

1. Fold the waist under by the seam allowance, then by the elastic width plus ease; press.
2. Stitch around, leaving a 2–3 cm elastic opening.

4-3. Thread the elastic

1. Thread the elastic, fit to the waist, sew the ends and close the opening.

4-4. Hem

1. Double-fold and topstitch the hem; press to finish.

5. Tips & variations

• Fuller skirt: increase the gather ratio for more volume.
• Soft fabric: lawn and double gauze gather beautifully.
• Pockets: add in-seam pockets before sewing the sides.