Sewing Tutorial: Elyse Mini Skirt

The Elyse Mini Skirt features a 5cm waistband, center back invisible zipper, and optional skirt lining.
It’s a great shape for an intermediate sewer however even a beginner can tackle this if they follow the instructions carefully. Don’t be afraid to ask questions in the comments below if you need. I’m here to help. So let’s get started.

To begin you will need the following things

Materials

• Elyse Mini Skirt paper pattern
• 0.7m fabric
• 0.6m lining
• 0.1m lightweight fusing
• 20cm Invisible zipper
• cotton thread (enough to also thread your overlocker)

Tools

• scissors
• pins
• sewing machine
• overlocker
• iron

Tips

• If you are using a printed fabric for your main fabric, when choosing your lining colour, it helps to choose the thread at the same time. You want your thread to match your lining colour but to also blend as much as possible into the print you have chosen. Some thread colours disguise better on the print than others so check a couple of colours.
• Ensure your fabric is washed, dried and pressed before you start cutting. For instance, there is nothing worse than washing your beautiful garment and it shrinks, or even more annoying the lining shrinks and the main doesn’t so its all pulled out and shape and is unwearable.

Step 1 

Cut all main and lining pieces accurately on the correct grain, ensuring all notches are clipped.

Beginner tip* If you can afford to purchase a rotary cutter and cutting mat, I find this more accurate and time-efficient. 

Step 2 

Fuse main fabric of waistband to interfacing.

Beginner tip* Double check your interfacing is facing the correct way or you will glue it straight to your iron. Believe me, I’ve done it and its a pain to clean.

Step 3 

Sew front and back darts on main and lining, press towards CF and CB.

Beginner tip* If needed you can draw the dart lines onto the fabric with dressmakers chalk to ensure you sew a neat straight dart.

Step 4 

Overlock side seams and CB of main and lining from the right side.

Step 5 

Then sew side seams of front and back skirt together on main and lining, with a 1.5cm seam, press open.

Beginner tip* Ensure lining is sewn so that the right side of the fabric will be against the body with seam allowances facing out towards the main fabric.

Step 6 

Take skirt tiers and sew side seams together with a 1cm SA and overlock closed. Set aside.

Step 7 

Sew the front of the waistband to the top of the skirt.

Step 8 

Sew the back side of the waistband to the skirt lining.

Step 9 

Next insert the invisible zipper into the CB seam, bagging out between the main and lining.

Step 10 

Sew CB seam closed up to the zipper point.

Step 11

Top stitch lining to zipper. (this will help stop the lining from becoming caught in the zipper) Ensure you do not sew through the main fabric, we do not want this stitching showing on the outside of the garment.

Step 12

Sew the top edges of the lining and main waistband together along the top edge and clip corners.

Step 13

Pin stitch the seam allowance to the inside of the waistband and press.

Step 14

Pin the waistband together along the bottom seam and stitch closed from the outside in the ditch of the
seam.

Step 15

Overlock hem of main and skirt lining, then double turn main hem and single needle stitch. Repeat the same on the lining.

The Elyse Mini Skirt is complete. How did you go? Let me know in the comments below where you struggled or unpicked or needed extra help. I needed to unpick the back zipper because it was puckering at the bottom, so don’t be disheartened. This is how we learn, also the more times you sew something the better you will get to be at it.

We also have a number of other skirt patterns available for purchase here, or try another skirt tutorial here.