I wish I could transform my wedding dress from 10 years ago to a wedding skirt. I've been researching pins on Pinterest for outfit ideas for a photo shoot for our ten year wedding anniversary. It's a milestone that I'd like to cherish. There is this trend of women modifying their wedding dresses to a wedding skirt and pairing it with a denim chambray shirt. Such a cute idea, but I would want to preserve that memorable dress for a lifetime. So I went on an online hunt for tulle skirts for plus size women, boy are they expensive! Bliss Tulle has some really cute ones but out of my price range and not my size. Etsy also had a selection, but most are overseas and will cost so much to ship. So this hurdle inspired me to make my very own on a budget.
I found a great DIY from A Beautiful Mess for a regular size tulle circle skirt. I followed their measurement instructions on how to create your own skirt pattern out of craft paper but using the following measurements: length of skirt for maxi style - 41 inches (I measured from my waist to my ankles); hip measurement (opening of skirt) - 8 inches (it may seem tiny but you will later on read on the blog on how to attach it to the elastic waistband); waist measurement - 7 inches. You will need to determine your measurements ahead of time to contemplate and get a more accurate measurement of how much fabric or material yardage you will need.
Note: 1 yard = 36 inches
Materials I used:
Champagne color tulle - bought 8 yards from Mood Designer Fabrics (~ $34), their tulle is very hard and structured , not flimsy like some you find at a craft store. The eight yards gave me two layers of tulle for my maxi skirt. But feel free to buy as much yardage as you need depending on how many layers you would like your tulle skirt to have. I didn't want to much pouf so I chose just two layers.
1" to 1.5" elastic waistband from Fabric.com
2.5 to 3 yards of lace fabric from any craft store
2.5 to 3 yards of polyester lining from any craft store
:: My DIY Instructions ::
1: First cut your skirt pattern. Use DIY instructions from the blogger mothership A Beautiful Mess.
2. Once you've determined your measurements and have bought all needed materials to start your skirt, use the skirt pattern as a template to cut your fabrics. My tulle fabric was 53" wide, so with the pattern, I was able to cut 4 pieces. You will need to seam two pieces at a time on both sides. Remember this is for a maxi tulle wedding skirt. So if you prefer a mini, knee length or midi skirt, you would have way more material hence more layers. For the lace, I folded my fabric in half, and cut the lace fabric only on the unfolded edges which you'll see that you will only need to close or seam just one side of the lace fabric. I followed the same procedure for the polyester lining which I bought a little darker color, camel. If I chose a lighter color, I think my skirt would definitely be too sheer, and we wouldn't want that.
3. Organize your layers. Determine which type of fabric will go on top of what. This will gauge the design and look of your skirt. With three types of material, obviously the polyester camel lining will be on the bottom most layer. I played with the layers and decided that the best look for me is to put two layers of tulle on top of the lace for a subtle lace look. Then place the camel polyester lining on the bottom of those layers. Note: Center the seam of the lace and lining layers, also place the seam towards the back of the skirt. For the tulle, each layer will have seams on both sides. You won't be able to see the seams on the bottom two layers so don't worry.
4. Pin all along the waist area so that the four layers stay in place. This is a very important step for when you attach the skirt to the elastic waistband.
5. Measure your waist. Cut the elastic waistband to size plus an inch. Sew the elastic waistband closed making sure to leave one inch of waistband. Fold the excess of one inch in half and sew to reinforce the band. Do the same with the other half.
6. Lay your elastic waistband flat. Insert the skirt through the center of the elastic waistband. You will need to determine where along the waist area of the skirt to attach the elastic waistband. You will need lots of pins. Make sure the front of the skirt and the back of the skirt circularly align with the elastic waistband and it's straight. Pin the skirt to the elastic waistband. Excess fabric is ok. You will cut it after it's been sewn together. Or if you prefer, do it as soon as the pins are on the waistband. Note: Before you sew it together, hang your skirt to see if the flow of the bottom of the skirt makes sense.
7. After you attach the waistband to the skirt, cut all excess fabric along the waist area of the skirt. You can add another seam to the edge of the fabric if you prefer.
Thankfully, this was the final result.
A wedding skirt on a budget.
Need a tulle skirt for your pet? DIY post here.
~ marissa