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taeliac — Tutorial: Circle Skirts
Published: 2008-07-03 03:00:20 +0000 UTC; Views: 256040; Favourites: 3665; Downloads: 0
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Description
Well, I have this huge list of tutorials I want to make, and this was the first one a whim took me to strike off my list.Yes, it is wordy.
Yes, it requires you to do math.
Fair warning. (sorry, I be angsty about some people sometimes)
This is for making a skirt out of a full circle (or just about). These skirts are wonderful - they're very easy to do once you're used to them, and they're fast and very fun to wear. If you do it where you make it longer, they're so much fun to twirl around in.
Within this tutorial is how to sew it together, how to figure out the inner circle (this was my bit o' math voodoo in school), the length, and most importantly, yardage estimates.
I hope I covered just about everything you could need to know - I'll hopefully have a supplement to this in a few days about how to take this, and use it to create pleated skirts for those of us who can't wear traditional one's - our hips are too large! Circles make a wonderful way of doing that, combining the fullness you usually want in a skirt with the pleated look that most uniforms require.
Here is a quick visual explanation on how to combine more than one circle for an even fuller skirt! 
Other useful tutorials that work well with this:
Putting in a centered zipper - this is referenced in the tutorial, so you may want to check it out, too Putting on bias tape - this is another way that you can make the waistband (it will only be the size of the bias, though, so double check what you're doing) or, this makes a very attractive hem finish that I forgot to mention before 
All images at the bottom are my own. Please do not redistribute, edit, or re-word my tutorials for any other purposes without my express written permission.
(c) 2008 `taeliac / Taeliac Studio / Samantha Lemieux -
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Comments: 385
Fashion term XD
Sorry it means when your skirts are shorter in the back then in the front. I alway's had a problem like with all my skirts.
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Oh! I get you! 
What I usually do, in those cases, is make it longer all around, by usually 3" or so, and then put it on, and use a stiff yard stick or something like that to mark the hem all the way around, and then finish it with a rolled hem or something like that.
Otherwise, if that is a pain, you can shift the middle circle over a bit more, just be sure to record which side is then your "front" and which is your "back" - shifting the middle circle along that axis, to make it a bit shorter in the front than the back by about 2" or so seems to work well for me (and, if you do it a ton, like a 20" long skirt, if you move the middle cut out circle, can become a 12" short skirt in the front, and almost 30" in the back, or more if you shape it like an oval 
I hope that makes sense!!
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Ahhh ok I get it now! yeah it sucks when you are a bit bigger than most people XD
It seems to happen quite alot with alot of my clothes and what not so thank you for clearing that up for me!
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Great tutorial! I'm gonna try to make one!
I have 5 more days 'til the Japan Expo in Paris!
I have just one question: I'm from France so I don't really know what you mean by the ". Are these centimeters or... >///<"
Sorry for this over stupid question.
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I really hope it helps you out!
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Thank you very much, it does help me out!
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o-o Can this be made for petticoats? If not can you send me somewhere to get decent petticoats? I need some for my Lolita dress.
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Ooh! You can, but you'll either need to make a bunch of them out of something like tulle, or make one out of a lining and a couple of tiers of ruffles sewn on top (I have a tutorial for uber-ruffles, too).
Otherwise, I just order basic one's from SockDreams.net, or I look on eBay for "square dancing petticoats" for really insanely full one's (they cost and arm and a leg, but are so worth it!)
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*raises hand* How should I adjust my measurements if I want to add pleats to this?
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Oh! Hehe, I was actually planning to do a tutorial on that one of these days
Well, what you would do is figure first how many pleats you want - say, 5 of them total. Then, figure out how deep you want the top of them to be - they aren't straight pleats, they kind of go on an angle and get wider the further down you go, so the top doesn't need to be as wide as a standard pleated skirt would be. I usually make my pleats 1" deep at the top, so you need to add 2" per pleat (the fabric folds twice). So... add an extra 10" on (for my example~)
I hope that helps!
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Yeah, it does! I'm just hypothesizing right now, anyways. I was going to make a skirt to go with my lolita costume this year, but I don't have time to do it well. So I'm putting it off for next year, because if there's one thing lolita demands, it's quality.
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I've been wanting to make skirts like this FOREVER!!!!! lol ^.^
I was gonna buy a skirt from Hot Topic, but I decided that making one would be so much fun and probably a lot cheaper.
This seriously made my search for directions on how to make circle skirts end. Its a very good tutorial!
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This was a wonderful, straightforward tutorial--I made a test skirt in half an hour today! 
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I made this with my friendicles [link]
this is her skirt [link]
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I shouldn't announce this kind of stuff. Didn't have time after all. 
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wow! This is an amazing tutorial! 
I am just beginning cosplaying and sewing in general (I just finished my first attempt at sewing, Temari's second outfit), so I'm sorry if this is an idiotic question, but would this tutorial work for the Azumanga Diaoh skirt? Again sorry if that was a really ignorant question, but I'm sort of just fumbling around.
Thanks for the help!
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Wow, I love how you can make tutorials for people about sewing that make sense to people who know very little of sewing ^.^ Hats off to ya! Now I'll know what to do if I ever have a huge abundance of fabric laying around!
~ Celia
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Hehe, now that is the best compliment I've ever gotten, thank you!!
Yep! You do need a lot of fabric for it, but well worth it
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Hooray, I thought the math was going to be destructive to my mind, but it wasn't too bad. Ima make a nice little Alice in Wonderland skirt for Halloween (which, admittedly, is 7 months away...heh heh..O_o), see how that goes, and then maybe make some regular skirts with some embroidery...*mind buzzes with ideas centered around the fabulous Circle Skirt*...thanks for making this tutorial! Not sure if I commented on this way back, so if I did, I'm sorry that I wrote stuff all over again. ^^
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Hi there
I used your tutorial to make the first thing I've ever made on a sewing machine tonight. I think I did alright 
Just a question though (I most likely did something wrong). Are you supossed to have to gather some of the material of the skirt to make it fit into the band? Or did I cut the center out too much?
Thank you
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Oh amazing 
Sometimes, you do have to gather a bit of it - the formula puts some padding in for seam allowances, but sometimes, if you don't cut quite right, or if you round wierd, or any amount of reasons, it can do that, I'm sorry to say - it always does that for me, at least
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oh god, im such a loser, The waistband thing. I dont get it at all. Should it be shorter than the opening for your body? If it isnt i so did it wrong.
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Well, the waist band should be the same size as the hole you're cutting out to put your body in - it's just there to be able to put elastic in. And it should only be about a 2" band that you fold in half
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Haha i was like wait...its a waistband so it should fit around your wait, OH! Thanks, my mom`s helping me finish the skirt, and im gonna add pleats to it. Ill take a picture to show you when im done if you like. ^^
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Oh awesome!!
I love putting pleats in skirts like this - they look so much nicer (and nicer on the body) when they're done like this - you really get that anime/school girl effect
I would absolutely love to see pictures!!
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OMG! I just made the cutest little jumper with this tutorial! Thank you!
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Really? Too cool! I'm happy to have been of help, then
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thanks!
i remember using patterns for skirts, and they never had enough pleats for my taste, but i think this one hit the mark <3
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Oh awesome! Yes! It is insanely full (and can be even more full if you want it to be, by putting a couple together
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I was fiddling with some fabric, following this tutorial, and an idea dawned (cue lightbulb). If you altered the size for the waist to fit a head and neck, and added a lining of some sort, this is a good tutorial to make ponchos (sp?). Adding pockets on the front probably wouldn't be a huge hassle either. No joke. >u< I'm currently working on a poncho based on the tutorial (with a hood) and it works really well. Just thought you should know.
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Ooof, I hate making hoods! Best of luck to you with that!!
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^^ I did, and it actually turned out quite well all things considered. Of course one has to be mindful the width, but still.
I can understand that, they are a pain. 
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I know you're looking into more simplistic tutorial ideas-- my dilemma in trying to use this tutorial and realizing (luckily right away) that the length would never work has brought about an idea:
How to make skirt patterns that are longer than the 3 presets mentioned in this one. Even just a basic pattern idea would probably help-- I know it'd help me! I'm about to venture into very billowy territory involving many yards of red fabric. @-@ Wish me luck.
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Oh! There are lots of really full skirt patterns out there that are longer, and really full - Vogue patterns has a lot of full, gored skirt patterns, if you look through their pattern books!
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I think I shall! Thank you. :3
I was just writing down some things in a list I need to craft my big crazy skirt, too! (right after finally getting a chance to check out your ruffle tutorial, which I found very pleasant to watch. Excellent job on that! :3 )
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I really enjoy how detailed and simple this all sounds reguardless of the difficulty it really is.
It sounds very optimistic and I really would like to try this method sometime.
Thank You <3
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It most definitely is not very complicated - it might take some practice, but otherwise, it's very easy to do
I really, really hope it helps you out!!
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The results of your tutorial [link]
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Hooray!! Thank you so much for sending me a link, that is awesome!!
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So very sorry to bother you, but I had a question;
I need to make this cosplay [link] and I was wondering if it would be better to use the circle skirt technique for the skirt that the girl is wearing, or to use your ruffle technique, and sew that onto the bottom of a strait skirt?
You're amazing at sewing and I just needed advice from somebody who REALLY knew what they were doing.
Thanks so much for any and all help!
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Hello! I would personally make it as a series of circles (probably something like 3 or 4) simply because you wouldn't have the bulk anywhere - either at the top of the waistband, or at the bottom of the skirt. The bulk would kind of just manifest in the fullness at the bottom
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Thank you so much! It did help!
-finds calculator- Time to do some math!
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Thanks for the tutorial its so easy....
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Hooray! I'm happy to hear it
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Alrighty. Now I can properly comment on this. Following this tutorial, I defied my mother that said that I wouldn't be able to manage to make a skirt. BUT I SHOWED HER, even though it took me a good five hours sewing everything by hand.
I absolutely love you for making this. <3
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Hahaha! That is so awesome 
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