How to make a tiered skirt

1. Materials & tools

Materials (size M)

• Main fabric (lawn, double gauze or linen) — about 110 cm wide × 180 cm (44 × 71 in)
• Flat elastic (2–3 cm / 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” → “Tiered skirt” from the tabs at the top.
2. Enter the size
   Enter waist, the length of each of the three tiers, the gather ratio and the waist casing. The width of each tier is worked out for you.
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
   All three tiers are rectangles, so marking the measurements straight onto the fabric is quicker than printing.
2. Cut
   Cut two panels for each tier, six pieces in total. Keep them labelled — the tiers look similar once they are off the table.
3. Finish the edges
   Zigzag or serge the side seam allowances of every panel.

4. Sewing

4-1. Join each tier into a loop

1. Sew the two panels of each tier together at both sides. Do this for all three tiers.

4-2. Gather and join the tiers

1. Run two rows of long machine stitches along the top edge of tier 2. Pull both bobbin threads until it matches the lower edge of tier 1.
2. Pin tier 1 and tier 2 right sides together, spreading the gathers evenly, and sew.
3. Join tier 3 to tier 2 the same way.
4. Press each seam allowance upward and topstitch from the right side to hold it flat.

4-3. Waist and hem

1. Fold the waist edge over twice to make a casing and stitch, leaving a 3 cm (1¼ in) gap.
2. Thread the elastic, fit, stitch the ends and close the gap.
3. Turn the hem up twice and stitch.

✏️ Always gather with two rows of stitching and pull both threads together. With a single row the thread snaps halfway along and the gathers come out uneven.

5. Tips & variations

• Mix the fabrics: use a different fabric for each tier for a patchwork effect.
• Less volume: drop the gather ratio to 1.3× for a much calmer shape.
• For children: pick the child preset and you get the twirly skirt they actually want.