How to make a plush skirt

1. Materials & tools

Materials (one outfit for a 20 cm plush)

• Main fabric (light cotton or tulle) — about 45 × 10 cm
• Hook-and-loop tape, 1 cm — about 3 cm
• Size 9 needle and fine thread

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 “Fandom” → “Plush skirt” from the tabs at the top.
2. Enter the size
   Enter the chest, length and the rest. Presets cover 10, 15 and 20 cm plushies and a 27 cm doll.
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. Measure the plush
   Chest at its widest, and the length you want from the shoulder. Two plushies both sold as "20 cm" can be quite different, so measure yours.
2. Trace the pattern
   Lay the pattern on the wrong side and trace both lines. At this scale a fine chalk pencil works better than a marker.
3. Cut the pieces
   If the fabric frays, seal the edges or zigzag them straight away.
4. Transfer the notches
   The smaller the garment, the more the notches matter. Do not skip them.

4. Sewing

4-1. Sew the sides and hem

1. Place the two skirt pieces right sides together and sew the sides into a loop.
2. Turn the hem under 5 mm and stitch. Before gathering. Afterwards it cannot be sewn.

4-2. Gather the top edge

1. Run two rows of long stitches, 3 mm and 6 mm from the top edge.
2. Pull both bobbin threads together and gather to the waist measurement.
3. Even the folds out with your fingers.

4-3. Attach the waistband

1. Fold the band in half lengthwise and press.
2. Sandwich the gathered edge in the band and stitch all round.
3. Leave 8 mm free at each end — that is the overlap.

4-4. Add the fastening

1. Sew hook-and-loop to the two ends, one on the face and one on the back.
2. Try it on the plush and confirm the position before stitching.

✏️ Hem the skirt before you gather it. Once gathered the fabric ripples and cannot be hemmed straight. Plush clothes are small enough that getting the order wrong usually means starting again, so do everything you can while the piece is flat.

5. Tips & variations

• Tulle makes a tutu: at a gather ratio of 3, in tulle, it reads as a tutu.
• Layer two: two short tiers look far more worked than they are.
• Pair with the sailor top: it fits the bodice from the sailor uniform pattern.
• Seam allowance is 5 mm: at 1 cm the allowances collide and the garment will not turn out cleanly.
• Size 9 needle, fine thread: a heavy needle leaves holes in the fabric.
• Mock it up in paper: assembling it once in interfacing or copy paper shows up any problem with length or ease.