How to make an a-line skirt

1. Materials & tools

Materials (adult skirt)

• Fabric (medium cotton or linen) — about 110 cm wide × (skirt length + 15 cm)
• Waist elastic (2–3 cm / 3/4–1 in wide) — your 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” → “A-line skirt” from the tabs at the top.
2. Enter the size
   Enter your waist, hip, skirt length and hem flare. Presets cover S–XL.
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 total).
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 fold again by the elastic width plus a little ease (e.g. about 3.5 cm for 3 cm elastic); press.
2. Stitch close to the lower fold all the way around, leaving a 2–3 cm gap as the elastic opening.

4-3. Thread the elastic

1. Thread the elastic through the casing with a bodkin or safety pin.
2. Fit it to your waist, overlap the ends and sew them together, then close the opening.

4-4. Hem

1. Fold the hem under twice, press and topstitch all the way around.
2. Give it a final press and you're done.

5. Tips & variations

• More or less flare: increase the hem flare value for a fuller A-line.
• Length: adjust the skirt length for mini, knee or midi.
• Pockets: add in-seam pockets at the side seams before sewing them.