Tutorial: Easy Wrap Skirt

This tutorial will teach you how to make a simple gathered wrap skirt with a wide waistband. You can use a single length of fabric for this, or you can sew a bunch of scraps together for a completely unique skirt. I’m using a yard and a half of fabric that I created from leftover scraps and just treating it like any other length of fabric. (if you’re curious, I made a tutorial about it).

This page contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases. That being said, I encourage you to use your local sewing shop whenever possible, or to look for supplies second hand.

Supplies Needed:

about 2 yards of fabric (depending on how wide you want your skirt to be)
medium weight interfacing (for the waistband)
Ribbon (or something for tying the skirt closed)
A flat button

Make Your Pattern:

Measure your waist around 1 and a half times
Waistband: The measurement from the previous step X 6 inches wide
Skirt: Double the length of the waistband X however long you want your skirt to be

* The measurements here don’t need to be completely precise, so don’t worry if your measurements are a little bit off.

Step 1

Apply interfacing to the waistband

Step 2

Hem the sides and bottom of the skirt

Step 3

add gathering stitches to the top of the skirt

Gather the top of the skirt

Add two lines of long basting stitches along the top (un-hemmed) side of the skirt. Then pull these stitches to gather the skirt to half of it’s original length.

Step 4

sew the waistband to the skirt

With right sides together, sew the waistband to the top of the skirt. Then press the waistband away from the skirt. Remember to leave the seam allowance on both sides of the waistband.

Step 5

add a ribbon to one side of the waistband

sew one ribbon to one side of the waistband

Baste one of your ribbons to one side of the waistband. It should be about 1 inch up from the bottom of the waistband. Your ribbon pieces should be about long enough to wrap around your waist twice.

Step 6

sew the ends of the waistband

Fold the waistband in half with right sides together and sew both short ends. Then trim the corners and turn them to the right side. The ribbon should be emerging from one side of the waistband.

Step 7

sew the back of the waistband

Fold the waistband in half to the reverse side of the skirt and fold it over the raw edges of the fabric. Topstitch through all layers.

Step 8

make the button hole

On the side of the fabric that does not have the ribbon, you want to create a button hole. Use whatever flat button you have as a reference and draw your button hole around it. Then use your sewing machine to create the hole.

Step 9

try on the skirt for the button placement

sew the button

Try on your skirt with the button-hole side underneath. Then make a mark where the skirt wraps around and meets it. Sew your button to this mark.

Step 10

try on the skirt for the ribbon placement

sew the second ribbon

Try on your skirt again, and make a mark where the waistband ends. Sew your second ribbon to this mark so that it wraps around in the opposite direction.

Finished!