How to make a gathered skirt

1. Materials & tools

Materials (child skirt)

• Fabric (light–medium cotton, linen or double gauze) — about 110 cm wide × (skirt length + 10 cm)
• Waist elastic (2–3 cm / 3/4–1 in 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 “Kids' clothes” → “Gathered skirt” from the tabs at the top.
2. Enter the size
   Enter the 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. Trace the pattern
   Trace the cut line and seam line onto the wrong side of the fabric. Align the grain with the grainline.
2. Cut
   Cut the front and back each on the fold (2 pieces). You can also cut a single loop piece.
3. Finish the edges
   Zigzag or serge the side and hem edges so they don't fray.

4. Sewing

4-1. Sew the sides

1. Place the front and back right sides together and sew both side seams.
2. Press the seam allowances open and finish the edges.

4-2. Make the waist casing

1. Fold the waist under by the seam allowance, then again by the elastic width plus ease; press.
2. Stitch close to the lower fold all the way around, leaving a 2–3 cm elastic opening.

4-3. Thread the elastic

1. Thread the elastic, fit it to the waist, overlap and sew the ends, then close the opening.
2. Distribute the gathers evenly around the waist.

4-4. Hem

1. Fold the hem under twice and topstitch — it's a straight edge, so it's easy.
2. Press to finish.

5. Tips & variations

• Fuller skirt: increase the gather ratio for more volume.
• Tiered look: add a second gathered tier at the hem.
• Soft fabric: double gauze and lawn gather beautifully.