Confident beginner · 3–4 hours · 7 steps
How to sew a circle skirt
A circle skirt is cut from a doughnut shape rather than pattern pieces, so the whole project starts with one small calculation. Get the waist radius right and the skirt fits perfectly; get the hem timing right and it hangs level.
How it's constructed
- Silhouette
- Full circle, flaring dramatically from the waist
- Shaping
- None needed — the circle does the work
- Waist
- Interfaced waistband, or elastic for a pull-on version
- Closure
- Invisible zip in the centre back or side seam
- Hem
- Very narrow hem — the edge is almost all bias
Fabrics that work
- Cotton sateen or poplin for a crisp circle
- Viscose or Tencel for a fluid, swishy skirt
- Light wool crepe for winter
What you'll need
- Invisible zip, 18–20 cm (for a waistband version)
- Fusible interfacing for the waistband
- A long ruler or a length of string for marking the arcs
The steps, in order
- 01
Calculate the waist radius
Divide your waist measurement by 6.28, then subtract 1.5 cm for seam allowance. A 76 cm waist gives a radius of about 10.6 cm.
- 02
Mark and cut the arcs
Fold your fabric into quarters, pin a string at the corner and mark the waist arc at your radius, then a second arc at radius plus the skirt length. Cut both curves.
- 03
Stabilise the waist edge
The waist curve is partly on the bias and stretches easily. Run a stay stitch just inside the seam line, or fuse a narrow strip of interfacing.
- 04
Sew the back seam and insert the zip
Install the invisible zip at the top of the centre back seam, then close the rest of the seam below it.
- 05
Interface and attach the waistband
Fuse interfacing to the waistband, stitch it to the skirt right sides together, press up, fold the inner edge under and stitch in the ditch.
- 06
Hang the skirt for at least 24 hours
Hang it on a hanger and leave it. The bias sections drop unevenly, and this is the only way to find out by how much.
- 07
Trim level, then hem narrowly
Measure up from the floor at intervals, trim the hem level, then hem as narrowly as you can — 5–10 mm. A wide hem on a curve will never lie flat.
Mistakes worth avoiding
Hemming before the skirt has hung
The bias drops afterwards and the hem ends up wavy and uneven at the sides.
A wide hem on the circle edge
There's far more fabric in the outer edge than the fold can absorb, so it puckers. Go narrow.
Not stay-stitching the waist
The waist grows several centimetres while you handle it and no longer matches the waistband.
Techniques used in this project
Each one is explained on its own page, step by step.
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