DIY Upcycled Tiered Pull On Skirt From a Vintage Bedsheet

Hi guys! Today I am going to share how to make an easy tiered skirt without a pattern. I made my skirt from a vintage bed sheet. One of my favorite things in the whole world are vintage bed sheets. The prints are so fun! This project is great for beginners and only takes a few hours to make. I’ll tell you how to change it up some to customize it to the look you want too!

Here’s What You Need:

*Vintage Bed sheet or 2-3 yards of fabric

*Ruler and Marking Pen

*Scissors

*Sewing Machine and Thread

*1/2″ elastic

*Safety Pin

Instructions:

The first thing you need to do is determine the measurements so you can cut your fabric. Measure your waist. Take that measurement and double it, then add an inch for seam allowance. So if your waist is 24″ then your first tier will be 49″ (24×2=48+1=49). Decide where your first tier will hit from your waist area. I wanted mine to hit at 7″ down from my waist. For the top tier you will make a self casing so you will need to add that to the height. For my half inch casing I will add a half inch for hem and ease, then an inch for the casing. So if I want my first tier to be 7″ finished my finished height will be 9″ (7+1+.5=8.5 +seam allowance .5=9.) So my first tier will be cut 49″97″. I was able to get this in one piece from the width of my sheet. If your fabric is not wide enough, divide the measurement and cut two. Decide how long you want your second tier. I made mine at 10″ finished, so 11″ with seam allowance. For the second tier you will double the first width measurement. So take your width from the first tier and double it, (49×2=98″) You can cut two 49″x11″ pieces. For the third tier you will decide your length again. I chose 6″, so 8″ with seam allowance and hem. You will want to double the second tier width, (98×2=196″). So my third tier was 196″x8. I cut four pieces at 49×8. See a pattern here? You basically start with one width, then double it, then double the second.

Now to start you need to sew together your tier pieces. If you have two first tier pieces stitch them together at the side seams. Sew together the tier two pieces together at the side seams and the third tiers together at the side seams. You should now have three rings of fabric.

Next you need to gather your tiers. On the largest loop, the bottom tier, stitch a basting stitch about a quarter inch from the top, then another right above it. Stitch your basting stitches, stopping and starting again at each seam. Pull the two strings from one side to gather your fabric. Play and fanagle your gathers until you have gathered the fabric enough to fit to the bottom of the second tier.

Now sew the bottom tier to the bottom of the second tier with right sides together. Baste gathering stitches in the top of both second tier pieces and gather until they will fit the bottom of the top tier. Pin. Stitch the top of the second tier to the bottom of the first tier right sides together.

I had a little helper for this part…

Now you are ready to make your casing. Turn under the top edge about a quarter of an inch and press. Then turn under again around 3/4″ and press again. Stitch all the way around close to the open edge, leaving a couple inches open for your elastic.

Pin one end of your elastic to the fabric right next to the casing. On the other end, fasten a safety pin and close it. Insert the safety pin side of elastic into the casing. Scootch it through the casing al the way until it comes out the other end. Try the skirt on and pull the elastic to where it fits snugly at your waist. Pin. Stitch the elastic together. Trim. Stitch the casing closed.

To finish off your skirt hem the bottom tier by turning under twice and stitching all the way around close to the open edge.

This skirt is easily customizable. You can play around with the number of tiers, adding or subtracting. You use the basic formula of doubling the previous measurement every time you add a tier. You can also play around with the fullness. The skirt I made was double the fullness from my natural waist. If you want a skirt that is less full add less material for fullness, like 1.5 times the width instead of two. Or you can make it even more full. Play around with it and have fun!

I LOVE how my skirt turned out! It is fluffy and full and twirly, so fun! You can really customize this skirt by the fabrics you choose and the length and fullness of your tiers. I hope you all will give this skirt a try for your next sewing project! It doesn’t take too much fabric and is easy to sew! My skirt cost me under five dollars to make! I know I will be making more and playing around with this style. I’ll be back soon with more fun DIY tutorials. Until then…

Happy Crafting!