Learn how to make this lovely wrap skirt. This skirt is an easy sewing project for beginners which will quickly become a wardrobe favourite.

Wrap skirt sewn in a black linen with hem ruffles

Wrap style skirts, dresses and tops are a go-to in my wardrobe. They are comfortable and flattering pieces that can quickly be dressed up or down.

This is a quick beginner-friendly sewing project that you can make in just a couple of hours. As long as you a few sewing basics like how to thread your sewing machine and how to sew seams you are ready to go!

I love clothing with ruffle details they elevate an outfit without any extra effort. By keeping your fabric a neutral colour the ruffles blend in subtly. Ruffles look intricate but they are really simple to sew. 

Wrap skirt with hem ruffles

If you don’t fancy ruffles, no problem! You can make this skirt without the ruffle hem by simply adding length to the skirt and folding the hem up. 

I always try to use natural materials, like cotton and linen for my sewing projects. They increase the longevity of my garments because they are made of higher quality fabric. When you spend hours sewing something you want it to last.

For this wrap skirt project, I found some soft black linen at my local fabric store. I love to use linen because it allows the body to breathe but it is naturally antibacterial.

This post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission at no extra cost to you. You can read my full disclosure here.

Wrap skirt in black linen hanging on wall

Why you will love this diy wrap skirt

  • Comfortable to wear
  • Cute style with ruffles and tie details
  • Easy to dress up or down
  • Perfect for the Summertime

Materials and equipment required

Pattern piece cutting list 

This is a list of the required pattern pieces you need to cut out as shown in the instructions below. This list is a quick cutting guide for you to refer back to. 

  • X2 Front Skirt 
  • X1 Back Skirt (cut on the fold)  
  • X4 Waistband
  • X2 Ruffles

How to measure yourself to draft the pattern pieces 

Begin by measuring your waist and the widest part of your hips with your tailors tape. Have a notepad handy to jot these numbers down for the next steps. 

How to draft the wrap skirt pattern pieces

Starting with the back skirt piece, lay your fabric in half lengthwise on a flat surface. 

Using you tape measure mark ¼ of your waist measurement from the folded edge. This is the waist edge of the back skirt piece. 

At the waist edge along the fold, measure 3cm down and mark. This will be the curve of your waist edge. 

Draw a curved line from the new waist edge mark to the side seam point. This is the waist edge of your back skirt piece.

Next, measure down 35cm from the waist edge curve and mark. This is the hemline point of your back skirt piece. 

Tip: If you would like your skirt length to be longer or shorter this is the time to adjust the 35cm measurement. 

At the hem measure out ¼ your hip measurement plus 5cm from the folded edge. Make a small mark. This is the hem side seam point. 

Head back to the folded edge hemline point, measure down 3cm. This will be the new centre back hem point. 

From the new centre back hem point draw a slightly curved line to the hem side seam point. You should now have the hemline chalked in. 

Join the side seam by connecting the hem line and waist line points together with a straight line. 

Draw around the chalked lines 1cm to add seam allowance. Cut out. 

wrap skirt diy sewing tutorial

Moving onto the front skirt pieces. 

Keep your fabric on the fold. Unfold the back skirt piece and place on top of the folded fabric. Make sure its flat then trace around the outer edges.  

Find the centre of the skirt, mark this on the hemline. On the right side draw a curve from the centre mark up to the waist edge. This is creating the front panel curve shaped. 

Add a 1cm seam to the curved line only and cut out both layer of fabric. You will now have a pair of fronts. 

How to sew this wrap skirt together

At this point you will need to sew the skirt fronts and back together. Pin the front and back side seams together making sure the right sides of the fabric are facing each other. 

Tip: I will refer to this as ‘right sides together’ throughout the rest of this tutorial.

Sew both side seams with a 1cm seam allowance. Finish the raw edges with a serger or zigzag stitch. 

How to work out the waistband size

Measure along the skirts waistline and jot this measurement down.

Your skirt waist line length x 4 = the length required for your waistband and tie. 

E.g. 80cm x 4 = 320cm 

Here is the equation to work out your waist tie pattern size. 

Chalk your waistband panels 6cm wide x ½ waistband length ( ½ measurement as above) + 2cm for seam allowance. 

Cut out x 2 pairs because you need 4 waist tie panels altogether. 

How to work out the ruffle size

Now you need to measure the hemline and jot this down. 

Here is the equation to work out your ruffle size.

Hem length x 2 = gathered frill length.

This will mean the ruffle is double the length of the hem. When it is gathered up it will have a nice amount of volume. 

Keeping your fabric on the fold.  Chalk out a rectangle that is 14cm wide x ½ your gathered frill length ( ½ measurement as above) + 2cm for seam allowance. 

This will be a long pattern piece, which is why we needed to divide this into 2 panels so it wasn’t super long. This will be sewn together to make a long piece again. 

Next you need to curve one end of the ruffles. This creates the pretty narrowing curve detail as the ruffle gets closer to the waist line. This helps stop the ruffle from being bulky and too big. Cut these out. You will have 2 ruffle pieces. 

chalking out the ruffle panels for this diy wrap skirt

Pin the ruffles at the straight edges, right sides together, to connect them into one long piece. Neaten the raw edges. 

Hem the ruffle by turning the bottom edge up 5mm twice and stitching down. The hem edge is the side that is curved. 

Gather stitch along the straight edge of the ruffle. If this is new to you please read my full tutorial explain how to sew ruffles before continuing. 

Pin the gathered ruffle to the bottom of the skirt, right sides together. Make sure to make this as even as you can. 

Sew together with a 1cm seam allowance and neaten the raw edges. 

How to attach the waistband to the wrap skirt

Join the waistbands together at one end. You will have 2 sets to join separately making a pair. 

Leave ¼ of the waistband hanging over one side of the skirt waist edge and pop in a pin to hold its place. There will be less length on the other side to allow for wrapping around your waist. 

Test this by wrapping the tie around your waist. When you figure this out pop in a pin on each side to indicate where the ties meet your skirt waistline.

Pin the waistbands right sides together along one edge. This will close the top of the waistband off. 

Pin the two shorter ends (ends of the ties) 

Also pin along to where you placed the pins earlier (where the waistband and skirt meets).

Sew around with a 1cm seam allowance. Only sew to the marked pin points and no futher. 

Trim the corners of the ties and turn to the right sides. Wiggle out to corners to get the sharp and press with an iron

Attach one side of the waistband to the skirt waist edge, right sides together. It should fit snugly between the tie points.

On the inside waistband, fold under 1cm and pin in place on the inside of the skirt. This will hide any visible seams. Edge stitch down to close. 

Give your skirt a full press with an iron and you are finished! 

Well done, I hope you enjoyed making this fun wrap skirt project with me. 

Please don’t forget to leave a review below if you found this helpful! 

Tag me on Instagram @makylacreates 

Yield: 1 Skirt

DIY Wrap Skirt

makyla wearing a wrap skirt

Learn how to make a wrap skirt with this simple tutorial. This wrap skirt will quickly become a wardrobe favourite over the warmer months, it's a perfect gift idea and overall just an easy sewing project for beginners.

Prep Time 1 hour
Active Time 4 hours
Total Time 5 hours
Difficulty Easy
Estimated Cost $20

Materials

  • 2-2.5 yards/metres fabric
  • Matching thread

Tools

  • Sewing Machine
  • Measuring tape 
  • Fabric scissors
  • Pins
  • Chalk

Instructions

  1. Begin by measuring your waist and the widest part of your hips with your tailors tape. Have a notepad handy to jot these numbers down for the next steps.
  2. Starting with the back skirt piece, lay your fabric in half lengthwise on a flat surface.
  3. Using you tape measure mark ¼ of your waist measurement from the folded edge. This is the waist edge of the back skirt piece.
  4. At the waist edge along the fold, measure 3cm down and mark. This will be the curve of your waist edge.
  5. Draw a curved line from the new waist edge mark to the side seam point. This is the waist edge of your back skirt piece.
  6. Next, measure down 35cm from the waist edge curve and mark. This is the hemline point of your back skirt piece.
  7. At the hem measure out ¼ your hip measurement plus 5cm from the folded edge. Make a small mark. This is the hem side seam point.
  8. Head back to the folded edge hemline point, measure down 3cm. This will be the new centre back hem point.
  9. From the new centre back hem point draw a slightly curved line to the hem side seam point. You should now have the hemline chalked in.
  10. Join the side seam by connecting the hem line and waist line points together with a straight line.
  11. Draw around the chalked lines 1cm to add seam allowance. Cut out.
  12. Moving onto the front skirt pieces. Keep your fabric on the fold. Unfold the back skirt piece and place on top of the folded fabric. Make sure its flat then trace around the outer edges.
  13. Find the centre of the skirt, mark this on the hemline. On the right side draw a curve from the centre mark up to the waist edge. This is creating the front panel curve shaped.
  14. Add a 1cm seam to the curved line only and cut out both layer of fabric. You will now have a pair of fronts.
  15. At this point you will need to sew the skirt fronts and back together. Pin the front and back side seams together making sure the right sides of the fabric are facing each other.
  16. Sew both side seams with a 1cm seam allowance. Finish the raw edges with a serger or zigzag stitch.
  17. Measure along the skirts waistline and jot this measurement down.
    Your skirt waist line length x 4 = the length required for your waistband and tie.
    E.g. 80cm x 4 = 320cm
  18. Here is the equation to work out your waist tie pattern size.
    Chalk your waistband panels 6cm wide x ½ waistband length ( ½ measurement as above) + 2cm for seam allowance.
  19. Cut out x 2 pairs because you need 4 waist tie panels altogether.
  20. Now you need to measure the hemline and jot this down.
    Here is the equation to work out your ruffle size.
    Hem length x 2 = gathered frill length.
    This will mean the ruffle is double the length of the hem. When it is gathered up it will have a nice amount of volume.
  21. Keeping your fabric on the fold. Chalk out a rectangle that is 14cm wide x ½ your gathered frill length ( ½ measurement as above) + 2cm for seam allowance.
  22. This will be a long pattern piece, which is why we needed to divide this into 2 panels so it wasn’t super long. This will be sewn together to make a long piece again.
  23. Next you need to curve one end of the ruffles. This creates the pretty narrowing curve detail as the ruffle gets closer to the waist line. This helps stop the ruffle from being bulky and too big. Cut these out. You will have 2 ruffle pieces.
  24. Pin the ruffles at the straight edges, right sides together, to connect them into one long piece. Neaten the raw edges.
  25. Hem the ruffle by turning the bottom edge up 5mm twice and stitching down. The hem edge is the side that is curved.
  26. Gather stitch along the straight edge of the ruffle. If this is new to you please read my full tutorial explain how to sew ruffles before continuing.
  27. Pin the gathered ruffle to the bottom of the skirt, right sides together. Make sure to make this as even as you can.
  28. Sew together with a 1cm seam allowance and neaten the raw edges.
  29. Join the waistbands together at one end. You will have 2 sets to join separately making a pair.
  30. Leave ¼ of the waistband hanging over one side of the skirt waist edge and pop in a pin to hold its place. There will be less length on the other side to allow for wrapping around your waist.
  31. Test this by wrapping the tie around your waist. When you figure this out pop in a pin on each side to indicate where the ties meet your skirt waistline.
  32. Pin the waistbands right sides together along one edge. This will close the top of the waistband off. Pin the two shorter ends (ends of the ties). Also pin along to where you placed the pins earlier (where the waistband and skirt meets).
  33. Sew around with a 1cm seam allowance. Only sew to the marked pin points and no futher.
  34. Trim the corners of the ties and turn to the right sides. Wiggle out to corners to get the sharp and press with an iron.
  35. Attach one side of the waistband to the skirt waist edge, right sides together. It should fit snugly between the tie points.
  36. On the inside waistband, fold under 1cm and pin in place on the inside of the skirt. This will hide any visible seams. Edge stitch down to close.
  37. Give your skirt a full press with an iron and you are finished!

Notes

  • Lightweight fabrics such as cotton and linen work well here. Don’t use anything with stretch in it.
  • If you want to make a few of these skirts I suggest taking some time to make a quick pattern on newsprint.
  • Sew two rows of gathered stitching to ensure you get evenly gathered ruffles.

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